Iowa’s Offense Is Quietly Cooking - And It’s Time We Paid Attention
SEATTLE - If you’re still sleeping on Iowa basketball’s offense, now might be the time to wake up. The Hawkeyes just wrapped up their Pacific Northwest road swing with back-to-back wins - and more importantly, back-to-back 84-point performances against Oregon and Washington. That’s not just a hot streak - that’s a statement.
Let’s start with the numbers. In those two wins, Iowa shot a blistering 59% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc.
They were surgical with the ball, turning it over just nine times total - and two of those were late shot clock violations with the game already in hand. That’s not just efficiency - that’s discipline, chemistry, and execution all working in sync.
“We’ve got unselfish kids,” head coach Ben McCollum said after the 84-74 win over Washington. “We’ve been working on it constantly… I thought you saw the result of that the last couple of games.”
And he’s right. What we’re seeing isn’t a fluke - it’s the culmination of a system that’s starting to click.
A Slower Pace, But A Sharper Edge
When McCollum took over, the buzz was all about defense. That made sense - Iowa had struggled on that end under the previous regime.
But the offense? That was the question mark.
McCollum’s last team at Drake played at the slowest pace in all of Division I, and many fans feared that meant Iowa’s high-octane identity under Fran McCaffery would be replaced by a grind-it-out slog.
Safe to say, those fears haven’t materialized.
Sure, Iowa isn’t racing up and down the court like it used to. The tempo is still among the slowest in the country.
But slow doesn’t mean stagnant. This offense has rhythm, flow, and purpose.
It’s a system built on ball screens, spacing, and reads - and it’s working.
“We’re a ball screen-heavy offense,” said guard Bennett Stirtz. “We’re just taking what the defense gives us… It’s different every game because we see a lot of different coverages. But it’s the coaches’ job to put us in the right positions and just us adapting.”
That adaptability is what’s standing out. Whether teams are taking away the roller, the pocket pass, or the shooter on the wing, Iowa has counters. That’s what happens when you have a coach who knows how to teach the game and players who are locked in on doing it the right way.
The Misconception About McCollum’s Offense
Much of the skepticism around McCollum’s offensive system came from how Drake played last year - slow, methodical, and not particularly explosive. But here’s the thing: that wasn’t the full picture. That was a coach working with the roster he inherited, not the system he prefers.
Want a better look at what McCollum’s offense can be? Go back to his days at Northwest Missouri State.
In 2019-20, his Bearcats averaged over 83 points per game and shot an absurd 45.7% from three. The next year?
Nearly identical production. Those teams didn’t just score - they did it with ruthless efficiency.
So no, this isn’t some grind-it-out, pass-the-ball-30-times-before-shooting offense. It’s a system that values precision, shot selection, and decision-making. And now that McCollum has a roster that’s starting to buy into that vision, the results are showing.
“Everybody compares our Drake offense,” McCollum said back in November. “It’s like our Drake offense wasn’t exactly what we’re trying to get to.”
Now, we’re starting to see what he is trying to get to.
Culture + Chemistry = Results
What’s maybe most impressive about Iowa’s offensive surge isn’t just the numbers - it’s the mindset behind them. This is a team that shares the ball, plays for each other, and doesn’t chase stats. That kind of buy-in is rare, and it’s a big reason why this offense hums the way it does.
“Everyone has their priorities clear and nobody’s trying to do it for themselves,” said forward Alvaro Folgueiras. “We can talk about ball screens, we can talk about everything, but if the human quality is not there, I don’t think this would work.”
That’s the foundation: high-character players executing a high-IQ system. It’s not flashy.
It’s not built for highlight reels. But it’s effective - and increasingly, it’s becoming hard to ignore.
The Big Ten’s Quiet Contender?
Iowa currently ranks near the top of the Big Ten in field goal percentage (51%) and three-point shooting (38%). They’re ahead of offensive powerhouses like Illinois in both categories. Add in solid marks in assist-to-turnover ratio and free throw percentage, and you’ve got a team that’s quietly becoming one of the most efficient scoring groups in the league.
This isn’t a return to the McCaffery-era run-and-gun style, and it doesn’t need to be. What McCollum is building is different - but it’s just as dangerous in its own way.
The Hawkeyes aren’t trying to outrun you. They’re trying to out-think you, out-execute you, and outlast you. And right now, that plan is working.