Wednesday night felt like deja vu for the Iowa basketball team—and not the good kind.

They led for most of the game on the road against a top-five team for the second time this season. And just like last month’s loss to Iowa State in Ames, the Hawkeyes didn’t execute enough down the stretch in West Lafayette to take down fifth-ranked Purdue on Wednesday.

Iowa gave the Boilermakers a great game, but they didn’t have enough firepower to pull the upset, ultimately falling 79-72. It’s the third loss in a row for Ben McCollum’s team, which is now 2-4 in Big Ten play and looking for answers. There were several things to like about Wednesday’s game, despite the loss, and there are several areas that need improvement. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ tight road loss to Purdue.

Kael Combs shone again

Kael Combs has been a bright development recently, despite the three-game skid. After only scoring in double figures once in Iowa’s first 11 games, Combs has now reached that mark in three of the last six games. He poured in a career-high 16 points against the Boilermakers on 6-9 shooting from the field. The junior guard also added five rebounds and two assists as well.

Combs has firmly established himself as the other starting guard on this roster, alongside Bennett Stirtz. He’s made some clutch shots, plays solid defense, and usually makes the right play with the ball. He’s quickly turning into one of McCollum’s most trusted players on the roster and should only see more minutes from here on out.

Crucial turnovers kill momentum

Iowa had a 50-45 lead at the under-12 timeout in the second half. Purdue had cut into the lead a bit, but the Hawkeyes were still in control and had the Mackey Arena crowd quieter than usual. That’s when the momentum completely changed. Out of that timeout, the Hawkeyes would turn it over on four of their next five possessions, allowing the Boilermakers to go on a 10-2 run to take their first lead since the 4:56 mark of the first half.

In just a few minutes of play, the crowd came back to life, and Purdue started to believe again. While the Hawkeyes would go back and forth for a while, they ran out of gas at the end and came up just short. Those turnovers killed all of Iowa’s momentum and shifted the tenor of the game drastically. Iowa had 13 total turnovers on the day, leading to 16 Purdue points. The Hawkeyes need to clean up that area of their game if they want to finish off some of these upsets going forward.

Saturday is a must-win game

With this loss, Iowa is now 2-4 in Big Ten play and losers of three conference games in a row. They’ve been close in each one, but moral victories don’t count in the standings. As it currently stands, Iowa is tied for 13th in the Big Ten and only two games up on last-place Maryland. While there’s still plenty of games left, a 2-5 start in conference play would put a ton of pressure on Iowa if it wants to make the NCAA Tournament.

That’s why this Saturday’s game at Indiana is a must-win for McCollum’s bunch. The Hoosiers are good, sitting at 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. But they’re not whirl-beaters. This game will be there for the taking, and Iowa needs to get some momentum rolling into a softer portion of its schedule in late January. That starts in Bloomington on Saturday. We’re going to learn a lot about this team here very soon.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Fair announced two more Grandstand acts Wednesday for its 2026 season.

Country-rock artist HARDY will kick off opening night on August 13. He will take the stage with special guest McCoy Moore starting at 8 p.m.

Then on closing night, Breakout Christian artist Josiah Queen will perform with special guest Ben Fuller. The state fair says the show will be a “family-friendly finale,” starting at 6 p.m. August 23.

Tickets can be purchased starting at 10 a.m. Friday on the State Fair’s website. HARDY tickets start at $54.40, and Josiah Queen tickets start at $19.40.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.

From a restored 1914 general store serving reinvented American classics to a nationally revered small-town pizza spot to an authentic mom-and-pop Korean restaurant. Whether you are craving carefully crafted concepts to hole in walls, consider this your guide for planning weeknight dinners, date nights, or after-work fare across the Iowa City corridor.

Káva House & Café

Káva House & Café is located in downtown Swisher in a restored 1914 general store. A longtime staple, the restaurant might be best known for its fine coffees, but it is also a full-service restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The menu reinvents American deli standards, including Otto’s old-fashioned meat loaf hot sandwich and a variety of loose meat sandwiches  

Details: 122 Second St. S.W., Swisher, 319-857-5000, kavahousecafe.com

Price range: $10 to $20

Ramen Belly

Ramen Belly is tucked away in the Peninsula Neighborhood in Iowa City. In 2023, the restaurant was named to Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants in the Midwest. While ramen is in the restaurant name, the spot offers a wide variety of Japanese cuisine, from poke bowls to donburi, dumplings and short ribs.

Details: 1010 Martin St., Iowa City, 319-569-1057, or ramenbelly.co

Price range: $10 to $20

I Love Fufu

I Love Fufu opened in 2022 and has been serving African and Caribbean specialty dishes, such as jollof rice, the popular West African soup egusi, and oxtail. Fufu is a must-try, a staple in many West African countries, made by boiling starchy vegetables such as cassava, yams or plantains, then pounding them into a smooth, elastic dough. Fufu is typically served as an accompaniment to soups, stews and sauces, allowing diners to scoop up and savor the rich flavors of each dish.

Details: 230 E. Benton St., Iowa City, 319-499-8189, ilovefufuiowacity.com

Price range: $10 to $20

Lincoln Winebar

Lincoln Winebar is nationally acclaimed to have the best pizza in Iowa, according to the New York Times and 50toppizza.it. Lincoln Winebar leans into local ingredients, from toppings like asparagus and hot honey sourced from local farms, to bring a fresh influence to the Italian classic. From seasonal pizza varieties to mainstay classics like pepperoni and sausage, to locally grown oyster mushrooms, a Margherita, and brie and Gorgonzola, this small-town spot has big energy.

Details: 125 First St. W., Mount Vernon, 319-471-0959, or foodisimportant.com

Price range: $20 to $30

More: The New York Times just named this Iowa pizza restaurant one of the best in the country

Le Gourmet

Located in the Old Capitol Mall, Le Gourmet is a traditional Korean restaurant that can be easy to miss but is a must-try. It offers a variety of Korean soups and noodle dishes, along with popular Korean street food like tteok-bokki, chewy rice cakes stir-fried in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce, or gimbap, similar to hand-rolled sushi but with different preparation techniques. The restaurant also offers formal dining options like broiled eel and L.A. galbi, inviting diners to try something new.

Details: 201 S. Clinton St. Suite 173, Iowa City, 319-471-0959, or legourmettogo.com

Price range: $10 to $20

La Regia Taqueria

La Regia specializes in street tacos, as well as burritos and quesadillas. Located on the west side of town, La Regia offers a multitude of options, from carne asada to birria, and more adventurous meat options like lengua (cow tongue) and tripe (cow stomach), one of the few places where these meat varieties can be found in the Iowa City corridor. The restaurant also has an expansive menu for non-meat eaters, from fried fish tacos to veggie sope.

Details: 436 Hwy. 1 W., Iowa City, 319-341-8226, or laregia.com

Price range: $10 to $20

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_