Iowa Senior Nearly Tops Power Rankings

Another area of Stirtz's game where he has an edge on Smith is his field goal percentage. Stirtz knocked down 49.8% of his shots last season, including 39.5% from three. He shot just 79.4% from the free throw line, a key number he'll need to include on. As for Smith, he shot 42.8% from the field, seven percent less than Stirtz's percentage. Smith's three-point percentage was similar, 38.1%, while he trumped Stirtz with his 83.3% free throw percentage.

Smith's contributions continue to decrease the further Purdue went in the tournament. In the first round, he had 20 points and six assists. The next game, he struggled big time against No. 12 McNeese. Smith turned the ball over eight times as he finished with just 10 points. In the Sweet 16, he had seven points but an astonishing 15 assists against No. 1 Houston.

Even though Stirtz didn't play in the Big 10, he still had success in March Madness. He put up 21 points in both games, including eight assists against No. 3 Texas Tech. After beginning his career at Northwest Missouri State, Stirtz was able to work his way to the No. 2 ranked senior in the Big 10 preseason rankings.

If it weren't for Iowa HC Ben McCollum, Stirtz likely wouldn't be in this position. McCollum, Iowa's first-year head coach, spent the 2024-25 season at Drake. He saw first hand what Stirtz was able to accomplish and knew he was a key name to bring with him to the Hawkeyes. McCollum accomplished just that as his top Bulldog would be joining him in Iowa City.

At 22-years-old, Stirtz already has tons of accomplishments to his name. He was the MIAA Freshman of the Year, and made the All-MIAA second-team twice. Last season, he was named MVC Player of the Year. Not only that, he was the MVC tournament MVP, the MVC Newcomer of the Year, and named to the All-MVC first-team.