After a blowout loss to Wisconsin, in which the Badgers hit a program record 21 3-pointers, Iowa has responded valiantly. Since that disappointment against Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes beat rival Nebraska on Tuesday and then destroyed Indiana on Saturday.

“I’d prefer to give them (Wisconsin) credit for how well they played,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “They played a masterful game against us. Yeah, we did some things that we need to improve on. And we’ve done that. We broke the tape down and had individual meetings and got better. But you move on. They have a really good team. It was on the road. You learn from it.”

Iowa has, indeed, done that the last two games.

Video: Iowa coach Fran McCaffery talks blowout win over Indiana

Fran McCaffery discusses Iowa’s blowout win over Indiana.

With Saturday’s win, Iowa improves 12-4 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are above .500 in league play for the first time this season since beating Northwestern in the conference opener.

The Hawkeyes offense was scorching against the Hoosiers. Iowa shot 54% from the field and 46% from deep. Meanwhile, Indiana had a paltry offensive performance, shooting just 41% from the field and 25% from deep.

Six Hawkeyes had at least eight points: Payton Sandfort (23), Owen Freeman (16), Josh Dix (12), Drew Thelwell (12), Brock Harding (10) and Pryce Sandfort (8).

Turnovers were a major issue for Indiana. The Hoosiers coughed the ball up 16 times on Saturday. The Hawkeyes turned those turnovers into 24 points.

Iowa made it difficult for Indiana big man Oumar Ballo, who came into the contest averaging a near double-double. Ballo still got his on Saturday, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but the Hawkeyes didn’t let him take over the game. Ballo also turned the ball over four times.

“Obviously, he’s a great player,” Freeman said of Ballo. “But obviously the double was there. Just trying to limit his touches as much as possible.”

Video: Owen Freeman on how Hawkeyes were able to contain Oumar Ballo

Owen Freeman discusses Iowa’s blowout win over Indiana.

One of the areas Indiana could’ve held an advantage was on the glass. The Hoosiers entered the contest as one of the Big Ten’s best rebounding teams while Iowa was one of the worst. But on Saturday, Iowa held its own in that category, with the Hawkeyes finishing with a 37-31 advantage on the boards.

Drew Thelwell, who missed his first game of the season against Nebraska, returned emphatically on Saturday. He had five steals in the first half alone.

“We know our offense is fine,” Thelwell said. “We’re one of the best offenses in the country. But just making sure we have an identity on defense and getting stops when we need to.”

After scoring 30 points in the second half and overtime against Nebraska, Payton Sandfort came along after halftime in Saturday’s contest again. He scored just two points in the first half against Indiana but finished the game with 23 points.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle. Iowa saw a 21-8 lead erased by Indiana, who fought back to take a three-point advantage. But the Hawkeyes responded with another run of its own and took a 10-point lead into the halftime break.

Iowa carried that momentum over into the second half. The Hawkeyes surged to a 19-point lead with just a few minutes gone in the second half. Indiana never got back into shouting distance from there.

“The way that the guards really put pressure on the ball, Brock’s pushing up,” Payton Sandfort said. “And then the way that Owen dominated that game today on the inside makes it tough. When he’s playing like that and protecting the rim, teams have to shoot well to beat us.”

Video: Payton Sandfort, Drew Thelwell combine for 35 points in win

Payton Sandfort and Drew Thelwell discuss Iowa’s blowout win over Indiana.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was the house of horrors this week for teams coming in with momentum. Iowa snapped Nebraska’s six-game winning streak with an overtime victory. Then the Hoosiers’ five-game winning streak was put to an end Saturday.

Iowa is scheduled to play back-to-back road games against USC and UCLA next week. Though fires have wreaked havoc in the Los Angeles area, Iowa’s plans on the West Coast have not yet been disrupted, as of Saturday evening.Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com