Iowa Should Have No Issues vs. Bucknell

Head coach Ben McCollum has a pair of relatively easy non-conference games before his Iowa Hawkeyes face the gauntlet that is the B1G.

Having already played a pair of tough ranked teams, Iowa can sit back and relax for the remainder of the year. They're good enough to beat Bucknell, but they still need to go out there and prove it.

ESPN Analytics has the Hawkeyes favored by 25.5 points in this matchup. The Bison are just 3-9 overall compared to an Iowa team that is 9-2 and hasn't lost at home this season.

Iowa Outplays Bucknell in Nearly Every Area

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Other than rebounding, McCollum's squad does everything better than Bucknell. That's not to say the Bison can't come into Carver and shock the world, they certainly can, but this isn't an upset that Hawkeyes fans should be too worried about.

Iowa is averaging 13 more points per game but the key is they're allowing 15 fewer points per game. Bucknell, on average, allows 76.8 points per game. That's an incredibly high number, especially going up against this high-powered Hawkeyes offense that dropped 55 on Western Michigan in the first half alone.

So far this season, Iowa has dominated opponents that are below them. From the likes of Robert Morris to Chicago State, McCollum's squad hasn't had a problem in a non-conference game like this. For Hawkeyes fans, they're hoping that doesn't change in their second to last game of the year.

Iowa's Offense Continues to Develop

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— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 18, 2025

After leading the team in scoring for their first three games and six of their first nine, other players have begun to step up. The Hawkeyes know they can't rely on Bennett Stirtz for everything, especially when their tough non-conference slate comes around.

Other than Stirtz, a few players have carved out a role on this team. Junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras has led the team in points scored twice, including his team high 13 points against the Broncos. If it's not Stirtz of Folgueiras that's leading the way, it'll likely be senior guard Tavion Banks.

Banks and Folgueiras have led the team in scoring their last two games. Knowing they played Iowa State two games ago, it's great to see Banks' name in this conversation. As the season progresses, this trio is going to be extremely important, as is sophomore guard Isaia Howard.

Howard stole the show in the Acrisure Classic as he dropped 19 points against Grand Canyon, proving anyone can get hot at any given moment. Since that game though, he's scored just 20 points in his last four combined.

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