Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa Cruises Past Maryland for First B1G Win

The Iowa Hawkeyes cruised past Maryland for the first B1G win of the Ben McCollum era.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Dec 6, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) goes to the basket as Maryland Terrapins forward Solomon Washington (9) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Dec 6, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) goes to the basket as Maryland Terrapins forward Solomon Washington (9) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

After struggling big time in their Big Ten opener, the Iowa Hawkeyes rebounded with a dominant 83-64 win over Maryland. Head coach Ben McCollum picked up the first B1G win of his career as the Hawkeyes improved to 8-1 (1-1).

The biggest story heading into the game revolved around Iowa's offense. The Terrapins' defense is far from up to par, and the Hawkeyes were able to expose that early on. It was a great team effort all around as the Hawkeyes were able to put the Michigan State game behind them.

Bennett Stirtz Continues to Be Dominant

McCollum bringing Stirtz to Iowa could prove to be their biggest move in quite awhile. The senior accounted for 30% of their points as he led the way with 25. In the end, four Hawkeyes finished in double digits, including Tate Sage off the bench.

Stirtz shot 10/17 from the field as he took by far the most shots on the team. In fact, no one else took more than 10. It's great to see Stirtz continuing to shoot at a high level as he made four of his eight three point attempts. That said, he added just one rebound but had a pair of assists and steals.

Iowa Came to Play

While their offense continues to revolve around Stirtz, the Hawkeyes continue to play great all-around basketball. They shot 54% from the field as a team and were 41% from three point range.

Even though Maryland attempted 38 free throws, Iowa didn't let that phase them. In total, 24 of the Terrapins 64 points came from the charity stripe. That's not ideal as the Hawkeyes defense kept Maryland in check.

Elsewhere, Iowa finished with 12 more assists than the Terrapins. They came from all over the place as no individual player had more than three. If anything, that shows just how unselfish this team is as everyone's willing to pass the rock.

A Nearly Flawless Game From the Hawkeyes

Coach McCollum will be the first to point out the rebound discrepancy as Iowa was once again out-rebounded. Maryland grabbed 39 boards, seven more than what Iowa was able to come down with. Of those 39, 13 were offensive. Iowa failed to finish in double digits in that category.

Maryland had a two point lead at one point but that was it. Iowa, who won by 19, led by as many as 26 points. Three Terrapins finished in double digits, two of which came off the bench. That's not ideal for a Maryland team that is still trying to find their identity in what is guaranteed to be a gauntlet in the B1G.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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