Iowa's Bennett Stirtz Makes History in B1G Win

The 12-2 Iowa Hawkeyes have made a cooperative statement in their first season under head coach Ben McCollum as a team ready to compete in the B1G despite their "inaugural year" tag. Now 2-1 in the conference after a commanding home win over the UCLA Bruins, to boot, the black and gold are surpassing even the loftiest of expectations that preceded their 2025-26 season.

As conference play rolls on and the team as a whole works to continue their climb in the national rankings, a focus remains on star guard Bennett Stirtz, who has led Iowa as their premier scoring option in his final season on the collegiate level.

Not only does Stirtz play close to, if not a full 40 minutes in almost every contest, but his consistent scoring and ability to find open teammates in equal parts has elevated a Hawkeyes offense otherwise reliant on big plays.

Making Hawkeye History

The group has found consistency by way of Stirtz's steady hand, and in that aforementioned win over the Bruins, the floor general joined a rare club in Hawkeyes history with what may have been his strongest performance of the entire year. Notching 27 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, Stirtz is just the fifth player ever to accomplish such a feat for Iowa.

Following the win, the Iowa Men's Basketball X (Twitter) account posted the statline with a clip of Stirtz's late-game, "cherry on top" triple that put UCLA away.

Bennett Stirtz is the 5th player in program history with…

🪣 27 PTS
🤝 5 AST
💪 4 REB
🔒 2 STL pic.twitter.com/h1SyGGV2u3
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) January 5, 2026

Celebrating the accomplishment with a video is recognition enough, but what Stirtz has achieved in just 14 games as a Hawkeye promises a future of untapped potential that should serve Iowa well when the stakes get steeper in March.

It's not just fast breaks and big games that get you by in the NCAA Tournament; runs are fueled by experience and tact, both of which Stirtz has in spades.

Experience and Tact

Having a sound decision maker at the forefront of any team is crucial to securing six games in a row in a win or go home scenario.

Is Iowa expected to compete for a national championship? No, but they weren't expected to be ranked at this interval of the season either. Given the mania that tends to accompany March on a yearly basis, fans should expect the Hawkeyes to at least make things interesting come tournament time.

Led by a version of Bennett Stirtz who is on his game, anything can happen against anyone.

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