Iowa basketball Top 25 exit fears grow after back-to-back Big Ten losses
After weeks of momentum and national praise, Iowa basketball Top 25 exit fears are suddenly becoming very real. The Hawkeyes’ promising start to the Ben McCollum era has hit its first true roadblock, and the timing couldn’t be more delicate as Big Ten play tightens and every result starts to carry real weight.
Iowa’s most recent defeat occurred on Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena when they lost to Illinois due to a sluggish first half. After rising into the national rankings just a week prior, it was the Hawkeyes’ second consecutive conference loss and put them in unfamiliar territory.
Iowa basketball Top 25 exit fears intensify after Illinois loss
After a frustrating road loss to Minnesota, the Hawkeyes were in dire need of a response going into the weekend. Rather, they ended up in yet another early hole. Iowa had to play catch-up for the majority of the evening as Illinois set the pace from the first tip. To their credit, McCollum’s team persevered.
After halftime, Iowa demonstrated perseverance and urgency, cutting the deficit and energizing the crowd with a ferocious second-half push. However, the harm was already done. Illinois eventually held on to secure the road victory because the slow start left too much ground to cover.
Iowa’s record, which reflects both the team’s early success and its recent difficulties acclimating to the rigors of conference basketball, fell to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play after the loss.
That mini slide hasn’t gone unnoticed nationally.
Iowa is currently barely hanging on in the Top 25, according to CBS Sports. The Hawkeyes dropped three spots from their previous ranking of No. 19 to No. 22 this week, according to Kyle Boone’s projection.
”After consecutive Big Ten losses to Minnesota and Illinois, Iowa is in danger of falling out of the rankings this week,” Boone wrote. “At number 22, I have the Hawkeyes hovering just inside the top 25.”
The abrupt uncertainty shows how quickly things can change in the Big Ten for a program that shot up the rankings thanks to steady early-season performances.
This isn’t panic time — not yet — but it is a crossroads.
Iowa has already demonstrated under McCollum that when it plays to its identity, it can compete with anyone. Consistency is currently a problem, particularly at the beginning of games. It has become a habit to fall behind early against elite conference opponents, and it won’t be tolerated in future games.
And those matchups? They’re massive.
Iowa’s season could either stabilize or move closer to the rankings bubble after two consecutive road tests. The Hawkeyes will play Purdue (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) at Mackey Arena on Wednesday, January 14. Purdue is a confident team playing in one of the most hostile settings in college basketball.
Next Saturday, the Indiana Hoosiers (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten), a team ready to defend its home court and make a statement of its own, will be the next opponent on the road. Not only will Iowa’s ranking in the Top 25 be determined by those games. In McCollum’s first season, they will help shape the team’s NCAA Tournament resume and provide a clear picture of where it stands.
If you win one or both, the story quickly changes. If Iowa loses once more, the rankings may shift, putting it on the outside looking in.
For now, the Hawkeyes remain ranked. Barely.
However, reputation is not a factor in survival in the Big Ten. It’s about reacting when momentum begins to falter. Whether Iowa can accomplish that or if the Top 25 stay was merely a stop along the way will be revealed over the course of the next week.
