Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa Hits Three Impressive Milestones vs. Washington

There's something special about this Iowa Hawkeyes team.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Feb 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) shoots the ball over Washington Huskies center Franck Kepnang (11) during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Feb 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) shoots the ball over Washington Huskies center Franck Kepnang (11) during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

For the first time in years, it feels like the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball program could make a run.

First year head coach Ben McCollum is coming off a successful west coast trip where the team took down Oregon, 84-66, and now Washington, 84-74. Despite trailing by seven at the half, fans who stayed up into the wee hours of the night were rewarded.

The Hawkeyes now sit at 17-5 (7-4) as they've matched their win total from last season. With nine games remaining, who knows what McCollum can do with this history making team.

1. First Five Game B1G Winning Streak Since 2022

Tyler Tachman, who was on location for the game, reported this is Iowa's first five game conference winning streak in four years. Things didn't look too good for the Hawkeyes when they slipped up at Minnesota and followed it up with ranked losses to No. 16 Illinois and No. 5 Purdue.

instead of letting that three-game skid get to them, they've won five straight. Whatever McCollum is saying at halftime and in the locker room, it's proving to be extremely effective. Now, more than ever, everyone is truly buying into this team.

2. Iowa's Offensive KenPom Rating Is The Best in Four Years

It's been roughly four years since Iowa has had a KenPom offense rated this high. Chad Leistikow reported their current No. 15 ranking is the highest it's been since the 2022-23 season when they got as high as No. 14.

Not only that, but Iowa's defense is still ranked No. 21. While that fell three spots after their win at Washington, it's crazy to think this team has both a Top 25 offense and defense this late into the season.

3. Iowa's Defense Has Held Every Opponent Under Their Season Average

This next statistic doesn't even seem real. Ethan Petrik posted a graphic that was shown during the broadcast which coincidentally features Northern Iowa as well. Those are the only two D1 teams that haven't allowed a team to score higher than their points per game average.

Knowing Iowa has played a slew of ranked opponents, this is truly insane. This Hawkeyes team, despite going up against No. 7 Michigan State, No. 4 Iowa State, and No. 5 Purdue, didn't allow any of those teams to meet their average. Iowa's defense is truly next level and that's something this team hasn't seen in ages.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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