CHICAGO — One of the big what-if moments from Iowa basketball’s 2025-26 regular season came against the eventual national champions.
In a game that was tied with less than one minute remaining, the Hawkeye men were within an eyelash of pulling off the upset over Michigan. Even after the Wolverines took a three-point lead, Bennett Stirtz still had a shot to tie it as time expired, but he was unable to convert.
Iowa’s three-point loss was closer than any of the games during Michigan’s NCAA Tournament run. The Wolverines won five of their six games by double-figures, including an 18-point demolition of Arizona in the Final Four. Even the national championship against UConn was decided by a larger margin (six) than the contest against Iowa.
The Hawkeyes won’t hang a banner for almost beating the national champions. But it was one of the games that inspired some belief in what head coach Ben McCollum was building.
Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg had praise for the Hawkeyes while meeting with media at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine.
“They’re a super hard, super physical-playing team,” Lendeborg said. “They have a good scheme for their players. Bennett Stirtz: Great player. He doesn’t get tired, either. They just keep coming at you. Keep playing aggressive. They play off of your mistakes, too. So you can’t make too many of them and expect to beat them.”
Michigan barely got away with committing 18 turnovers that game, which Iowa converted into 26 points.
It was also one of the best atmospheres for a men’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season — if not the best. Rejuvenating the fan base and creating an impactful home environment were prevalent storylines during McCollum’s first season at the helm. The way that fans showed out for the Michigan game was an encouraging sign of progress.
“Oh, it was crazy,” Lendeborg said. “I think it was their senior night, too (it was). So it was super loud in there, man. I think I got dunked on early in the game (he did) and it was just super loud, super energetic the rest of the time and it was ridiculous. It got hard to hear.”
The close-but-not-good-enough narrative surrounding Iowa during the regular season was squashed with the Hawkeyes’ win over 1-seed Florida in the NCAA Tournament. But there was a time when that was Iowa’s frustrating reality more often than not.
Iowa showed it could hang with top-tier teams. But beating them was another story. The exception to that during the regular season was when Iowa defeated Nebraska at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
One of those close calls came on the road at rival Iowa State, a game that Iowa was not expected to keep as competitive as it did. The Hawkeyes led by 13 points but let the advantage slip away in an eventual four-point loss.
Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson had played Iowa before, but that was the first time facing the McCollum-led Hawkeyes.
“Iowa was a really different team than before,” Jefferson said. “They played a much slower style than I was expecting. They’re a very physical team with the amount of size that they have. They’re not an overly big team, but they played hard and they played smart. So I think that was like the first impression that I had was like, man, this is a really good-coached team and a lot of discipline.”
UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau, who was part of vastly different outcomes against Iowa in each of the last two seasons, also saw different versions of the Hawkeyes. Two seasons ago, the Bruins throttled the Hawkeyes by 24 points in Los Angeles. But last season, Iowa beat UCLA by 13 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“I think the biggest thing was just their toughness,” Bilodeau said. “I thought they were a lot tougher this last year versus two years ago. Grittier, make more winning plays. And it showed this year for sure.”
Before crawling to the finish line of the regular season, Iowa won six Big Ten games in a row. That included a clean sweep of the Pacific Northwest trip against Oregon and Washington. Iowa trailed Washington by nine points early in the second half but came roaring back to leave with a 10-point win.
“Bennett Stirtz, of course, (is) a really good player,” Washington’s Hannes Steinbach said. “It’s like how they played as a team together. The ball movement they had, the chemistry they had as a team was pretty impressive.”
Insight on Iowa basketball newcomers
The Hawkeyes have signed two transfers ahead of the 2026-27 season — guard Ty’Reek Coleman (Illinois State) and big man Andrew McKeever (Saint Mary’s).
Bennett Stirtz was around for both of their visits to Iowa.
Coleman averaged 10 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from deep as a true freshman.
“Super good,” Stirtz said of Coleman. “Super nice kid. Lights up the room. I’m super excited to watch him develop and grow. He’s got a chance to be really good. So, looking forward to watching him.”
McKeever, listed at 7-foot-3 and 285 pounds, averaged 8.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in roughly 23 minutes per game as a redshirt sophomore last season.
“Dude was humungous, yeah,” Stirtz said. “… His hands are huge. He’s got a chance to be really good, as well, if he buys in. Both of those guys (and the) freshmen buy in. That team and that group is going to be really special.”
Allen Graves, who played at Santa Clara, faced McKeever three times last season.
“Definitely his presence on the court,” Graves said of what stood out about McKeever. “He’s a huge guy. He was very impactful on the defensive end. Every rebound is his. He has great hands, great feel for the game. So, Iowa definitely got a great player in him.”
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: NBA Draft prospects weigh in on Iowa basketball | ‘A lot of discipline’
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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