Iowa Taking Pride in Underdog Mentality

The Iowa Hawkeyes, entering as double-digit underdogs against the No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones on the road, were expected to take their second runaway loss against a ranked opponent this season. The first, a 71-52 rout at the hands of the now No. 9-ranked Michigan State Spartans, formed a bubble of "good-not-great" expectations around Iowa that the team had no opportunity to shake until now.

And while Iowa did go on to lose, the much closer nature of the game (66-62) and the trends within it warned the nation of a Hawkeyes team that appears much more capable than previously thought. Having held a double-digit lead of their own at multiple intervals, new head coach Ben McCollum and his first-year squad made a statement in defeat.

Following the bout, McCollum had much to say about both the game and his team as a whole. After setting the tone by making it clear that a loss is never okay - and that "moral wins" don't count in Iowa City - the captain of the black and gold ship gave his team some deserved flowers in the face of the matchup's disappointing outcome.

Taking Pride in Doubt

Not only that, but the team, composed mostly of underrated and unappreciated players, according to McCollum, embraces their identity as underdogs and prevails as a tough team through those expectations.

"We’re a tough team. If you count the amount of guys that had actual Division I offers out of high school, we don’t have a lot of them," McCollum remarked of his inaugural roster.

Ben McCollum: "We’re a tough team. If you count the amount of guys that had actual Division I offers out of high school, we don’t have a lot of them. Or if they did have a Division I offer, it was low-major or mid-major at best. They take a little pride in that. We’ve got big… pic.twitter.com/U3EIWE4k4z
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) December 12, 2025

"Or if they did have a Division I offer, it was low-major or mid-major at best. They take a little pride in that," he continued.

"We’ve got big guards for the most part, but our bigs aren’t the biggest. I don’t know. They don’t care. That’s just what we are. We’re just fighters and that’s what we’ve got to do. So we’ll keep fighting.”

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) takes a three-point shot over Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during the first half in the men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Biding Time

While the team currently has an 0-2 record against ranked opponents, playing in the B1G promises ample opportunity for ground to be made up in that regard down the line. For now, the Hawkeyes will bide their time over the next few games at home against unfavored non-conference opponents.

Fans can take heart in both McCollum's "no loss" philosophy and the team's underdog attitude; this is an Iowa team that believes they can win everytime the ball is tipped. That is bound to translate to their tangible win column, eventually.

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