Iowa HC Holds Back When Discussing Tavion Banks' Injury

The Iowa Hawkeyes were able to get the job done in Oregon despite senior guard Tavion Banks' only playing 11 minutes.

With a few tough games remaining on their schedule, that won't always be the case.

No one expects Bennett Stirtz to keep breaking his career high, as the Hawkeyes' season outlook could look a whole lot different without Banks on the court.

All the talk was around Banks breaking the team's consecutive made free throws record, but now the talk has shifted to when Hawkeyes fans see him play again.

Ben McCollum Doesn't Reveal Much in Regard to Banks Injury

Ben McCollum provides injury update on Tavion Banks: https://t.co/IbmHfkUgMC
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) February 2, 2026

"He’s dealing with some stuff, so hopefully we’ll get him back healthy," McCollum told Hawk Central after the win.

When asked about a potential timeline, McCollum didn't have a response that Hawkeyes fans will like: "Not a lot for this one. We’ve just got to give him rest, hope that it goes away.”

McCollum wasn't afraid to say that this is a similar injury to what Banks dealt with during his time at Drake, so it's something McCollum is already familiar with. That said, it doesn't make things any easier.

Tyler Tachman wasn't able to get much more out of McCollum as the Hawkeyes first year head coach continued to keep the details of Banks' injury close to his chest. Ultimately, that isn't a great sign as it's clear they know a bit more behind the scenes than they're letting on.

Iowa Needs Others To Step Up

Iowa G — Jan 20, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tavion Banks (6) goes to the basket as Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Emmanuel Ogbole (21) defends during the 2nd half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Even though Banks went down with an injury, there were plenty of positives to take away from the Oregon game. Iowa secured a big-time road victory as they improved to 16-5 (6-4 Big Ten) and are one win away from matching their total from last season. With six unranked opponents left on their schedule, McCollum should have no issue guiding this team to a better record than they had last year.

March Madness continues to be on everyone's mind, but that's going to be a tough road to navigate without Banks. Thankfully for the Hawkeyes, they have a few players who have come into their own off the bench.

McCollum could need a guy like Alvaro Folgueiras or Isaia Howard to start, as they have just two days' rest before playing at Washington. Another name that can be thrown into the mix is Brendan Hausen. Iowa hasn't been put in this position much this season, as Banks has started 20 of the 21 games he appeared in.

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