Iowa's Road Struggles Forecast March Madness Woes

At 12-4, in spite of a 2-3 conference record, the Iowa Hawkeyes appear to be a relatively safe, successful team from the outside looking in. Well above the .500 mark overall and operating above expectations under still-new head coach Ben McCollum, anyone that hasn't been along for the specifics of the ride may think nothing at all is wrong under the hood.

Yet, upon closer look, the Hawkeyes have encountered their own kryptonite at the worst possible juncture in their current campaign. Coach McCollum's first roster in the black and gold, around the season's halfway point, simply cannot find a way to win on the road.

As conference play cuts into full swing and true road matchups against ranked teams become commonplace - Iowa has the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers up next away from home - the urgency to work out these kinks ahead of the looming NCAA Tournament is painfully pressing.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tavion Banks (6) | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Necessity of an At-Large Bid

Graham Doeren, of the Unnamed Bracketology Podcast, called back to the 2025 NCAA Tournament turnout, wherein not one single team that lacked multiple true road wins was given an at-large bid. For reference, an at-large bid is simply a bid given to a team that didn't win their conference bracket and get into the tournament automatically.

It's the only way in for a squad not coming out on top in their league, put plainly. For the Hawkeyes, who are far further than a hop and a skip away from winning the historically competitive B1G, an at-large selection is the only feasible hope for the time being.

In 2025, the selection committee continued not giving an at-large to any team lacking multiple true road wins.

These teams aren't in immediate danger, but the clock is ticking... pic.twitter.com/Y4ZjxcA0ii
— Graham Doeren Bracketology (@GrahamDoeren) January 12, 2026

Currently 0-3 in true road environments - not counting their neutral floor victory over the Ole Miss Rebels - Iowa is officially sweating this statistic. As Doeren put it, the Hawkeyes aren't in immediate danger, but "the clock is ticking..."

The Clock is Ticking

After the Purdue duel, in which Iowa can't be entirely blamed if they log an expectedly short result, the Hawkeyes will travel to Bloomington, Ind. to take on an occasionally dangerous, equally unranked Hoosiers team.

Whether in the next two-game stretch now, or in another opportunity later, the Hawkeyes must find a way to get a win in a hostile environment if they're to be taken seriously - or, perhaps, even be granted a chance to compete - when March rolls around.

McCollum has still jumped out to a favorable start in Iowa City, but how his team performs outside those city limits is just as important as how they play within them.

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