Three Issues Iowa Must Address During Week Off

The Iowa Hawkeyes were able to win back-to-back games after dropping three straight, but there's still plenty to work on.

First-year head coach Ben McCollum had this team in the Top 25, but a disastrous stretch against unranked Minnesota, No. 16 Illinois, and No. 5 Purdue changed everything.

Iowa proved they weren't able to hang with the top teams in the conference just yet, and that's completely okay. This rebuild is going to take time, and sporting a 14-5 (4-4) record at this point in the season is quite nice.

Being able to enjoy a week off is even nicer, and the Hawkeyes have a relatively easy five-game stretch ahead of them once they resume play on Jan. 28.

1. Rebound Consistently

Iowa F Alvaro Folgueira — Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) rebounds the ball around Iowa State Cyclones forward Killyan Toure (27) during 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

One of the most alarming issues McCollum's team has is rebounding. Somehow, they had a +11 differential against Minnesota but still managed to lose that game. Since then, their rebound differential has been -16.

Yes, even having gone 2-2 in that stretch, this team has been outrebounded by 16. Purdue and Illinois contributed to 10 of those, but it was an alarming 31-24 difference in Rutgers favor during Iowa's most recent game. The only team they outrebounded in those four games was Indiana, but they only grabbed one more board, so it doesn't count for much.

2. Further Develop Bennett Stirtz Supporting Cast

The Drake transfer kicked off the year as the team's leading scorer for three straight games, but then he led just once in their next four. Overall, he's been their leading scorer more times than not, but that's not necessarily a great thing for this team's longevity.

Stirtz has been the leading scorer in six of their last seven, which says a lot. Obviously, he's projected to be drafted and is doing everything he can to make a name for himself, but when Stirtz goes silent, it's a guessing game as to who is the next man up.

3. Focus On Shot Selection

Iowa G Tavion Bank — Jan 11, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tavion Banks (6) shoots the ball as Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) defends during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa's 37.6% from 3-point range is second in the conference, only behind No. 4 Purdue. Iowa has done a tremendous job choosing their shots wisely, something that didn't just happen overnight.

In their last three games, they've shot at least 37% from three, and it's worth mentioning they shot 48% from behind the arc against the Boilermakers but still came up short.

The Hawkeyes' losses to Illinois and Minnesota saw them shoot 31% and 27%, respectively. As long as they focus on taking good shots, that percentage is going to continue to rise as they string together a couple of wins.

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