See where the Hawkeyes end up in our power rankings before hosting Rutgers on Tuesday.
After losing three in a row, Ben McCollum and the Iowa basketball team needed a win in the worst way. A challenging roadtrip to Bloomington to face an equally-desperate Indiana team awaited them on Saturday, but the Hawkeyes were up to the challenge.
After playing a back-and-forth affair for 27 minutes, Iowa pulled away for a dominant 74-57 win, marking its first Quadrant 1 and road win of the season.
The win was definitely an impressive one, so where does that land the Hawkeyes in our latest power rankings? Keep reading to find out.
1. Nebraska (18-0, 7-0)
Not only does Nebraska keep winning, it's doing so with ease. The Cornhuskers defeated a depleted Oregon team by 35 points at home on Wednesday, and followed that up with a 19-point road win at Northwestern on Saturday.
A showdown with Michigan looms on Jan. 27, but the Huskers should be 20-0 heading into that game. They've got Washington and Minnesota this week.
2. Michigan (16-1, 6-1)
The Wolverines didn't look great in their West Coast roadtrip to Washington and Oregon, but is any team in this conference going to play well on the coast this year? Probably not, so escaping with two wins is just fine for Dusty May's squad.
Two winnable home games are on the horizon this week when Indiana and Ohio State come to town.
3. Purdue (17-1, 7-0)
I didn't watch much Purdue basketball until they took on Iowa last week, and I was impressed with what I saw. The Boilermakers showed a ton of resiliency by coming back from a nine-point deficit to beat the Hawkeyes, and they followed up by outlasting a pesky USC squad in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Purdue has a difficult week ahead, closing out their LA trip at UCLA tomorrow evening before returning to Mackey Arena for a showdown against Illinois this weekend.
4. Illinois (15-3, 6-1)
Don't get offended, Illinois fans. I didn't drop your team because of poor performance, I just had to give the nod to one of the two unbeaten teams in the conference. The Illini had to grind out tough wins over rival Northwestern and Minnesota last week, but that's the key to winning in this conference.
Illinois will have a get-right game against Maryland tomorrow before heading to West Lafayette to take on Purdue.
5. Michigan State (16-2, 6-1)
Michigan State raised a lot of eyebrows after struggling at home against a bad Northwestern team two weeks ago, but Tom Izzo's group looked dominant last week in wins over Indiana and Washington.
Two winnable games against Oregon and Maryland await.
6. Wisconsin (13-5, 5-2)
Greg Gard's team isn't always the flashiest, but the Badgers always find a way to win. Wisconsin defeated rival Minnesota at the buzzer on Tuesday and responded with a dominant win over Rutgers at home on Saturday.
The Badgers go to Penn State and host USC this week.
7. Iowa (13-5, 3-4)
Illness played a pivotal role in Iowa's 0-2 week against Minnesota and Illinois two weeks ago, but the Hawkeyes looked like their old selves this week. Iowa narrowly took down Purdue in Mackey Arena before bouncing back with a 17-point win at Indiana on Saturday.
A comfortable six-game stretch awaits, beginning with a home date with Rutgers on Tuesday.
8. Ohio State (12-5, 4-3)
The Buckeyes lack quality wins, but they responded with a nice home win over UCLA on Saturday in their lone game of the week. As long as Bruce Thornton says healthy, this will be a tough team to beat.
Ohio State gets Minnesota at home on Tuesday before a showdown at rival Michigan on Friday.
9. UCLA (12-6, 4-3)
The Bruins avoided the Bryce Jordan Center disaster by beating Penn State on Wednesday, but dropped a 12-point decision at Ohio State three days later. Mick Cronin's team has talent, but there's been too much inconsistency.
UCLA will have a big resume-boosting opportunity tomorrow night against Purdue before hosting Northwestern on Saturday.
10. USC (14-4, 3-4)
The Trojans almost pulled off a massive home upset over Purdue on Saturday, but fell just short. USC still needs some quality wins to cement its place as an NCAA tournament-quality team, and it will have the chance to do so this week.
Northwestern comes to town on Wednesday, followed by a big trip to Wisconsin on Sunday.
11. Minnesota (10-8, 3-4)
I said it last week, but Niko Medved is going to do some amazing things in Minneapolis. He doesn't have the roster this year, but Minnesota is going to be a tough out the rest of the way.
The Gophers travel to Ohio State tomorrow and host Nebraska on Saturday.
12. Indiana (12-6, 3-4)
Is it time to panic again in Bloomington? Indiana looked competitive in the first half against Michigan State and Iowa, but completely fell apart in the second half and lost both games. This is a team that needs a spark, but it's not going to get easier from here.
The Hoosiers travel to Michigan and Rutgers this week.
13. Washington (10-8, 2-5)
This is a talented roster when healthy, but Desmond Claude decision to step away from basketball is the last thing Washington needed. The Huskies have stayed competitive, but finishing games has been a struggle.
Washington gets Nebraska and Oregon this week.
14. Rutgers (9-8, 2-5)
Rutgers couldn't overcome a 22-point halftime deficit in Saturday's loss to Wisconsin. This team continues to struggle on defense, which is unacceptable for a Steve Pikiell-coached team.
The Scarlet Knights travel to Iowa and host Indiana this week.
15. Oregon (8-10, 1-6)
Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad's injuries have killed any chance of Oregon making the NCAA tournament. Now, the Ducks are just fighting just to finish over .500.
Oregon hosts Michigan State and travels to Washington this week.
16. Maryland (8-10, 1-6)
Maryland moves out of the bottom spot after steamrolling Penn State on Sunday. This is still not a very good basketball team, but wins deserve something.
The Terrapins travel to Illinois and Michigan State this week.
17. Northwestern (8-10, 0-7)
The Wildcats battled against rival Illinois, but were no match for red-hot Nebraska. It's a lost season in Evanston.
Northwestern travels to USC and UCLA this week.
18. Penn State (9-9, 0-7)
Things have gone from bad to worse in State College. A 23-point loss to an equally-bad Maryland team was not a good sign for Penn State, and it's hard to see it winning many games the rest of the way.
The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin in their lone game this week.