Iowa head basketball coach Ben McCollum is “done” losing close games after coming within inches of pulling a massive upset against Michigan.
The first-year head coach knows how good his team can be when it is locked in, but the 71-68 loss dropped the Hawkeyes to just 2-5 in their last seven games. A frustrated McCollum admitted the loss was “heart-wrenching” after the game, even if he knows his program is trending in the right direction.
“I'm done being two points away,” McCollum said on Iowa's post-game radio show, via 247 Sports' Sean Bock. “This one was really heart-wrenching for me… It's trending. It's headed in the right direction.”
Iowa did everything it wanted to do against Michigan, forcing the No. 3 team in the country to play in the halfcourt and winning the turnover battle 18-5. Yet, they shot just 39 percent from the floor to the Wolverines' 53 percent and could not find any source of scoring outside of senior guard Bennett Stirtz and junior forward Cam Manyawu.
The 2025-2026 college basketball season has been a roller coaster ride for Iowa, which is 20-10 following its loss to Michigan. The Hawkeyes have significant wins over No. 9 Nebraska, Ole Miss, UCLA and Northwestern, but those are offset by an equal number of disappointing losses.
Aside from its massive upset of Nebraska, Iowa has struggled against top-25-ranked teams. They are competitive in moments, as they were against Michigan, but are just 1-7 against ranked foes ahead of a regular-season finale rematch against the Cornhuskers
Iowa's 10-9 Big Ten record is just ninth in the conference, aligning it to begin the postseason tournament in the second round. Win or lose, the Hawkeyes are still expected to earn a March Madness at-large bid on Selection Sunday.
