Fans will get their first live look at Ben McCollum’s Iowa team tonight, when the Hawkeyes face Illinois Springfield in an exhibition at Xtream Arena in Coralville. And even before a ball is tipped, ESPN has already put a label on the group heading into the season: “check back next year.”
That was Iowa’s spot in ESPN’s preseason college basketball tiers, a placement that reflects the questions surrounding a roster that has been reshaped after last season’s Elite Eight run.
The biggest departure is impossible to miss. Bennett Stirtz, who logged 94.1% of Iowa’s available minutes last season according to KenPom, was the engine of the Hawkeyes’ tournament push.
He led the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game while shooting 47.7%. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf noted that replacing that kind of production is no small task.
And Stirtz wasn’t the only major loss. Iowa also moved on from its second- and third-leading scorers in Tavion Banks, who averaged 10.2 points per game, and Alvaro Folgueiras, who put up 8.4 per game.
Still, McCollum did bring in help. The Hawkeyes added former Illinois State guard Ty'Reek Coleman and Saint Mary's center Andrew McKeever from the transfer portal, and both are expected to fit into a returning group that includes Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, Tate Sage, Cooper Koch, and Cam Manyawu.
Iowa landed in Tier IX alongside Saint Mary's, UCF, Santa Clara, South Florida, and Utah State. ESPN’s top tier of Final Four contenders included Florida, Duke, Texas, UConn, Michigan State, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Virginia.
The Hawkeyes begin their 2026-27 regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 3, against Lipscomb at 7 p.m. CT.
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