In the Big Ten Conference, there are no easy wins, and the Hoosiers proved that to the Hawkeyes on Thursday night as they downed Iowa, 81-69.

Currently, six Big Ten teams sit inside the AP Top 25, including No. 4 Iowa. Indiana is not one of those teams.

“I think, as a team, you have to face every game as the most important game on your schedule,” senior center Luka Garza said postgame. “I think, as a team, we definitely could’ve been a lot more locked in at practice especially . . . It’s upsetting that we weren’t able to play to the level we know we can, and we understand that. This has to be used as a lesson.

“We’re going to be better. I’m going to make sure that we’re better. I’m going to make sure that we don’t take anything for granted and that we see every game as the most important game on the schedule, and I’m going to have to do that as one of the leaders on this team, and I will do that. I promise, the rest of the year, every Hawkeye team that steps on the court will be locked in and ready to go.”

Making the loss to the 9-6 Hoosiers sting a little more for the Hawkeyes was an 11-minute stretch in the second half that saw Iowa make zero field goal attempts from the floor.

“We’re going to try to make this motivation or a wakeup call or something like that, just to try and get some fire under us, make sure that we stay grounded and understand that it’s a long season,” Garza said. “You know, we got 12 games left, and all of our goals are still there and are possible. We need to not do what we did tonight.”

Junior forward Joe Wieskamp struggled with Iowa’s entire offense in the second half as well. After scoring 15 points in the first half, Wieskamp only managed one point in the second half.

Like Garza, Wieskamp also took his own lessons away from Iowa’s loss Thursday night.

“I think we just need to look in the mirror and kind of not focus on all the hype surrounding our team,” Wieskamp said. “There’s a lot of buzz around our team, and people are telling us how good we are. But, at the end of the day, we have to go out there and prove it. We’re only halfway through the season, if that, and we have a lot left to prove if we want to be where we want to be.”

With their matchup against Nebraska set for Sunday postponed because of COVID-19 issues in the Cornhusker program, Iowa now faces an eight-day stretch without a game, giving them no immediate shot at redemption or outlet to flush their frustrations.

The Hawkeyes’ next game will come in Champaign, Illinois, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. against the No. 22 Fighting Illini. The Hawkeyes and Illini split the season series last year at one apiece. Both games were decided by seven points or less.

“I think it’s definitely going to suck not being able to go into another game,” Garza said. “We understand that we have to be able to flush [the loss to Indiana] and just focus on practice, and get back to the mentality of winning every day, proving ourselves every day. We have a long, long way to go, and we know that. But I think if we use these days to fine-tune ourselves, to continue to work hard, and to get back to the mentality we need to be at. I think we have that mentality.

“I think tonight, in stretches, we weren’t able to execute the way we wanted to, and we weren’t able to get the ball flowing enough to win this game. Everyone’s head’s in the right spot, and I know we’re not going to let this loss affect us too much. We understand it’s a long season, and we’re playing in the best league in the country. Everybody that comes in here can beat us.”