Iowa Guard Named to NCAA Tournament South All-Region Team

While the Iowa Hawkeyes only had one player make the NCAA tournament South All-Region Team, it should come as no surprise that Bennett Stirtz was the player named.

Stirtz played all 40 minutes in every single game the Hawkeyes played in the NCAA tournament.

He's been a one-man wrecking crew all year long and who knows where this team would've been without him on the roster.

Stirtz's career sadly came to an end thanks to Illinois, a team that had three players make the All-Region Team. Nonetheless, Stirtz being on here shows just how impactful Iowa was in the first place, a team that could've easily been eliminated in the first round.

Bennett Stirtz Named South All-Region Team

South All-Region Team 👇

🟠 Keaton Wagler (Most Outstanding Player)
🟠 David Mirkovic
🟠 Andrej Stojakovic
🐤 Bennett Stirtz
🌽 Pryce Sandfort#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/AbH5gHUZPM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

The team that has made it out of the South Region has won the national championship the past few years, so that certainly bodes well for the Fighting Illini. They're led by Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler. Of those three, Wagler was named the Most Outstanding Player in the region.

The fifth player to make the All-Region Team was Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort. Iowa won't forget its Sweet 16 victory over the Cornhuskers anytime soon, but it's crazy to think all five players named to the All-Region Team are out of the Big Ten.

Stirtz's career came to an end with a 24-point effort against No. 3 Illinois. The game prior, he dropped 20 on No. 4 Nebraska and scored 29 combined against No. 1 Florida and No. 8 Clemson. He averaged 18.3 points per game in the tournament, along with 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

The 40 Minute Man

That's a quick 🔟 for Stirtz 🙌#MarchMadness @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/L9fDBA9xrQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2026

Time and time again, the commentators would mention Stirtz's stamina, which was truly second to none. The former Division II player worked his way up to this level and made sure he wasn't going to be denied. While he shot just 23.5% and 31.3% in the first two games of the tournament, he was still an incredibly valuable asset to this squad and was one of the main reasons they even won those games to begin with.

The future NBA Draft pick certainly impacted his draft stock in the best way possible. He was already a first-round pick waiting to happen, but now he's among the top guards in the entire nation. Stirtz's career is far from over, and he deserves a ton of credit for what he's done since high school, as does Ben McCollum.

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