Iowa Heavily Favored in Non-Conference Closer

In what has felt like no time at all, the Iowa Hawkeyes are well into their first season under head coach Ben McCollum.

After having been hired earlier this year upon the promise of a renewed basketball program and backed with a near-flawless record in D1 hoops, McCollum has quickly renewed the previously great black and gold and worked to set a new standard at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It hasn't been a flawless transition - see the team's two ranked losses, the first of which being an outright blowout - but following last season's 17-16 (7-13) finish in Fran McCaffery's final attempt, the current group's 10-2 start is a more than welcome change of pace.

Yet the true metric of what this Iowa team is capable of has yet to take full effect; until the Hawkeyes' B1G schedule kicks into full gear, the team is waiting for the wins of expected victory on a game-by-game basis, biding its time with blowouts. As the non-conference schedule comes to a close, things aren't trending towards a change in a home bout vs. UMass Lowell (5-9).

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) looks for.shot around Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) during the first half in the men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another Anticipated Domination

According to Scores and Stats, the Hawkeyes are favored by an overwhelming 23.5 points against the River Hawks. Iowa's 11th win prior to consistent conference play appears firmly within reach.

For Iowa, the non-conference closer - beyond ensuring their expected win - is an opportunity to get the team's ducks in a row before their strength of schedule drastically steepens. If there was ever a time to try any last-ditch concept, lineup or game plan, it's now.

Closing out the Non-Con 🔜

🗓️ Monday, Dec. 29
⌚ 4 PM (CT)
🆚 Umass Lowell
📍 Carver-Hawkeye Arena
📺 B1G Network@IowaHoops x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Pbe8HJg1u9
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) December 28, 2025

A Final Tune-Up

In that way, Iowa's duel with the River Hawks could greatly benefit the team as a final sort of "tune-up" prior to next week's battle against the in-conference UCLA Bruins (10-3). To boot, it's yet another opportunity to feed the fire at Carver-Hawkeye, as Coach McCollum works to reinvigorate a fanbase that has been given no real reason to show up in past seasons.

With senior guard and arguable crown jewel Bennett Stirtz leading the way, Iowa's methodical, somewhat slowed down brand of basketball will be on full display against a squad that, according to predictions, simply isn't suited to deal with it.

And while the anticipated win may technically mean little, adding another victory to the column prior to the stretch in which they'll be much harder to come by is certainly a big deal. A win is a win, even if the Hawkeyes are expected to do so by 20+ prior to tipoff.

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