Ben McCollum Makes History in Iowa Debut

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum made sure not to disappoint in his first game with the team. The Iowa City, IA, native has waited his entire life for this moment, and he couldn't have been more prepared. Iowa trumped Robert Morris, 101-69, in a game that made history.

McCollum became the first Hawkeyes coach to put up triple-digits in his debut since Lute Olsen in 1975. Iowa has had a total of 23 head coaches in the men's basketball program, but now McCollum's name will be remembered for a fun trivia question.

McCollum's Debut Couldn't Have Gone Any Better

Ben McCollum's Hawkeyes score 101 in his Iowa debut. He's the first Iowa head coach since Lute Olsen in 1975 to see his team score triple-digits in his Hawkeye debut. pic.twitter.com/PchygBQ1Zp
— Owen Siebring (@owensiebring) November 5, 2025

While this was by no means the most impressive win Iowa could've had, putting up 100 with a brand new head coach speaks for itself. Robert Morris might not be up to speed with some of the teams the Hawkeyes will be playing this season, but they remained a suitable opponent for McCollum's debut.

To no surprise, Bennett Stirtz led the way with 19 points. All but one of the Hawkeyes' starters scored double digits, as surprisingly no one crossed the 20-point mark. In the end, six players scored 10+ points against the Colonials.

According to Kyle Huesmann, this is the Hawkeyes 15th straight season opening win. Fran McCaffrey was 14-1 during his tenure as McCollum followed in his footsteps with a win in the team's first game.

McCollum Comments On Dropping 100

"I don't know why we scored 100" - Ben McCollum

Joked that he can't remember the last time his team has scored 100 points.
— Brad Schultz (@BradMSchultz) November 5, 2025

In a sarcastic line after the game, McCollum said, "I don't know why we scored 100." During his head coaching career, he can't remember the last time a team of his dropped triple digits. Last year with Drake, the Bulldogs dropped 90+ twice but never reached the 100 mark.

After some quick research, the last time a McCollum team scored 100 was on February 1, 2024. Northwest Missouri State actually did so twice during his final season with the Bearcats.

Regardless, McCollum knows every game isn't going to go this way. While he still has plenty of time to prepare for Big 10 competition, the conference is going to be a gauntlet. Iowa has eight ranked games on their schedule. The only one of those that is not a conference game is on December 11 at No. 11 Iowa State, a game McCollum has likely waited his whole life for.

The Hawkeyes have a few more "tune-up" games where fans can expect a similar result. It's hard not to imagine this team at 5-0 heading into their Acrisure Classic game against Ole Miss. The only team in their way is Xavier who they play on November 14.

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