Iowa’s Ben McCollum gives harsh reality check about road to the top of CBB

The Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum didn’t sugarcoat where his program stands after another painful loss, instead offering a blunt reminder about what growth actually looks like at the highest level of college basketball.

After the Purdue Boilermakers erased a strong Iowa performance and pulled away late for a 79-72 win at Mackey Arena, McCollum addressed the bigger picture facing his first-year Hawkeyes. Reflecting on recent setbacks, he emphasized that progress is rarely linear.

“Part of trying to be good is sometimes there’s a level of failure that comes with it,” said McCollum, via Tyler Tachman of Des Moines Register. “I think as you try to progress to be good, sometimes you do get beat like what has occurred lately. But you can’t let that impact your ability to continue to fight and continue to try to be as good as what you think you can be.”

For roughly 30 minutes, Iowa looked like a team capable of hanging with one of the nation’s best. The Hawkeyes defended Purdue star Braden Smith effectively early, holding him scoreless in the first half, and shot an impressive 7-of-10 from three before the break. Iowa led 34-31 at halftime and even stretched the advantage to 48-39 early in the second half.

But Purdue’s experience and home-court edge eventually flipped the script. With the game tied at 64 inside five minutes, the Boilermakers closed on a decisive 15-8 run, fueled by Smith’s 16 second-half points and sustained pressure from the sellout crowd.

The loss dropped Iowa to 12-5 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play. It also continued a potentially frustrating slide that followed Iowa’s rise to No. 19 in the AP Top 25, with close losses to Minnesota Golden Gophers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and now Purdue.

Despite the result, there were encouraging signs. Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with 19 points while battling early foul trouble. Kael Combs added 16 points, hitting four three-pointers and spending most of the night guarding Smith. Cam Manyawu chipped in 13, and Iowa finished 12-of-25 from deep.

McCollum acknowledged the disappointment but framed it within the context of a longer rebuild. Iowa already sits just three wins shy of last season’s total, with more than a month remaining. As the Hawkeyes stay on the road to face the Indiana Hoosiers next, McCollum’s message remains clear — setbacks are part of the climb, but effort and belief can’t waver if Iowa wants to reach the top tier of college basketball.

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