NBA Draft: Bennett Stirtz Pushes Iowa to Elite Eight

With just two minutes left in Iowa and Nebraska’s Sweet 16 matchup, the Hawkeyes had never led the game. The Cornhuskers had played well to that point, keeping their opponent at an arm’s length lead.

Then Bennett Stirtz took command.

With just a few minutes remaining, Stirtz would make something out of nothing, unleashing an NBA-range triple that would put Iowa up three, their first lead of the game at 68-65. On the very next possession, he would break down the first line of defense with a straight-line drive, grabbing a needed hockey assist on another three.

Iowa would eventually find ways to extend the lead down the stretch, thought Stirtz’ push was vital to putting the pressure on the Cornhuskers. With a 77-71 win, Iowa would make their first Elite Eight since 1987. They're now the lowest-seeded Big Ten seed ever to make the final eight teams.

Stirtz played far-and-away his best game of the tournament on Thursday, finding a rhythm he simply hadn’t in his previous two games. He hit big shots, orchestrated the offense better — albeit in a less commanding way — and set up his teammates and moved the ball crisply.

All in all, Stirtz would finish with a crucial 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, hitting three of his nine attempted triples and adding four assists..

Stirtz certainly needed the performance, as he hadn’t quite looked himself through two games. He scored 16 points on 17 shots against Clemson, managing to add five rebounds, two assists and two steals. He had plenty of gravity against top-seeded Florida, but still scored just 13 points on 16 shots, adding five rebounds and assists apiece.

Stirtz is a projected first-round pick at the 2026 NBA Draft, offering a unique on-ball skillset built around pace, counters, shot-making, passing and elite feel for the game. He won’t be a stylistic fit everywhere, but stands to wear out the pick-and-roll as one of the more dominant scorers and passers in the action we’ve seen in years.

Even more, Stirtz helped to outlast Pryce Sandfort on Nebraska's end, who finished with upward-trending stock himself via March Madness. A 6-foot-7 wing, Pryce added 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting, hitting a blistering six of his 10 attempted triples.

Stirtz and Iowa will face off against the winner of Houston and Illinois in tonight's late slate, guaranteed to see a Tier 2 draft prospect in either Kingston Flemings or Keaton Wagler.