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

Early Trends in Iowa’s Ben McCollum Era

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI | By Lane Mills | Last updated Nov 9, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Following the continuous letdown of the Fran McCaffery era in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes men’s basketball team came into this past offseason with a high-stakes necessity to make the right hire; given the former’s firing, it marked the first time in 15 years that Iowa had to find a new head-man.

Hiring an Answer

In Ben McCollum - a former Drake Bulldog coming off a championship in the Missouri Valley Conference and a Round of 64 NCAA Tournament win as an underdog - the program found their solution and then some.

Despite entering the 2025-26 season unranked (for now), McCollum’s Hawkeyes roster is defined by defensive efficiency and features scoring prowess in significant spurts. The team’s potential has come to life through two games, sporting them a 2-0 record up to now, with a few defining trends outlining the team’s early-season identity.

In their first duel against the Robert Morris Colonials, Iowa ran away with a commanding 101-69 win on their home floor. Led by a 19-point performance from Bennett Stirtz, it was an “everybody eats” kind of game that the Hawkeyes will soon look to replicate.

Their second win, 77-58 over the Western Illinois Leathernecks, further solidified the roster’s cardinal pattern up to this point. Starting guard Bennett Stirtz not only played all 40 minutes in the latter victory, but led the team in scoring for the second game in the row with a staunch 24-point total.

Bennett Stirtz making it look way too easy ‍

The @IowaHoops star finished with 24 points, 7 assists and 2 steals in the Hawkeyes win pic.twitter.com/qV6kRKv4vv
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 8, 2025

Strength in Stirtz

Following the guard’s junior season under McCollum with the aforementioned Bulldogs, his expected role in Iowa City was expected to look exactly as it does: ball-dominant and wholly commandeering. Not only does Stirtz produce on the offensive side of the court, but defensively, he's almost been as much of a standout.

His six total steals through just two games is the only statistic needed to make the point loud and clear: Stirtz does it all, on both sides of the ball.

Defensive Disruption

To that idea, the Hawkeyes' defense overall has been exceptional. and a standout aspect of the team overall, through two games. To this point, the bunch of ball-stoppers have forced 34 turnovers; led by Stirtz's steals, Iowa's "flip the floor" capabilities have given their offense ample opportunity to convert on much easier ground as a result.

If the Hawkeyes can continue to rely on Stirtz to steer the ship, comfortably relying on a defensive backbone that has yet to allow an opponent to break 70 points, they'll be a tough sell to any competitor in the B1G, no matter how high-level they may be.

Coach McCollum has pieced together a team specifically suited to his philosophies, and their two wins thus far exemplify that vision to a tee.

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

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