The One Player Who Will Decide Iowa MBB's March Madness Tournament Run

The Iowa Hawkeyes have one player who can simply do no wrong.

Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) tries to deny a pass from Ohio State guard Taison Chatman (3) to Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton (2) Feb. 25, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum has been attached at the hip with Bennett Stirtz throughout his collegiate career.

The two started at the Division II level before making their way to Drake last season. After one year with the Bulldogs, McCollum took a job at Iowa and brought the point guard with him.

Stirtz has done everything in his power to lead the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament. He did just that, ending their multi-year drought as he led the way with 20.0 points per game.

The next closest player is Tavion Banks who's averaging just 10.5 points per game. Stirtz also leads the team with 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game as he continues to be one of the most complete players in the nation.

Bennett Stirtz is the Most Impactful Player on the Court

Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz speaks to members of the media after the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team was named a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament March 15, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At any given moment Stirtz can take over a game and never look back. He's shooting 49.2% from the field this season and it's worth noting he's taken roughly 26% of this team's field goal attempts. When it comes to three-pointers, he's taken 29.5% of the team's attempts.

Stirtz has 661 of the team's 2482 points which comes out to 26.6%. There's no one in the nation doing it quite like Stirtz, and there's not a chance this Hawkeyes team would be in the NCAA Tournament if he had stayed at Drake.

Coming to Iowa was the best decision of the Missouri native's career. Now, he's set to be a first round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft but has one final attempt to make a name for himself, this time infront of an audience bigger than ever before.

Stirtz Played All 80 Minutes in NCAA Tournament Last Year

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) shoots a free throw against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Drake pulled off an upset over No. 6 Missouri thanks to Stirtz who was a terrific 8-11 from the field and 3-3 from three point range. He led all scorers with 21 points and that performance alone helped get him to the next level. He also dropped 21 on No. 3 Texas Tech, though he was just 9-19 from the field in that one as the Bulldogs lost by 13 points.

Regardless, Stirtz is simply next level. He didn't sit a minute in either of those games last year and that's something he brought into his 2025-26 campaign. Going back to January 20 he's played the full 40 minutes 10 times, and that includes a 45-minute effort against No. 9 Nebraska.

Stirtz sat just two minutes in the B1G Tournament and those are the only two minutes he's sat in the team's last five games. There's no one doing it like he is for the Hawkeyes, and McCollum knows he needs the 6'4'' guard now more than ever.

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