By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – This late-season skid would all be forgotten if the Iowa men’s basketball team were to win at least one game in the NCAA Tournament next week.

Win two and they might even consider building a statue for Ben McCollum for going where no Iowa head coach has gone since 1999.

Of course, winning two games in the NCAA Tournament is much easier said than done, and nobody probably knows that better than Hawkeye fans, who have watched their team fall short of making the NCAA Sweet 16 for what is now going on 27 years.

It’s fair to say that Iowa, assuming it makes the cut, will be sort of be backing into the NCAA Tournament with Thursday’s 72-69 loss to Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament Iowa’s fourth loss in its last five games.

But it doesn’t really matter how a team gets in as long as it gets in and then seizes the opportunity.

If Iowa were to win just one game in the NCAA Tournament that would help to shift the narrative heading to the offseason. It would help to create a buzz and would help make up for Iowa’s struggles down the stretch.

And it’s not hard to envision this Iowa team winning a first-round game.

Iowa projects mostly as a No. 9 seed, which means it would face an eight seed in the first round before almost certainly facing a No. 1 seed in the second round.

Sound familiar?

Former Iowa head coach Tom Davis often faced that challenge while leading Iowa to nine NCAA Tournament appearances. He won all nine of his first-round games, but was just 3-6 in the second round with the losses coming against North Carolina State, Duke, Duke, Wake Forest, Arizona and Kentucky.

Iowa also has been listed as a 10-seed in a few brackets, and to fall any lower than that would mean a trip to Dayton.

There seems to be no doubt, however, that Iowa will be in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons.

And once a team is in, anything can happen.

Iowa also has a standout point guard in senior Bennett Stirtz, and a head coach who prioritizes defense and is comfortable playing at a slower pace.

That could be a recipe for success in March Madness where guard play, defense, and tempo all have even more significance.

McCollum had a clear message for his players after Thursday’s loss in Chicago, which is to believe in themselves and to strive for greatness. He would go as far as to say that the enemy of great is good in his post-game press conference.

“People sit in mediocrity for a long time because they start to fall in love with really good,” McCollum said. ”

McCollum doesn’t want his players to be satisfied with just making the NCAA Tournament, or with what they’ve accomplished so far, which includes winning 21 games.

“I think we’ve got a good team,” McCollum said. “I think sometimes we get ourselves to accept second place, accept good. And I think that’s a scary deal. I think we need to try to find ‘great.’”

There is no better place for a team to find greatness than the NCAA Tournament.

So even though Iowa’s next loss would be end of the season, and also the end to Stirtz’s incredible career, the season is far from over as long as Iowa can avoid losing.

The NCAA Tournament, in all of its power, glory influence, is where a good season can turn into a great season with just a win or two.

Hawkeye fans have seen enough of Stirtz to know that he will give everything he has to keep dancing, and to keep playing for McCollum.

This season already is a success for McCollum with Iowa appearing to be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament.

But there is so much more out there for McCollum, and for this Iowa team; the chance to do something special without carrying the burden of high expectations other than from within.

Iowa almost certainly has added some doubters with how it’s played recently, but that can also be used as incentive to prove them wrong.

Stirtz has shown that he can be special with his ability to make difficult shots, his ability to control tempo and with his never-ending energy.

His supporting cast also has had its moments, but not nearly enough as a group.

Too many times this season Stirtz, as the team’s only double-figure scorer, has had to carry too much of the scoring load.

So what better time than the NCAA Tournament for that trend to end.

Stirtz was yet again the only player for Iowa to score in double figures in Thursday’s loss, finishing with 17 points.

But Iowa still had some semblance of balanced scoring as two players scored nine points – forwards Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks – and three scored eight points – forwards Cooper Koch and Alvaro Folgueiras and guard Tate Sage.

A year ago, McCollum led Drake to its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1971, but that squad also had momentum, and a growing belief after winning both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and postseason tournament titles.

McCollum also won four Division II national titles over 14 seasons as the head coach for Northwest Missouri State.

So now the circumstances are much different with Iowa 1-4 over its last five games, and with McCollum challenging his players to want more out of themselves.

But again, all it would take is just one win in the Big Dance for the circumstances to change dramatically, and two wins for this team to be a part of history.