Iowa loses Aaron White, a key Big Ten game and momentum in one outing

Momentum can come and go quickly in the middle of the college basketball season for any team, but it's especially true for those slogging their way through conference's as tough as the Big Ten.

In the span of a week, No. 25  Iowa has experienced both ends of the spectrum. The Hawkeyes celebrated their sweep of Ohio State just a week ago and followed it up the next day with smiles from a top-25 ranking.

But they were crushed on the road at No. 6 Wisconsin on Tuesday and lost leading scorer and rebounder Aaron White to a shoulder stinger early in the first half Saturday at Purdue. The Hawkeyes, led by guard Mike Gesell, gave themselves a chance to win late but faltered down the stretch to drop a second consecutive game 67-63 with a rematch against the Badgers looming and questions about White's status.

Gesell scored 12 consecutive points for Iowa late in the game, but the Hawkeyes couldn't come up with a bucket in their final three possessions. Iowa fell to 4-3 in the conference and now must be concerned about the extent to which White will be affected by the shoulder injury. The Hawkeyes just aren't the same team without his versatility and playmaking on both ends of the court.

White suffered the injury trying to steal a pass with Iowa leading 10-6. He collided with Purdue guard Kendall Stephens and tried to play through it but had to be taken out when he felt pain later trying to reach for a loose ball.

It was a bad day for forward Jarrod Uthoff to struggle with his shot. Uthoff made only two of 14 attempts and missed all five of this 3-pointers. This one could have been even uglier for the Hawkeyes if Gesell didn't ramp it up in the second half.

Uthoff and Gesell and others on the Iowa roster are certainly capable of picking up some of the production White usually provides if he is forced to miss a game or more, but Iowa always has been expected to go as far as White could take it this season.

While the outcome left Iowa with questions, Purdue managed to win consecutive conference games for just the second time this season. Guard Rapheal Davis hit the game-winning 3-pointer and led the Boildermakers with 24 points. Davis had made three of five from behind the arc against Iowa, but came into the game with just four made 3-pointers in 21 attempts this season.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo