HOUSTON — In a season that began with modest expectations for the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team, coach Ben McCollum and star guard Bennett Stirtz have orchestrated one of the most improbable runs in recent NCAA tournament history, propelling the program to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. The duo's journey from Division II obscurity to the brink of a Final Four appearance has captivated college basketball fans, highlighted by Thursday night's dramatic 78-72 comeback victory over Nebraska in the Sweet 16 at the Toyota Center here.
The win sets up a highly anticipated matchup against rival Illinois on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET, where the Hawkeyes, who finished 10-10 in Big Ten play during the regular season, will look to extend their surprising March momentum. McCollum, known for his intense sideline presence, was at the center of the game's turning point early on, when Iowa trailed by 10 points. According to Stirtz, the team's stoic leader, McCollum unleashed a passionate tirade during a timeout, slamming his whiteboard and breaking his marker, sending ink scattering across the hardwood floor.
'That's what he likes to do. He's the negative guy, and then our assistant coaches are the positive people. He was just telling us we sucked and we were soft,' Stirtz recounted after the game, his calm demeanor contrasting sharply with his coach's fervor. McCollum, however, offered a more lighthearted retelling of the moment. 'They were moving and cutting, and I didn't even know what was going on. So ... we called [the team] into the huddle and just said very nicely, 'I would like you to play harder, guys,'' he said with a grin. 'And it seemed to work. Isn't that right? Isn't that how that went?'
The fiery exchange appeared to ignite Iowa, which outscored Nebraska 48-32 in the second half to secure the victory. Stirtz, the senior guard who followed McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake and now to Iowa, delivered in the clutch, sinking a crucial 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining to give the Hawkeyes their first lead of the contest. From there, Iowa never looked back, advancing to face a Illinois team that has dominated the Big Ten this season.
This Elite Eight berth marks the deepest tournament run for McCollum and Stirtz at any level, building on a remarkable streak of postseason success. Over the past four years, the pair has won NCAA tournament games each season, starting with their time at Division II Northwest Missouri State. In 2023, they reached the second round, where Stirtz scored seven points in a loss to Southern Nazarene. The following year, they advanced to the Division II Sweet 16, with Stirtz contributing 12 points against Minnesota State before falling to the eventual national champions on a buzzer-beater.
After jumping to Division I with Drake in the 2024-25 season, Stirtz led the 11-seeded Bulldogs to a first-round upset over sixth-seeded Missouri, pouring in 20 points before their run ended in the second round against an Elite Eight-bound Texas Tech. There was little surprise when Stirtz transferred to Iowa to reunite with McCollum, who had taken the Hawkeyes' head coaching job. The 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year has thrived in the tougher Big Ten, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors while finishing fifth in the conference in scoring at 19.7 points per game.
McCollum and Stirtz's partnership is defined by complementary personalities—fire and ice, as McCollum puts it. 'You see him on the floor, and then you see me on the sideline—so polar opposites in personalities. Not polar opposites in value,' McCollum said. 'He's super competitive. I'm super competitive. I feel like he works with a level of humility. I feel like he's a really tough kid. I feel like he serves others, all those different things.'
Stirtz echoed the mutual respect that underpins their success. 'He shoots it straight. Even when it's tough and even when it's hard. He pushes you past your limit, and I think that's where the trust comes in ... he just pushes everyone on this team, and honestly, you can see the benefit from that,' Stirtz said. Their bond was tested early in the tournament, including a near altercation between McCollum and Florida coach Todd Golden during Iowa's upset win over the No. 1 seed in the Round of 32 last Sunday.
Experts familiar with the duo's path aren't surprised by their ascent. Matt Margenthaler, head coach at Minnesota State, still recalls the nightmares from Northwest Missouri State's near-upset of his 2023 Division II championship team. 'You always question, I think, when you go up a level, 'Can he do it at that next level in the Missouri Valley Conference?' And then he proved that in one year,' Margenthaler told ESPN. 'And then, 'Can he do it again in the Big Ten?' And then he just continues to amaze the coaching world with what he can do.'
Margenthaler highlighted Stirtz's growth in confidence and skill. '[Stirtz's] confidence has grown and grown and grown,' he said. 'He is obviously a Division I basketball player, but one that has made himself better each year. I mean, what a story: those two guys together and what they're doing.' For Margenthaler and others in the Division II ranks, the duo's success serves as inspiration, demonstrating that talent and coaching from lower divisions can shine on the biggest stages.
Iowa's tournament path has been filled with tension and triumph. Seeded seventh in the Midwest Region, the Hawkeyes first dispatched a higher-seeded opponent in the Round of 32 before grinding out the Sweet 16 win over Nebraska, a team that had been a thorn in the Big Ten all season. The victory was Iowa's first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999, and it came against a Cornhuskers squad that entered the game with strong defensive metrics but faltered under Iowa's late surge.
McCollum's coaching style, often demonstrative and unfiltered, has been a double-edged sword. While it rallied the team against Nebraska, it has drawn scrutiny in past games, including the heated exchange with Golden. Yet, players like Stirtz credit it for building resilience. The Hawkeyes' regular-season mediocrity—marked by that even 10-10 Big Ten record—belied the potential that has exploded in March, with Stirtz elevating his game to tournament-best performances.
Looking ahead, Saturday's clash with Illinois looms large. The Fighting Illini, led by their own star players, have been a powerhouse, winning the Big Ten regular-season title. Iowa will need more of the same grit that carried them past Nebraska, especially with McCollum's intensity on full display. As the Hawkeyes prepare, the narrative of their underdog story continues to unfold, with a Final Four berth on the line.
For McCollum and Stirtz, this run is about more than just wins; it's a testament to perseverance across levels of college basketball. 'In 20 years, it will be an insane story. A guy that goes from Division II with his coach and then goes to Drake and then goes to the University of Iowa and actually makes it farther in the tournament in Division I than he did in Division II,' McCollum reflected. He emphasized the unique player-coach relationship they share. 'I think when you're a player-coach [relationship] sometimes, you obviously care for each other and love each other and all of that, but you don't get to connect on [this] kind of level. But it's been a hell of a ride, but it's far from over.'
As Iowa stands on the precipice of history, their story resonates beyond the court, inspiring athletes and coaches at every level to dream big. Whether they advance past Illinois or not, McCollum and Stirtz have already rewritten the script for what was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Iowa City.