Iowa Star Credits Ben McCollum for Unfathomable Win Percentage

Together, Ben McCollum and Bennett Stirtz are one of the most prized duos in college basketball. The pair, who are now with the Iowa Hawkeyes, have a career 109-17 record in three and a half years together.

Wherever McCollum goes, Stirtz is right behind. They made the move to Drake together and decided that wasn't enough as Iowa was the next route on their destination.

McCollum has been an integral part of increasing Stirtz's draft stock, a player that began at the lowest possible level. Now, the two are able to celebrate their 86.5% winning percentage heading into their final nine regular season games together.

Stirtz Discusses What McCollum Means To Him

While this partnership has been around for far longer than just Iowa, this is exactly what the Hawkeyes needed. McCollum will finally be without Stirtz next year, so it'll be interesting to see how that looks, but for now, the band is as strong as ever.

"It's all him. Smartest dude I know," Stirtz said after the Northwestern game. "He just puts everyone in the right spots and gets the right people to come and be on our team. He never lies to you and he's always straight up with you. Sometimes it sucks but yeah, that's my dude."

When Stirtz was asked how the two were able to get to that record together, he didn't hesitate to praise his longtime head coach. Stirtz knows he wouldn't be the player he is today without the guidance of McCollum, but it's the perfect partnership as Stirtz has helped take McCollum to the next level.

A Duo Iowa Will Dearly Miss

Iowa G Bennett Stirt — Iowa guard Kael Combs (11) helps up Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) during a basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats Feb. 8, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Knowing Stirtz is gone next year, it's all about finishing strong. Iowa is well on their way to an NCAA Tournament appearance, something Stirtz and McCollum did together at Drake last season while the Hawkeyes sat back and watched.

Drake pulled off an upset last year as the No. 11 seed, taking down No. 6 Missouri, 67-57. Stirtz had 21 pints in that one as the Bulldogs fell to No. 3 Texas Tech in the second round, 77-64. Coincidentally, Stirtz had 21 points in that one as well.

Having already played 80 minutes in tournament action, it's clear Stirtz is ready for anything. He faced a huge step up in competition this year but there haven't been many blemishes on his record alongside McCollum. At 18-5 (8-4), we're about to see just how good this team truly is with four of their last nine opponents all being ranked in the Top 12.

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