Iowa's Bennett Stirtz Eyeing Single-Season Record

The Iowa Hawkeyes must find a way to replace Bennett Stirtz next season.

Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) shoots the basketball as Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) and Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) defend March 5, 2026 during a Big Ten basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Year one of the Ben McCollum era reached quite a high as the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to seemingly do whatever they wanted with Bennett Stirtz at point guard.

Stirtz proved time and time again he was one of the best in the country and it's no secret that he's going to be a first round pick in the NBA Draft.

When it comes to the single-season scoring record at Iowa, that's not a mark Stirtz could reach unless the team really does some damage in the NCAA Tournament.

Anything is possible, but Stirtz needs 161 points to catch Keegan Murray's mark of 822 points in the 2021-22 season. Currently the Missouri native has 661 points, which is good for seventh place.

Stirtz Continues to Climb the Ladder

At the close of Iowa's Big Ten tournament run, Bennett Stirtz is just one point shy of 6th place on the Hawkeyes' single-season scoring record list.
He'll likely jump into the top-5 during their first round game. And if Iowa manages to win their first round game, he could get to… pic.twitter.com/YGbHz9nx0N

— Owen Siebring (@owensiebring) March 13, 2026

One game in March Madness is guaranteed, but anything else is up to this team. Iowa should find themselves anywhere from the No. 8 to No. 10 seed, but either would require a date with the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the second round.

That's far from ideal, but Stirtz likely has a little bit of magic left in him. What he's done for the program this year has been stellar, and the number of minutes he's played in the final month of the season is in-human.

Stirtz needs just two points to become sixth all time. In order to pass Roy Marble's fifth place mark, he'd have to score 16 points. Anything higher than that would require him to reach 700 points on the year which warrants a 39-point effort. Back on February 8, Stirtz set a single-game career high with 36-points.

Fifth Place Finish is Most Likely

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) goes to the basket against Maryland Terrapins center Collin Metcalf (45) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Scoring 161 points in the NCAA Tournament is a stretch even if Iowa was the top seed and was guaranteed a run to the Final Four. Realistically, Stirtz should find himself in fifth place by the time his 2025-26 campaign comes to an end.

Marble dropped 675 points in 1988-89 and has been in the Top 5 ever since. Now, his spot is in jeopardy. Stirtz, more often than not, scores 15 pints in a game. Should he do so in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he'll punch his ticket to a top five season in program history.

For reference, Stirtz has scored at least 15 points in all but eight games this season. He's only been below that mark once in his last 17 games which doesn't seem real. 15 is the number needed to stand alone in fifth place, though 14 points would still get him the nod though he'd be tied with Marble.

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