Three Iowa MBB Players Who Could Leave in Transfer Portal

While the Iowa Hawkeyes advanced to the Elite Eight, there's always a chance things get a big shake-up in the offseason.

That hasn't been par for the course during most of Ben McCollum's coaching career, but now more than ever he has to dial in on the transfer portal.

Iowa knows it's losing a trio of seniors, but there are a few other key players it could lose as well.

Losing the likes of Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks is bad enough, but there are three players in particular to keep an eye on that could decide their best chances of playing are on another team.

1. Joey Matteoni

Iowa F Joey Matteon — Iowa forward Joey Matteoni (44) shoots the basketball against the Maryland Terrapins Dec. 6, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's hard to think of an Iowa native like Trevin Jirak wanting to leave, but crazier things have certainly happened. McCollum knows he needs height, but it's not like losing Matteoni would be ideal either.

The 6-foot-9 freshman is a Kansas native who averaged just 3.7 minutes per game this season. He made 11 appearances during his freshman season and turned that into 1.5 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game. Iowa is going to be looking in the portal no matter what, but knowing their desperate need for a big that may not be something Matteoni believes is in his favor.

2. Tate Sage

Iowa G Tate Sag — Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tate Sage (24) controls the ball against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

It feels apropos to include a forward, guard, and center in this list. Of the available guards, Sage seems like the most vulnerable to leave. If he stays he could easily become a starter, but there are no guarantees of anything in this era of college basketball.

Sage averaged 16.2 minutes per game, which is the fifth lowest on the team. Of the eight players who appeared in 37 games, Sage averaged the fewest minutes of that bunch. He was on the court for 18 minutes in the Elite Eight, which is quite a bit, especially since Alvaro Folgueiras failed to reach double digits.

3. Alvaro Folgueiras

Iowa F — Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) warms up before an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Speaking of the devil, Iowa is in a really interesting situation with the man who sent the defending national champions home. Sure, the 6-foot-10 junior will always have that to gloat about, but he failed to do anything of note in the Illinois game, and that really held the team back.

Folgueiras is another player who could be in line to start next season, but of these three, he's arguably the most likely to transfer. Folgueiras has no prior history with McCollum and that's something that is incredibly noteworthy on a team that was full of Drake transfers.

As crazy as it sounds, Iowa would be fine losing Folgueiras as long as it brings in some quality talent in the portal.

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