Big Ten men’s basketball 2026-27 outlooks: Iowa

We’re going team-by-team across Big Ten men’s basketball to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out in 2026-27.

Iowa, like Indiana, also went into last year with a new head coach. Ben McCollum had been linked with the Hoosiers job during their search, but he ultimately landed in Iowa City. His first year with the Hawkeyes entered the NCAA Tournament with a “solid” label — a 21-12 overall record, with a 10-10 Big Ten mark, and a No. 9 seed in the tournament. Certainly a result that IU would have taken. But Iowa’s season went from solid to outstanding in March, as the Hawkeyes upset No. 1 seed Florida and No. 4 seed Nebraska to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987. McCollum will look to follow up that run with more steady success in the regular season in year two.

WHO’S GONE:

Bennett Stirtz (19.8 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
Tavion Banks (10.2 PPG) (transfer — uncommitted)
Alvaro Folgueiras (8.4 PPG) (transfer — Louisville)
Brendan Hausen (4 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)

WHO’S BACK:

Cooper Koch, F, R-So. (7.8 PPG)
Cam Manyawu, F, Sr. (6.9 PPG)
Kael Combs, G, Sr. (6.2 PPG)
Tate Sage, G, So. (5.6 PPG)
Isaia Howard, G, Jr. (5.1 PPG)
Trevin Jirak, C, So. (3.4 PPG)
Joey Matteoni, F, R-So. (1.5 PPG)
Trey Thompson, F, R-Fr.
Peyton McCollum, G, R-Fr.

WHO’S NEW:

Transfer portal

Ty’Reek Coleman, G, So. (10 PPG at Illinois State)
Andrew McKeever, C, R-Jr. (8.2 PPG at Saint Mary’s)

Freshmen (Rankings from 247Sports)

Ethan Harris, G (four-star, No. 99)
Jaidyn Coon, G/F (four-star, No. 116)

RETURNING MINUTES: 56.3 percent (per barttorvik.com) (fourth-most in the Big Ten, 24th in the country)

Why it will work

Stirtz is a tough piece to lose, as the beating heart of that Hawkeyes team. But he was also a very ball-dominant player — only three Big Ten players (Nick Martinelli, Lamar Wilkerson, and Nick Boyd) averaged more than Stirtz’s 14.2 field goal attempts per game. Losing a player like that could be a good thing or a bad thing; Iowa will hope it’s the former, in that it’ll allow guys like Koch, Manyawu, and Combs to shine in bigger roles.

Additionally, the Hawkeyes didn’t have a player like McKeever last season. At 7-foot-3 and 285 pounds, he could help them improve in rebounding — Iowa’s 29.3 rebounds per game ranked in the bottom 15 nationally — as well as interior scoring.

But McCollum, himself, may be the biggest driver of Iowa’s success this coming year. His system proved effective enough to get the Hawkeyes into the NCAA Tournament, and then cause matchup problems in March against higher-seeded teams. Iowa sported one of the slowest tempos in the country last season, turning many games into a low-possession battle where elite defense can win out. There’s little reason to think McCollum

Why it won’t

Since Iowa didn’t bring in anyone from the portal with scoring numbers similar to Stirtz, we’ll find out just how much he meant to the team. If the Hawkeyes don’t get guys stepping up and taking advantage of more opportunities, they might not have enough scoring to stay afloat.

McCollum had a lot of collegiate coaching experience when he started at Iowa, but this was his first power conference job. Surely, other Big Ten coaches will make adjustments when going up against UI in 2026-27. McCollum may have to counter-adjust if the league has, in fact, figured out more effective ways to go against his team.

PREVIOUS OUTLOOKS: