Iowa's Star Guard Leads The Way in Second-Straight Win

The Iowa Hawkeyes are quickly burying any semblance of negative expectation or fear regarding the Ben McCollum takeover at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Now two games into the head coach’s inaugural season, much encouragement can be taken from the black and gold’s 2-0 start.

Off and Running

After their season-opening win over the Robert Morris Colonials - to a brash, 101-69 tune at that - the Hawkeyes entered their second match against the Western Illinois Leathernecks favored by nearly 30 points.

While Iowa didn’t manage to meet that metric, the home team still came away with a double-digit win that, if nothing else, further solidified senior guard Bennett Stirtz as their clear primary option.

In the 77-58 victory, Stirtz, who played every bit of 40 minutes, tallied a new season-high 24 points, accounting for roughly a fourth of the Hawkeyes’ overall total. In addition, the floor general strung up seven assists and one rebound to round out what was, by far, Iowa’s premier performance in the bout.

Home Court Dub. 😎 pic.twitter.com/wCAVMwwUoI
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 8, 2025

Aside from Stirtz, transfer forward Alvaro Folgueiras was the only Hawkeye to additionally score in double figures. With 13 points, five boards and five assists, the stretch four supplanted Stirtz’s leading output with a solid, reliable turnout of his own.

The win over the Leathernecks represents the last of Iowa’s first two “gimme games” against non-conference opponents before the Hawkeyes host the Xavier Musketeers. Hailing out of the Big East Conference, the equally undefeated, Richard Pitino-led Musketeers, while unranked, represent a steeper brand of competition for a Hawkeyes team still relatively unsure of their ceiling.

Nov 7, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) controls the ball against the Western Illinois Leathernecks during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Competitive Buffers

Ahead of the team’s eventual run-in with B1G opponents - the ultimate test of just how far a team in a good conference can go - stops of spiked difficulty against the likes of Xavier are necessary buffers for McCollum’s first team on their road to a hopeful NCAA Tournament run.

On a game-by-game basis, Iowa can focus on emphasizing Stirtz’s growing role in the offense and, when he isn’t “on”, ensuring that secondary, even if not as efficient options are available.

Every great team has a go-to guy, but equally, every great team has a cast of good players behind him, too. It’s a balance that McCollum and the Hawkeyes seem to be striving for in the early stretch of the coach’s first season.

2-0 through two games, not much more could be asked of the black and gold, at least for the time. Hawkeyes fans are likely happy to be back in the winner’s circle on the men’s basketball side once more.

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