The Hawkeyes are riding the roller coaster that is usually the norm for a first-year head coach.
CHICAGO - One of my favorite things to do as a kid was make the 20-minute trek from our home in Indianola to Adventureland Park in Altoona.
If you're not familiar with Adventureland, it was the only amusement park in the state of Iowa for many years, and features some of the most underrated rides any theme park has to offer.
I've always been a coaster enthusiast, so the main thing I wanted to ride were the roller coasters. Adventureland has a variety of wooden and steel coasters, but the coasters that gave me the most thrill were the Dragon and Monster coasters - both of which feature upside down turns.
Though the coaster eventually comes to a smooth stop when the ride is over, some leave the ride with headaches, nausea, and maybe without their baseball cap.
But those somber feelings only last a short time, and riders will perk back up and enjoy the rest of their day at the park.
This could be either a really bad or a really good analogy depending on how you take it, but this pretty much sums up Iowa basketball's 2025-26 campaign. There's certainly been plenty of rough moments, and the image of of a flustered thrill-seeker is where Hawkeye fans, coaches, and players currently sit.
Thursday's loss to Ohio State in the third round of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago was Iowa's eighth in its last 10 games. The Hawkeyes should qualify for the NCAA tournament, but going into college basketball's signature showcase playing shaky basketball is never a good sign.
February was usually an unkind month for previous Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, and Hawkeye fans are already fearing the same will happen under new coach Ben McCollum.
It's far too early to jump to major conclusions for McCollum's Hawkeye program, but the one main takeaway from his maiden campaign is nothing other than a new program trying to find its legs.
The Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era of college athletics has forced every fanbase to convince themselves that every coach should build a 25-win roster in their first year on the job. That's just not feasible at a place like Iowa, but McCollum has won 21 games with a roster filled with mid-major transfers.
The flaws of this roster have been well-documented throughout the course of the season, and the lack of size has killed the Hawkeyes in many games this year. That resurfaced on Thursday, as Ohio State shot 89% from inside the arc.
The Buckeyes built a 16-point lead in the second half as a result, which has been a common theme for Iowa this year. The Hawkeyes have trailed by 10 or more points in five Big Ten games, only to see a furious second half rally fall agonizingly short.
That level of inconsistency is expected for a first-year coach, but the silver lining in all five contests is the second half rallies. Though they've all fallen short, McCollum has shown he can make the necessary adjustments, and his team has responded to those adjustments.
No matter the situation or how outmatched it may be, this Iowa team will always put up a valiant fight, and that's something nobody will want to face in the NCAA tournament.
Sorry for bringing you back to the roller coaster analogy, but remember when I said the coaster eventually comes to a smooth stop? In the Hawkeyes' case, that stop is the Big Dance.
Has it been an easy road to get there? No, but let's think about where this program was one year ago - in disarray.
Two days from now, Adam Zucker will call Iowa's name during the Selection Show.
Enjoy this one, Hawkeye fans.
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