Iowa Guard Continues to Struggle in Big Games

At 8-2 (with an even 1-1 split in the B1G) the Iowa Hawkeyes have built a more than respectable resume in their first campaign under head coach Ben McCollum. The program, reeling from the mediocrity of their last few seasons under previous longtime leader Fran McCaffery, desperately needed the reset that McCollum has been able to provide, at least thus far.

Among the many positives (and eight wins) that McCollum has managed from his position on the sideline thus far, two bruises stand out in the form of the team's only two losses; the first to the No. 9 Michigan State (71-52) and the second earlier this week to the No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones, 66-62.

The former of the two had fans wondering whether or not this Hawkeyes team could compete beyond their home floor or in the ultra-competitive B1G at all, while the latter honed in most dreadfully on one of Iowa's most crucial assets.

Questions About a Star

While the team on the whole looked more than formidable in their eventual defeat to the Cyclones, even having led by double-digits at multiple intervals in the first half, star guard Bennett Stirtz was an almost total non-factor until it was too late to matter.

Finishing with 10 points on just 27.3% shooting (in his usual 40 minutes), the guard's subpar output for the second game in a row against a ranked opponent didn't go unnoticed online. A post — with more than one thousand likes — on X (Twitter) called out Stirtz's struggles:

Bennett Stirtz is one of the best players in America.

He had zero points while being guarded by Killyan Toure.

Clinic. pic.twitter.com/pVtqFOXkoo
— Jake Brend (@JakeBrendTV) December 12, 2025

"Clinic," said Jake Brend of Cyclone Fanatic, putting a pin in Stirtz's statistical inability to put up so much as one single point on Iowa State's Killyan Toure. While he admitted that Stirtz is "one of the best players in America," what does that label really mean when he isn't able to perform on America's biggest stages in basketball?

Building Towards the Madness

For both Stirtz and the team that he's intended to lead, adjusting to brighter lights now is a matter of ensuring that he's able to play up to his importance when March Madness rolls around. This Hawkeyes team appears clearly in-line to be in the NCAA Tournament picture when the time comes.

Therefore, while his current struggles are frustrating, so long as Stirtz can grow from his flaws and settle into his role as the team's senior captain when it's "win or go home," the current shortcomings could turn out well worth the gain in the long run.

And if anything is certain about HC McCollum, it's that he won't be satisfied with stagnation anywhere, let alone in a player that has followed him from his previous school.

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