Iowa's Ben McCollum Sounds Off on Controversial B1G Officiating

The No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes, coming off a blowout home win over the UCLA Bruins, marched into a road matchup earlier this week against the Minnesota Golden Gophers both favored and on fire. Yet, having been 0-2 on the road entering the matchup, something felt uneasy, even in the face of favorable predictions.

Even head coach Ben McCollum noticed the shift, cautioning fans and watchers prior to the duel that the Hawkeyes could very well lose. That may seem like an odd footnote for a coach to emphasize, but given the game's final result, McCollum was very much in the right.

With a 70-67 final score, the Hawkeyes fell short for the third time this season. Now 12-3 overall and reeling to a relative extent, McCollum is looking back on the loss in an effort to grasp one tantalizing aspect of playing in the B1G.

"I'm trying to get a grip on exactly how everything's going to be officiated at this level," McCollum said, following the defeat against Minnesota in which the Hawkeyes shot just 10 free throws to the Golden Gophers' overwhelming 28.

Squashing the Discrepancy

Both teams shot around the 75% mark from the strike. The only difference? Due alone to their lopsided attempts, Minnesota made 11 more. Again, Iowa lost by just three points.

Whatever the discrepancy, it's crucial that the Hawkeyes figure out how to squash it before losing B1G road games becomes commonplace as a result.

"I'm trying to get a grip on exactly how everything's going to be officiated at this level. There's an art to it. ... There's a nuance to being able to coach to the rules of the game. You're trying to figure out exactly what they're calling." https://t.co/MSXXL0tIvb
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) January 8, 2026

"There's an art to it," he continued, "There's a nuance to being able to coach to the rules of the game. You're trying to figure out exactly what they're calling."

Coaching to the Rules

Having never coached in the conference before - which is, this season, perhaps the most competitive league in the country - McCollum is racing the clock in trying to figure out how best to lead his team through games like their latest one.

What is means to "coach to the rules" is dependant on exactly what is and isn't called on a regular basis. Of course, being in a hostile road environment rarely helps consistency as far as officiating goes. What the Hawkeyes faced in Minnesota is just the first of many incoming challenges that will see the Hawkeyes come up short at the strike unless the team can adapt to the whistle.

With two ranked matchups coming up, the first of which against No. 16 Illinois being at home, Iowa at least has a chance to dust off their shoes at home before having to adjust to a new negative environment.

Beating the Fighting Illini at Carver-Hawkeye feels crucial to the Hawkeyes' quest to keep their highly successful season on track.

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