Iowa HC Previews Ole Miss Matchup

The Iowa Hawkeyes have breezed through their five-game slate at home to start the season. Having won every game by a scorching tally of 19 points or more, the revamped black and gold under first year head coach Ben McCollum are quickly making a name for themselves as one of the most compelling, entertaining teams in the entirety of their conference.

The B1G has long been known for "slug-fest" type basketball - slow, methodical and gritty - but the Hawkeyes are working to break that barrier down, one high-scoring game at a time.

Test Your Might

Their next matchup though, while still not in-conference, is likely to present the team's first real hill to climb of the season so far. Played in Palm Desert, California on a neutral floor in the Acrisure Classic, Iowa will face off against the Ole Miss Rebels. Hailing from the Southeastern Conference (the notorious SEC), the Rebels, also 5-0, have earned their own reputation for being more in-tune with that aforementioned B1G philosophy than the sort of opposite style that the Hawkeyes are building.

Led by a stout defense, Ole Miss offers a new, more unique challenge for an Iowa team looking to test their might. Coach McCollum, prior to the game, outlined the matchup with some insight into Ole Miss' specific strengths.

"They're very unique defensively," McCollum said of Ole Miss and, specifically, HC Chris Beard's style of play, "so they play the side defense. They kind of revived the side defense."