Rutgers Comes Up Short to Iowa, 68-62

The Scarlet Knights made too many mistakes and failed to make key free throws against Iowa.

Jan 20, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Lino Mark (2) shoots the ball over Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Rutgers Scarlet Knights men’s basketball came up short against Iowa Hawkeyes, 68-62, on Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City. 

The Scarlet Knights are now 9-10 in the season and 2-6 in Big Ten conference play. Rutgers has now lost six in a row to Iowa. The team put up a stronger fight in the second half after trailing 31-24 by halftime. However, they couldn’t come out with a victory. 

Darren Buchanan Jr led Rutgers with 17 points on 5-for-8 from the field and made 6 of his 7 free throws. Emmanuel Ogbole added 10 rebounds. Tariq Francis added 15 points. Much credit to Francis for making a pair of foul shots with 22 seconds left to go. He did what he could when it mattered most. 

The Scarlet Knights as a team shot 43 percent from the field. One of the things that affected them was missing free throws. They made just 79 percent of them. Those five missing free throws could’ve made a difference.

Rutgers led by as many as 5 points and won the rebounding battle (31-24), but missing from the line, shooting poorly from the perimeter (5-18), and committing 19 turnovers hurt their chances of winning. 

The Hawkeyes’ best player, Bennett Stirtz, scored 20 points to lead the team to victory. Tate Sage added 17 points. Tavion Banks added 12 points. Iowa improves to 14-5, 4-4 in the Big Ten. Isaia Howard made a huge clutch free throw for Iowa to put the dagger in the game with eight seconds left. 

If the Scarlet Knights had won on Tuesday, it would have been their first ranked win of the season, but it was not meant to be.

When Rutgers went on a 9-0 run in the second half, it was the moment when they should’ve never lost poise. Momentum is a big deal in sports. The Scarlet Knights needed to keep that aggression, make the right plays, and not make silly decisions. 

Every mistake Rutgers made in this game, they need to clean up for the next game. Rutgers can win more games and improve its record by doing the little things. Some teams tend to lose the game by trying to do too much. 

The Scarlet Knights will shift their attention to the Indiana Hoosiers as they will face off in another Big Ten matchup on Friday night. Rutgers is trying to get back to .500.