Iowa's Ben McCollum Staying Positive Despite Third-Straight Loss

After going three games in a row without earning a win, the Iowa Hawkeyes suddenly find themselves at 12-5 overall and, much worse, 2-4 in the B1G. That latter tally is the sort of statistic that defines a team in the worst way down the stretch and, given Iowa's glaring lack of a Quad 1 win, to boot.

In their latest duel with the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers away from home, despite having led for a promising portion of the competition, the Hawkeyes once again fell short in a 79-72 loss. If the team didn't already have their backs against the wall, losing yet another opportunity to notch a signature win as the NCAA Tournament clock starts to tick.

Although Iowa's immediate schedule looks to soften up, at least in comparison to their latest run, the Hawkeyes still have plenty of ground to make up and constantly whittling chances to make it happen.

Suddenly Short of Positivity

In the aftermath of yet another defeat, Coach McCollum spoke on the process of improving through controversy. Given what the Hawkeyes have faced lately, any positive words of affirmation could go a long way for a program suddenly short of positivity.

"Part of trying to be good is sometimes there's a level of failure that comes with it," said McCollum, leading the way as Iowa navigates their longest stretch of losing all year. "I think as you try to progress to be good, sometimes you do get beat like what has occurred lately."

Ben McCollum: "Part of trying to be good is sometimes there's a level of failure that comes with it. I think as you try to progress to be good, sometimes you do get beat like what has occurred lately. But you can't let that impact your ability to continue to fight and continue to…
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) January 15, 2026

While two of the Hawkeyes' three losses have come against ranked opponents - two also came on the road in what is likely the best conference in the country this season - the losing streak still speaks to problems with the team that had previously been hidden by strong non-conference play.

Yet, McCollum is determined to keep he and his team's heads held high. "But you can't let that impact your ability to continue to fight and continue to try to be as good as what you think you can be."

Jan 6, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum reacts during the first half at Williams Arena against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

As Good as You Think

How good Iowa thinks they can be is, for the time, irrelevant to their decomposing status as a March Madness qualifier, let alone the sort of dark horse potential that they'd previously been dubbed with.

With the Indiana Hoosiers on deck next, Iowa has another immediate opening to snag their first road win in what, at this point, feels like a necessary circumstance.

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