Iowa HC Compares Latest Win to B1G Test

The Iowa Hawkeyes first foray under head coach Ben McCollum has essentially revitalized the men’s basketball program, and conference play has still yet to begin. Undefeated through seven games, now having one two away from home, to boot, the black and gold are making an early case as a potential dark horse in the B1G.

Their most recent two victories came on a neutral site, competing in the Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, California. The first of which came in nip-and-tuck fashion against the Ole Miss Rebels. With a 74-69 win in the end, Iowa claimed their first victory in the McCollum era over a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team. The second, versus the Grand Canyon Antelopes, saw Iowa face a blistering run early on.

A Sign of the Times

For HC McCollum, the initially worrying start is less like a slip-up and more like a warning for what is to come when the team begins conference play in the coming weeks. After the game, in which the Hawkeyes pulled away to a final 59-46 tally,

🏆 2025 Acrisure Classic Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/jKDHFME0ev
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 27, 2025

“That’s what we said. 'Hey, we’re going to treat this like a B1G road game,'” McCollum said of the Hawkeyes’ two straight duels, and wins, in the Acrisure Classic out west.

“They jumped on us quick, just like it could happen in the B1G,” McCollum continued, commenting on Grand Canyon’s hot start against Iowa. “How do you respond to that? How do you survive that?”

A Matter of Survival

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum — Iowa head coach Ben McCollum reacts during a basketball game against the Southeast Missouri Red Hawks Nov. 18, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I thought our kids did a good job of surviving it,” McCollum finished. While Grand Canyon wasn’t supposed to contest in the same level as the Ole Miss Rebels, their jump out of the gates served as a solid reminder that the Hawkeyes can’t take anybody for granted.

With #11 Michigan State and Maryland back-to-back on their upcoming schedule, Iowa has officially entered the toughest part of any team's schedule in the form of inner-conference competition. The Grand Canyon matchup looked like a buffer from the outside looking in, but from McCollum's point of view, his team got a much needed sort of scare to refine them further in their last battle before the aforementioned ranked date with the Spartans.

At this point, McCollum's inaugural roster are among the more impressive teams in their hyper-competitive conference, being one of only seven undefeated teams at this point in the year. No matter how their schedule shakes out, the Hawkeyes have formed an identity as a Bennett Stirtz-led, defensively efficient unit with a newfound place in their league.

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