As someone who’s usually very optimistic even during bad times, it’s hard to see things in a positive outlook right now for Iowa men’s basketball. But if Ben McCollum can do so, then I can too.

I won’t trash the team but will simply say they played bad today – a 78-57 loss to No. 13 Purdue in the first home sell-out game of the season, down by as much as 27. It was not a good performance whatsoever, especially coming off a loss to one of the Big Ten’s worst teams record-wise in Maryland on Wednesday. It’s possible that the last two games could cause Iowa to miss out on the NCAA Tournament down the stretch.

Would McCollum love to get back to competing in March Madness? Absolutely. But it’s clear that his statement after the game offered a very realistic outlook to his team’s struggles today and as of late.

“We need to be better than that. But you don’t sit here and say, ‘I’m embarrassed,’ because I’m not embarrassed,” McCollum said. “They kicked our butt for us. I’m not embarrassed. It’s a part of the process… It’s humbling and it’s good, sometimes, for the soul.

“I’m not going to sit here and bang my head and pout. That’s not what I do. I just fight harder, and we’re going to fight harder.”

And that’s the right approach. What else can they do? It’s not one of those cases where they just throw in the towel and call the season, however, their chances of dancing in March are hurt – not over, but hurt.

One media member shared an interesting stat with McCollum postgame, saying that Bart Torvik’s efficiency metrics have the Hawkeyes outside the top-116 in defense the last month. This is the same team that currently leads the Big Ten in average points allowed at 64.3 a game.

The eye test says it’s the offense. Too much stagnancy in recent games, too reliant on Bennett Stirtz to make plays. But in response to that media member’s stat, McCollum noted that his team’s offense efficiency has gone up as of late.

There’s six games left in the season: two games against No. 7 Nebraska, a home game versus No. 2 Michigan, and three-straight unranked foes in Ohio State at home, and Wisconsin and Penn State on the road. And by the time Iowa meets Wisconsin, the Badgers might be ranked.

Is there still time to turn it around? Yes. Is there a high chance the Hawkeyes will turn it around? That’s to be determined, but the last two games suggest no.

But let’s put things in perspective. This is a team with all but two players having zero Power Four experience, playing in a top three conference in the country in the Big Ten, expected to somewhat repeat the success it saw in the Missouri Valley Conference and return back to the NCAA Tournament, just because a chunk of this year’s Iowa team came from last year’s Drake success story.

There was a lot of hope coming into this season with the new squad, and rightfully so. But hope can skew a person or group’s outlook on reality. And the reality is that these struggles were bound to happen.