The Ben McCollum era has begun in Iowa City. If game one was any indication of what’s to come, Hawkeye hoops fans are in for a lot of great basketball. Iowa didn’t look like a team with a new coach almost a team full of new players. After years of watching Iowa basketball under Fran McCaffery, Tuesday’s game was a dramatic shift for Hawkeye fans. Iowa played great on the defensive side of the floor against Robert Morris, creating turnovers and causing Robert Morris to go deep into the shot clock with their half-court defense. The Hawkeyes were quick on closeouts and got hands in passing lanes with relentless pressure, creating 22 turnovers.
Four of Iowa’s five starters were Drake transfers, and they all contributed in their own way in the season opener. After a quiet first half offensively, Tavion Banks exploded in the second half, finishing with 17 points and four rebounds on the night. The senior guard showed some serious athleticism with several crowd pleasing dunks.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes spread the ball around making the extra pass when needed with six players in double digits led by Bennett Stirtz’s 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, 2-for-5 from deep, and 5-for-6 from the charity strip. Alvaro Folgueiras added 11 and five rebounds. Cam Manyawu, Isaia Howard and Brendan Hausen all added ten points a piece.
Defensively, the Hawkeyes program may have played its best game in quite some time, as Iowa forced 23 turnovers, including 11 steals and 1 block. With McCollum’s defense-first mindset, the Hawkeyes sure showcased what a drastically different team they will be this season compared to last year.
Up next for Iowa will be another home matchup, Friday night against Western Illinois.
Tip-off against the Leathernecks from Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for 6 p.m. CT, and will be streamed exclusively on Big Ten Network Plus. You can hear the game on the Voice of Muscatine, AM 860 and FM 95.1 with Hawkeye coverage all season long brought to you by Ed Morse Chevy, Buick, GMC, Community Health Care Dental Clinic along with Muscatine Power and Water and Meineke Muffler.
