Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa Should Have No Issues vs. Chicago State

The Iowa Hawkeyes should be able to breeze past Chicago State to improve to 5-0.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Nov 18, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) controls the ball during the second half against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) controls the ball during the second half against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

Currently 4-0, the Iowa Hawkeyes know their tough stretch is nearing. Head coach Ben McCollum has gotten off to a tremendous start with his new team, one that has been led by senior Bennett Stirtz in three of their four wins.

Now, Iowa has just one more game at home before things get serious. Iowa has taken care of business against Robert Morris, Western Illinois, Xavier, and Southeast Missouri State.

The Big East's Xavier is the toughest opponent they've faced so far, and they got the job done, 81-62. Knowing that, they should have no issue getting past a Chicago State team that is 0-5 and plays in the NEC.

Iowa Is Worlds Ahead of Chicago State

The Cougars are five games into the season and have yet to taste their first win. They've come up short against DePaul, Saint Louis, Butler, UIC, and Minnesota thus far. Their closest games have been their last two as they lost to the Flames by just four points and fell to the Golden Gophers by only 12.

Keep in mind, Chicago State rarely ever plays at home. Their schedule through December 20 features 11 games on the road and just two at home. Coincidentally, their game against UIC was at home.

Now, they're on a stretch of four straight road games. Iowa is one of two B1G teams they are playing in that stretch, but it has already established itself as a much better team than Minnesota.

The Hawkeyes' Dominance

In the Ben McCollum era, Iowa has not scored fewer than 77 points. They've yet to allow more than 70, with that point total coming in their most recent win against Southeast Missouri State. Iowa was one point shy of reaching triple digits for the second time this season.

Currently, they're shooting 57.9% from the field. That's just over 16% better than the Cougers, a team who is shooting just 41.2%. Chicago State is shooting 29.1% from three-point range while the Hawkeyes number sits at 40.5%.

Iowa averages seven more assists and four fewer turnovers per game than the Cougars. While not all of those numbers might not blow you away on paper, they are just a few examples as to how big of a differential there is between a B1G team and one in the NEC. Kudos to Chicago State for scheduling all of these tough non-conference games on the road, but Iowa should have no issue improving to 5-0 ahead of the Acrisure Classic.

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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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