Iowa Has Clear Path to Victory vs. Washington

While the Iowa Hawkeyes must only be focused on one game at a time, this program is beginning to reach an all-time high.

After selling out their first game in nearly two years, first year head coach Ben McCollum knows all of his hard work is already beginning to pay off.

A win over Washington would match this team's win total from last season and there are still nine games remaining.

This season is far from over, and Iowa can do a ton of damage. All eyes will be on Tavion Banks injury as he should be good to go against the Huskies in a game that doesn't start until 11:00 p.m. EST for viewers on the east coast.

Iowa Wants a High Scoring Affair

Late Night Hoops ☕️ pic.twitter.com/TKKQlRftxn
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 4, 2026

The last thing the Huskies want to do is let this game get into the 80s. The second Iowa crosses the 80 point mark, it's all but over. Washington has scored 80+ just nine times this season. Keep in mind, they only have 12 overall wins. That seems to be their magic number, but more importantly, Iowa knows their offense is far superior.

Whether Banks is on the court or not, one could argue Bennett Stirtz is far better than any player Washington is going to put on the floor. Coming off a week where he was named Co-B1G Player of the Week, Stirtz is riding a high that should last through this west coast trip.

Stirtz put up a career number against Oregon with Banks on the bench far more than he was all season long. This Hawkeyes team isn't going to ask their senior guard to score 32 points per game, but he's shown time and time again he's able to do so against opponents with a sub-par record.

Iowa Has Numerous Key Advantages

Iowa G Bennett Stirt — Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, center, goes up for a shot against Oregon during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Feb 1, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Washington is averaging just 72.3 points in their last ten games but the big kicker is their defense. While the Hawkeyes are only allowing their opponents to score 64.3 points per game in that stretch, the Huskies are allowing 74.2. McCollum is extremely confident in this team's defense, especially coming off the Oregon game, and there's no reason to believe Washington should be able to top Iowa on either side of the ball.

Other key numbers to keep in mind are rebounds (Washington averages nearly five more per game) and steals (Iowa averages nearly four more per game). Those two numbers may not decide the game, but Iowa continually falls behind on the boards but makes up for it with the number of turnovers they force.

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