Iowa Hawkeyes Star Provides Bold Message After Beating Penn State

Iowa Hawkeyes star Payton Sandfort opened up with a bold message after beating Penn State.

Jan 24, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Payton Sandfort (20) cheers his teammates in their game against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Payton Sandfort and the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to pull off a huge win over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday night by a final score of 76-75.

For a team that has been struggling recently, the win could be a momentum swing. Iowa badly needed to break a three-game losing streak and they were able to come through with the slighest margin of victory to get that win.

With the win, the Hawkeyes moved to 13-7 on the season. Their hopes of the NCAA Tournament are hanging on by a thread, but they are still alive.

Following the game, Sandfort provided a bold message about and for his team.

“I think it was kinda desperation,” Sandfort said. “It was playing loose. We knew we had to have it. We stayed together. The energy at practice the last few days was way better, which it has to be and it starts with me as the leader. Like I said, getting one, it makes everything feel better.”

He also revealed how this one win can give Iowa the confidence it needs to start competing with anyone.

“When you’re going through a tough stretch, it can feel impossible to get a win,” he said. “That’s what we were dealing with Tuesday night. Once you get one, things start to feel better. You feel like you can compete. You feel like we've got all the confidence in the world that we can go out and compete with Big Ten teams.”

Sandfort and the Hawkeyes will have a chance to prove that they can play with anyone. They are set for a massive showdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road on Monday evening. After that, they will take on the No. 11 ranked Purdue Boilermakers at home.

In order to work their way back into the March Madness picture, Iowa needs to pick up some statement wins. Beating Ohio State and then finding a way to pull off the upset over Purdue would be a big step in that direction.

All of that being said, Iowa got the losing streak off of their backs. Now, they need to string a few wins together to get the season back on track.