Iowa Can Take Advantage Of Xavier's Recent Loss

Currently sitting at 2-0, the Ben McCollum era of Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball has gotten off to a strong start. McCollum has led Iowa to a pair of dominant victories, though they went from scoring 101 against Robert Morris to dropping just 77 against Western Illinois.

Now, they set their sights on Xavier. The Musketeers are currently 2-1 after losing to Santa Clara, 87-68. It was a surprising loss for the Big East team, but it was a key game that allowed Iowa to realize exactly what they signed up for.

Iowa Must Out-Rebound Xavier

Nov 7, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tate Sage (24) grabs a rebound as guard Bennett Stirtz (14) and forward Cooper Koch (8) look on against the Western Illinois Leathernecks during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

In Xavier's first game of the year, they barely got past Marist. Their 66-62 win proved that it's still early, but there are plenty of flaws within this team. In that game, they were out-rebounded, 33-31. In game two, Xavier snuck past Le Monye, 74-69. Once again, a sluggish performance from Xavier as they were out-rebounded, 33-31.

If Iowa wants to take down a team from the Big East, it starts with rebounding. When Xavier fell to Santa Clara, they were out-rebounded, 42-33. That's a huge difference in boards, even though Xavier finished with on more offensive rebound.

In Iowa's first two games, they've had very close rebound differentials. They grabbed one more board than Robert Morris, but Western Illinois finished with three more than the Hawkeyes. With a nearly even rebound count through two games, Iowa knows they have to be aggressive on the boards against Xavier.

Points Off Turnovers Could Be The Deciding Factor

Nov 7, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) vies for a rebound against Western Illinois Leathernecks forward Karyiek Dixon (5) during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Even though Xavier's biggest win of the season was only by five points, they had 10 more points off turnovers than Le Monye. When they lost to Santa Clara, they had five fewer points off turnovers. In the end, they've turned the ball over 35 times in three games.

Iowa has only turned it over 18 times in two games. They had 11 turnovers in game one, but quickly changed course with just seven against Western Illinois. They had 18 more points off turnovers than the Leathernecks and 26 more than the Colonials.

Scoring points is always going to determine who wins, but there are so many other elements to keep an eye on. McCollum knows how tough of an opponent Xavier is going to be, and they're going to have a chip on their shoulder coming off a surprising loss. If Iowa wants to improve to 3-0, they must win in both of these areas.

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