Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa Matching Last Season's Win Total At Rapid Pace

The Iowa Hawkeyes haven't struggled much even with a first year head coach.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Feb 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) dunks the ball against the Washington Huskies 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 guard Bennett Stirtz (14) dunks the ball against the Washington Huskies 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

Last year, the Iowa Hawkeyes finished the season 17-16 (7-13). It marked their second straight year of missing out on the NCAA Tournament, but firing Fran McCaffrey was one of the best decisions they ever made.

Hawkeyes fans know how much he poured his heart and soul into the program, but last season was the final nail in the coffin.

Now, led by first year head coach Ben McCollum, all this Iowa team knows how to do is win. At 17-5 (7-4), Iowa is one win away from matching their win total from last season over a month ahead of schedule.

With nine games remaining, Iowa has a chance to easily surpass their record from a year ago. A trip to March Madness is within reach, but everyone knows they can't look too far ahead.

Iowa's Recent Season Struggles

In 2023-24, Iowa secured an invite to the NIT with their 18-14 (10-10) record. The year prior, they were 19-13 (11-9). Somehow, they kept winning one fewer game each year until McCollum finally came into play. Now, that odd streak is over.

March 12 marked the day Iowa secured their 17th win last season, but keep in mind that was during the B1G tournament. They finished 16-15 in the regular season with a disastrous 4-11 record since January 14.

Now, everything has changed. While things seemed to be trending in the wrong direction with a three-game skid from January 6-14, the team quickly corrected themselves and have since won five straight conference games for the first time in four years.

Iowa Eyes 18th Win

With three more days to recover after their west coast trip, Iowa will host Northwestern, a Wildcats team they should have no issue beating. NU is just 2-10 in conference play so if there was ever a time for Iowa to surpass their win total from last season, it's against these Wildcats.

Looking ahead, Iowa has a few extremely difficult games ahead of them. Coming off a Quad 1 win in Washington, the Hawkeyes are tasked with playing No. 12 Purdue, No. 9 Nebraska (twice) and No. 2 Michigan.

Their showdown against the Boilermakers will prove to be one of, if not their biggest of the entire season. On Valentines Day, a sold out crowd will pack Carver. It's the first time a men's game has sold out in two years. Iowa, now more than ever, is trending in the right direction and can't let this season go to waste.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!

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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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