Key Matchups Revealed as Iowa Enters Ben McCollum Era

It's a new era in Iowa City with the official hiring of Ben McCollum, who will take over as the first new Iowa Hawkeyes lead man in a 15 years.

With his compelling new staff and roster, coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance (with a win over 6-seed Missouri) last season with the Drake Bulldogs, the excitement around his program and recently established leadership has reached a dizzying peak.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Hawkeyes' social media accounts announced the team's official B1G schedule for McCollum's inaugural season just this past week. The slate is highlighted by a number of crucial conference matchups to look out for as the early November tip-off approaches.

The wait is over.

2025-26 Big Ten Schedule Drop ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/BN8LXWm1z0
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) September 18, 2025

One of the most glaring red circles on the schedule comes at the very beginning of it, when the Hawkeyes will take on Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans away from home on December 2. Having essentially secured a preseason Top 25 spot year-in and year-out, the Spartans again look to lead the B1G power rankings as Izzo pushes forward still in his seemingly unending tenure.

While the green and white will likely be favored in the conference-opener, the Hawkeyes may have an edge due to the unfortunate injury of the Spartans' transfer forward, and initially expected contributor, Kaleb Glenn.

From there, the schedule evens out to a relative extent before Iowa will host the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 11. Following a season with multiple signature wins and an NCAA Tournament berth that ended sourly in the second round, the Illini will be out for vengeance with a roster built with heavy transfer portal additions across the board.

Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum — Hawkeye fans listen to a Q&A between Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz and men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum during Fryfest Aug. 29, 2025 at the Iowa River Landing in Coralville, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While at home, this is a headliner game that could, come March, help define the Hawkeyes' resume either way.

Other games to watch include a road battle with the highly-touted Purdue Boilermakers on January 14, followed by a visit to the newly revamped USC Spartans at the end of January. The Hawkeyes will re-up and host Purdue later in the spring, as well as field a game in Iowa City against the expectedly renewed Michigan Wolverines, too.

The B1G may be the most formidable version of itself this side of 2020, with a strong presence of new coaches and schemes all over the conference. Iowa and Ben McCollum will look to standout with one of the strongest offensive rosters of the bunch; at least, it looks that way so far.

Nothing is certain, or sacred, until conference play actually begins in December.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!