Iowa Needs More Consistency Out of Alvaro Folgueiras

With all eyes on Bennett Stirtz, it may have been junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras who guided the Iowa Hawkeyes into the NCAA Tournament.

Stirtz still got his points, 22 to be exact, but that's to be expected out of the Drake transfer. To no surprise, Stirtz once again led not only Iowa in scoring, but he was the game's leading scorer.

Iowa took down Ohio State, 74-57, thanks to 20 bench points from Folgueiras. The reigning Horizon League Player of the Year came to Iowa to make an impact, and he did just that against OSU.

The Buckeyes had no idea what hit them as Folgueiras played 25 minutes and went 8-10 from the field. He was 4-5 from the free throw line and added four rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Ben McCollum on Alvaro Folgueiras

Iowa HC Ben McCollum on Alvaro Folgueiras (20 pts, 4 rebs, 5 asts) on postgame radio show: “He’s a crazy man, in a good way and a bad way sometimes. Tonight, it was in a good way. … I thought he played his best game of the year.”
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) February 26, 2026

"He's a crazy man, in a good way and a bad way sometimes," McCollum said in regard to the junior after Iowa's win. "Tonight, it was in a good way... I thought he played his best game of the year."

McCollum's comments on the postgame radio show put it into perspective just how highly he thinks of the 6'10'' forward. Folgueiras is far from perfect and everyone knows that, but games like these are proof that he could be an impact player next year with Stirtz in the NBA.

Iowa needs Folgueiras to stick around for his senior season. The Spain native is averaging just 8.7 points per game but he's shooting 51.8% from the field. That seems like an incredible number, but consistency has been an issue for the big man.

Things Are Beginning to Click

Iowa F — Feb 25, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) goes to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes forward Colin White (20) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Once again, Folgueiras has back to back games with double-digit scoring. This is far from the first time he's done that this season, and it potentially won't be the last. Prior to Iowa's game on February 22 at Wisconsin, he had gone four straight without scoring more than seven points.

January 28 to February 4 featured a three game stretch with 14+ points in all of them. Prior to that, he went five straight games without more than eight points. Keep in mind, he had one or fewer point in three of those five.

Folgueiras isn't a starter, so his minutes aren't always going to be the same. He played 14 or fewer minutes in four of those five games so that says a lot, but lately McCollum has been trusting the big man to be an important part of this lineup. He's played 21+ minutes in their last six games and that will undoubtedly continue with the B1G tournament right around the corner.

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