Iowa In For Rude Awakening After Third B1G Loss

Things didn't go the Iowa Hawkeyes way as No. 16 Illinois stormed into Carver and took home a 75-69 win.

Iowa falls to 12-4 (2-3) as they drop below .500 in B1G play once again. While it's still early, these losses aren't a good sign, especially knowing Purdue is on the horizon.

Illinois led the entire way as they at one point led by as many as 18. Iowa's horrendously slow start had the crowd out of it from the jump, and ultimately, their comeback was too little too late.

Take nothing away from the Fighting Illini, they are a great team, but this is another game Iowa will be looking back on as one they could've won. No matter what the score was early, they hung in there but couldn't come away with a victory.

Iowa Falls To 2-3 In B1G

Final Score: Illinois 75, Iowa 69
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) January 11, 2026

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Bennett Stirtz struggled big time. He attempted the most shots of anyone on the floor, 17, but only made five of them. Iowa had two bench players lead the way in scoring, which tells you everything you need to know.

Stirtz 5-17 echoes his past performance against great teams. He continues to be not only shut down, but embarrassed against ranked opponents. This isn't the first time it's happened this season, and the team is in for a rude awakening, as he, for the most part, is their entire offense.

Cam Manyawu started this game but played just eight minutes, the fewest of any player in the entire game. Thankfully for Iowa, Tate Sage and Tavion Banks scored double digits off the bench otherwise, this would've been a complete disaster.

Iowa Drops Second Straight

Jan 11, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; A general view of Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the Iowa Hawkeyes before the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

In no world did Iowa expect to find themselves in this position, but here they are. First-year head coach Ben McCollum was unable to build on this team's No. 19 ranking, and there's no doubt they'll be unranked come the next AP poll.

In all honesty, this team never deserved to be ranked in the first place. They didn't have any quality wins, and while no one can take away their losses to Michigan State and Iowa State, these last two are inexcusable.

Iowa now has to prepare for Purdue on just a few days' rest, and it's a road game which is the worst news of all. Iowa hasn't won a game away from home this season, so things aren't looking good ahead of their Jan. 14 showdown with the Boilermakers.

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