Iowa Extends Win Streak as Senior Guard Dominates

The Iowa Hawkeyes 2-0 start to the season, revered across the state and praised as an early sign of promise in Ben McCollum's first season as head coach, set an early tone for the 2025-26 campaign. Against two non-conference opponents — both of which the Hawkeyes dominated — the team had a chance to get their feet wet before taking an entire week off in preparation of their next game this weekend.

Lost vs. Found

With the Xavier Musketeers coming to Iowa City (then 2-1), Iowa's first battle against a team from a conference in similar stature to their own in the Big East, promised a potential uptick in competition, even considering Xavier's current rebuilding state. While Iowa appears to be on the rise in their first year under a new HC, the Musketeers seem to have taken a step back following the departure of Sean Miller, their two-time leader.

Now under Richard Pitino (son of St. John's' Rick Pitino), the program appears more like a project, working to find footing under a new banner and sense of identity. Iowa, on the other hand, has a clear grasp on who they are as a team. What resulted was another big win for the black and gold, led by star guard and usual suspect, Bennett Stirtz.

Win Secured. 👊 pic.twitter.com/9AdSk1ZruH
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 15, 2025

Can't Stop Stirtz

Stirtz, though not the only Hawkeye to put up a strong performance in the comfortable win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, led the team in scoring once again throughout an extremely heavy 40-minutes-played game.

In addition to his 21 points (making this his second-straight game scoring 20+), Stirtz also tallied eight rebounds and three assists, flexing both his length as a floor general and vision, though to a lesser extent, as a playmaker.

Stirtz's leading outputs continue to define this overhauled Hawkeyes team, but as a whole, they simply outpaced Xavier as a unit in all respects. Iowa shot 56.9% from the field overall (to Xavier's 39%), nearly doubled the Musketeers points scored in the paint and came out with 40 rebounds to the visiting team's 23. It was a hustler's game that, when it came down to it, meant that Iowa outworked their Big East opponent down to the buzzer.

As the schedule wavers and, eventually, the Hawkeyes will be met with steeper competition. But with wins like these, outlined by performances like Stirtz's, the Hawkeye faithful can rest easier with every win in the hope that this team is suited to the task.

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