IOWA CITY — One game after Iowa basketball’s most disappointing loss of the season, the Hawkeyes showed what they’re still capable of.
Less than a week ago, Iowa suffered a perplexing road loss to a Penn State team that sits at the very bottom of the Big Ten standings. It was a reminder of how vulnerable the Hawkeyes can be as they work through growing pains in the first season under a new head coach.
But Iowa’s valiant upset bid against Michigan on March 5 revealed the other end of the spectrum.
The Wolverines, who have lost just two games this season, came into Carver-Hawkeye Arena having already clinched an outright Big Ten regular-season title.
And yet, Iowa (20-10, 10-9) made Michigan work until the very last second, when Bennett Stirtz’s 3-pointer didn’t drop, and the Wolverines escaped with a 71-68 win. Though it was a loss, the Hawkeyes showed they can compete with a legitimate national-title contender.
The performance was enough to prompt Iowa head coach Ben McCollum to assert the following.
“We can do some damage,” McCollum said. “We can do some things. They messed up showing me that. My team messed up. Don’t show me what you can do. Don’t show me that. I’m going to get it every time now.”
We’ve seen good, bad and ugly from Iowa this season. The contrast between the Penn State and Michigan games shows just how drastically that pendulum can swing. On the doorstep of the postseason, now it’s a matter of whether the Hawkeyes can be at their best when it matters the most.
“For me, personally, I just think that the main thing is bringing what we brought today every single day,” Iowa’s Cam Manyawu said. “And I think that’s something that’s been missing for us. Game to game it’s not the same. So if we can play like we played today every single game from here on out, we have a chance to do something special. So just making sure that we all understand that.”
Drama built inside a raucous Carver-Hawkeye Arena environment on Thursday.
The Wolverines shot a very efficient 53% from the field and 50% from three, but the Hawkeyes’ defensive activity showed up in the turnover category. Michigan committed 18 turnovers, which Iowa turned into 26 points off turnovers.
On senior night, Michigan’s size and switching defense made life difficult on Bennett Stirtz. The Iowa star scored a team-high 21 points, but was inefficient doing so, shooting 7-of-23 from the field and 4-of-14 from deep. Iowa finished the game a paltry 39% from the field and 27% from deep.
Things were trending aggressively in the wrong direction for Iowa at some points in the second half.
Iowa looked like it was just about dead in the water after Michigan surged to a 10-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining. But the Hawkeyes climbed back into the game and knotted the score with around two minutes to go.
“That’s what our teams are going to be,” McCollum said. “They’re going to fight like that. That’s fun. That’s what I enjoy. Just fighters and guys that want to compete.”
Iowa, however, was not able to make enough plays in crunch time.
Michigan’s Aday Mara converted on a pair of timely buckets, including a desperation heave before the shot clock expired. After Michigan took a 68-66 lead, Iowa had multiple chances to tie the game with less than one minute to go but was unable to take advantage.
It was not the outcome he wanted, but McCollum was still pleased with his team’s effort.
“Just a bunch of warriors,” McCollum said. “I really enjoyed coaching tonight, I’m not gonna lie to you. I really enjoyed it. That’s how I want to play. I want to win. I want to win those games. I did enjoy it, though. I really enjoyed it.”
Iowa has shown just how good it can be this season. Taking Iowa State and Purdue down to the wire on the road. The signature win over Nebraska. The double-digit victories over UCLA, Indiana and Ohio State. Now, Iowa nearly upended one of the best teams in college basketball.
The problem is not whether the Hawkeyes can play well — they clearly can. The problem is whether they actually will play well.
There have been times this season when the Hawkeyes have looked like a team that could easily flame out early in the postseason. Look no further than the frustrating road losses to Minnesota, Maryland and Penn State.
This is the time of the year when you want to be playing your best. Ideally, Iowa will put away the Penn State version of itself permanently. But given the maddening ups and downs of Iowa’s season, it’s not easy to trust that will actually happen, especially considering the Hawkeyes won’t have the benefit of playing at home for the remainder of the season.
“You’ve got to create those daily habits,” McCollum said. “We’re getting those daily habits. We’re not there. And sometimes it takes a year, two years, three years. Sometimes, it takes a while to create those habits to have consistency that you really want out of your team. But you can see it’s more and more consistent as things go. But it’s still not where we need it yet.”
If it is there, like it was against Michigan, Iowa can be dangerous, even for the best teams in the country.
“It’s not over,” McCollum said of Iowa’s season. “Because you can see, we could be a problem if we make a run.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: We’ve seen good, bad, ugly. Can Iowa basketball be its best in March?
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
