Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa HC is Challenging a B1G Standard

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI | By Lane Mills | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 9:00 AM ET

B1G basketball has long been known for a “beat-em-up” style of play, defined by buckets between defensive stops and low-scoring, slugging duels in which the winner is often simply the team that can take the most hits. The Iowa Hawkeyes, for the longest time, has fallen in the middle of the same boat.

Beat-Em-Up Ball

In an era still reeling from Tom Izzo and Michigan State’s similar brand of hoops, the conference isn’t familiar with a team that can score at a high level, and prioritizes doing so. The Hawkeyes’ previous head coach, Fran McCaffery, failed to match the B1G’s grit by the time he and the program parted ways.

Ben McCollum, in his first year at the wheel, has taken a new route in confronting that conundrum; through two games, his newly realized Hawkeyes roster appears more suited to outscore the rest of the B1G than to wrestle with it. Through two games, Iowa's 2025-26 iteration has scored at a relatively high level in both bouts, outlining a few specific meters of reliable success and, thus far, dominating each of their opponents.

While conference play — the general ultimate test — has yet to begin, the Hawkeyes early success is a significant sign of what the team is capable of and, going forward, what's could be to come.

Picture perfect teamwork. @StateFarm assist of the game ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Nlotsl90ME
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 10, 2025

Behind a Main Man

A high-scoring team can be, and often is, shamelessly defined by a player who carries a majority of the offensive playmaking load. Scoring 19 and 24 in the aforementioned first two games respectively, guard and senior transfer Bennett Stirtz has been the go-to guy for McCollum's system as the team keeps finding ways to put the ball in the bucket at a high clip.

While the team scored much more in their first game than their second (101 to 77), Stirtz's continuous ability to "get his" regardless supposes a bedrock of points that the team, even at their overall worst, should be able to rely on.

In a conference built on defense, having an individual high-level score whose job it is to expose the weaknesses in those defenses does wonders not only on the scoreboard, but for a team's offense overall.

As a result of Stirtz drawing extensive attention from opponents, the rest of the Hawkeyes' secondary scoring options receive more openings as a result of that imbalance. So long as Iowa can continue to ride their hot hand, the entire team should see ample opportunity to make ample impact on offense.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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