Iowa Guard Added to Wooden Award Watchlist

While things didn't go the Iowa Hawkeyes way against Minnesota, that doesn't mean the nation thinks any less of star guard Bennett Stirtz.

On January 7, the men's Wooden Award midseason top 25 watchlist was released. In total, there are nine freshman on the list as Stirtz, a senior, looks to finish his career with a bang.

For Iowa, it's Stirtz or bust. He still has his work cut out for him to keep up at this pace, but even he has struggled against top teams this season.

Stirtz, the Drake transfer, is still finding his footing on this team. Sometimes he's great and is the only player who can get anything going, but other times he's ice cold and nonexistent. First year head coach Ben McCollum knows how important he is to the team, but they still have a lot to figure out.

Bennett Stirtz On The Watch List

1 of 25 👀@bennett_stirtz was named to the midseason top-25 watch list for the @WoodenAward! pic.twitter.com/8haeqgyzFd
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) January 7, 2026

The Wooden Award would be a huge honor for Stirtz and it's crazy to even see his name in contention with the likes of Duke's Cam Boozer, Kansas's Darryn Peterson, and BUY's AJ Dybantsa.

In a world where there are a ton of surefire No. 1 picks in this draft class, Stirtz is world's below those players. That's not a knock on Stirtz, rather just shows how competitive this 2026 draft class is going to be.

Stirtz can't even think about being drafted if he continues to struggle against great teams on the road. No one is perfect, but Stirtz not scoring for the first half against the Golden Gophers was a huge wake up call. One could give him some grace against a ranked Michigan State or Iowa State team, but the same can't be said about Minnesota.

Stirtz Looks To Pick Up The Pace

Dec 29, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) controls the ball against the UMass Lowell River Hawks during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

At this point, the 6'4'' guard is averaging a team high 18.0 points per game. He's the only Hawkeyes player in double digits which is crazy to say knowing they've scored triple digits a few times this season.

Either way, Stirtz leads the way in points, assists (5.0), and steals (1.7). He also leads the team in turnovers (1.8), but that comes with being the team's leader in minutes, by far. His 35.5 minutes per game are nearly 10 more than fellow guard Kael Combs who is in second place with 25.9.

With plenty of B1G games remaining, Stirtz will have a chance to prove himself throughout the rest of the season. No one is asking him to be the best guard in the nation, but sometimes he needs to take a step back and try not to be Superman as it's hurt him and the team before.

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