Iowa Hasn't Earned No. 25 Ranking

At this point this season, there hasn't been enough out of the Hawkeyes to truly determine if they are a Top 25 team. Sure, they're performance in the Acrisure Classic was great. Beating Ole Miss and Grand Canyon was a nice way to improve to 7-0, but those are teams that they shouldn't have any issue beating in the first place.

Other than that, they have wins against the likes of Western Illinois, Southeast Missouri State and Chicago State. One could argue their wins against Robert Morris and Xavier were impressive, but who's to say what would happen if they played those teams again later in the year.

Ultimately, the Hawkeyes are never going to complain about a Top 25 ranking. McCollum has done wonders to this program and he's not planning on slowing down anytime soon. That said, he's about to be in for a reality check and it's one this Iowa team may not be ready for.

The B1G Gauntlet Begins

After Christmas, McCollum's squad has one more non-conference game before preparing for the likes of UCLA, Minnesota, and Illinois. This team shouldn't have an issue beating UMass Lowell, but if they do, there's a serious conversation to be had about them re-entering the Top 25 anytime soon.

February 14-17 will see them host both No. 5 Purdue and No. 13 Nebraska in a series of games that could define their season. For McCollum, he has to do better than blowing out mid majors and losing to ranked teams.

Things like this take time, but it's a bit odd to see them in the Top 25 so soon. Had this come a bit later in the year when they knocked off a team like No. 20 Illinois, then there wouldn't be a conversation. At this point though, the Hawkeyes just aren't that convincing.