2026 Tournament PreviewCoach Ben McCollum made the short drive from Drake to Iowa this offseason, bringing senior point guard Bennett Stirtz (20.0 ppg, 4.5 apg) with him, and the result was an NCAA Tournament berth after a two-year drought for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is 31st nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Hawkeyes shoot it well, ranking 16th in effective field-goal percentage, with Stirtz hitting 37.6 percent from the perimeter and 6-8 Cooper Koch (7.7 ppg) converting 39.4 percent. But they struggle to defend shots -- 252nd in opponent effective field-goal percentage. A slow pace (8th-slowest in adjusted tempo, per KenPom) masks some of that deficiency and keeps games close, as does a penchant for turnovers (top 15 in defensive turnover rate). But the Hawkeyes are 4-9 in Quad 1, with every win in the Big Ten and only one of those against a top-6 conference team (Nebraska). They also have two Quad 3 losses. Iowa likely will go as far as Stirtz takes it.
Scouting Report Offense Defense
Efficiency 1.22 34 0.99 47
Pace 64.4 (360)
Effective FG% 56.56 (16) 52.68 (251)
Turnover % 13.52 (98) 18.80 (6)
Off Reb % 30.09 (195) 28.04 (68)
FTA/FGA 34.50 (199) 39.14 (289)
3P% 35.53 (87) 33.59 (163)
2P% 58.90 (16) 54.15 (282)
FT% 77.00 (33) 73.11 (227)
3PA/FGA 41.81 (137) 39.20 (176)
Totals
Per Game
Loading Team Stats...
Loading Team Stats
Iowa
Big Ten
Rankings
NET: #27 RPI: #56 RW: #24
Record
Overall: (21-12) Conference: (10-10) Quad 1: (5-9) Quad 2: (4-1) Quad 3: (6-2) Quad 4: (5-0)
Loading Schedule...
Loading Post Schedule...
Iowa Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Iowa Starting Lineup - Last 5 Games
Loading Last 5 Lineups...
Iowa Roster
Loading Roster...
News Display Mode
Compact
Expanded