By Mike Hlas – It says here that Iowa’s 84-74 men’s basketball win at Washington Wednesday was its most-important victory of the season so far.

It was an impressive win, too. Very much so, in fact. When your opponent shoots 76.9 percent from the field in the first half and takes a 48-41 lead to intermission as the Huskies did, to rally on the road and prevail isn’t easy. Yet, the Hawkeyes did just that, holding the Huskies to 36 percent in the second half while shooting 59.6 percent for the game themselves.

It doesn’t hurt to have Bennett Stirtz. The Hawkeye senior guard had a game-high 22points, his fifth-straight game of 20-plus. He had 54 points over two games in the Pacific Northwest. Plus, Iowa’s got 30 points from non-starters, 16 of those belonging to Alvaro Folgueiras.

Granted, Washington’s Huskies are just 4-8 in the Big Ten, 12-11 overall. Nonetheless, they’re competitive and have a heck of a freshman post player in Hannes Steinbach, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday. Also, the game was played on the Hawkeyes’ fifth day away from home, further from Iowa City than anywhere they go in the Big Ten.

I’m not saying it was Iowa’s most-glamorous triumph of the season. That probably remains the 74-57 win at Indiana last month. But I’ll stand on this one being the Hawkeyes’ most-important. With a loss, the Hawkeyes’ winning streak would have ended at four games and they’d be 6-5 as a middle-of-the-pack conference team.

Instead, they have five W’s in succession with seven looking likely. Their next two games are at home against Northwestern Sunday and at Maryland three days later. If Iowa drops either, something has gone horribly wrong. Northwestern is 2-10 in conference play after its 84-44 loss at Illinois Wednesday, and Maryland takes a 1-9 league mark into its home game against Ohio State Thursday.

Iowa roughed up Maryland 83-64 in Iowa City on Dec. 6. That isn’t to say the Terps can’t turn around and shock the Hawkeyes, but you wouldn’t bet that way.

So let’s say Iowa does win those next two to improve to 9-4 in the Big Ten, 19-5 total. That, folks, is higher ground.

A 7-game win streak would be Iowa’s longest since it won nine straight in the 2013-14 season and would match its longest Big Ten win streak in 12 years.

So, we’ll assume Iowa handles the Wildcats and Terrapins. Its next three games after that are Purdue and Nebraska at home, Wisconsin on the road. That’s a different animal. The three are a combined 25-8 in the Big Ten, and two of the eight losses when two of those teams played each other.

The Valentine’s Day Saturday afternoon game against Purdue is the Iowa men’s first home sellout since March 2024. Imagine, if you will, if Iowa knocks off the Boilermakers for an eighth-straight win to get to 10-4 in the Big Ten.

It certainly wouldn’t be out of the question given Purdue had to rally from nine points down to beat Iowa 79-72 in West Lafayette on Jan. 14.

Should Iowa topple Northwestern, Maryland and then Purdue? In comes Nebraska for an 8 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 17) game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena that would fill the arena, even with the late start on a weeknight. The ninth-ranked Huskers should be no worse than 22-3 entering that game.

Fun? Yes, that would be fun.

Wednesday’s win in Seattle was essential to returning home with the good momentum the Hawkeyes took with them to the Pacific Northwest. A 7-game winning streak now is there for the taking. If it gets to 8 or 9, you’ve got the most excitement for Iowa men’s basketball in quite some time.

Those who say the Hawkeyes have to beat Northwestern before all this other stuff can be considered? Child, please.