In late November, as Iowa lost their second straight game and had fallen to just 3-2 on the season, no one would imagine we’d be asking this question: Can Iowa win the Big 10? Yet, here we are.
As things stand here on Tuesday morning, the Hawkeyes are tied with Indiana atop the Big 10 standings with records of 5-0 in conference play. Iowa has now won seven straight after falling to rival Iowa State, beating Michigan State twice during that stretch and rising into the top ten of the AP Top 25. If their name was Michigan, would we be more invested in their rise to prominence? Possibly, but that isn’t their name and all we can deal with is what we’ve seen so far.
Senior Jarrod Uthoff has been silly good, scoring in double figures every single game this season. He’s shooting career highs from the field, three-point range, and free throw line all while being used at a higher rate than at any other time in his career. But it isn’t just the Big 10 Player of the Year candidate who’s been magical for head coach Fran McCaffery. Junior Peter Jok has established himself as a reliable second scoring option, dropping 16 and 23 points against Michigan and Michigan State respectively.
At 5-0 in conference, their toughest remaining games are road trips to Maryland (Jan. 28) and Indiana (February 11). Before visiting College Park though, they must deal with Purdue at home this upcoming Sunday, a game that will determine how much pace the Boilermakers can keep in the standings.
We may not have expected to ask this, but here we are. Can Iowa win the Big 10? Absolutely.
