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It appears that the hype is not going to be coming to the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team as the 2026 college basketball season approaches. In fact, some heavy doubts are being cast on the Hawkeyes and head coach Ben McCollum.
After captivating college basketball with a run to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament last year, there is an underlying consensus that Iowa will struggle in McCollum's second year in Iowa City, which will also be without Superman point guard Bennett Stirtz.
The Columbus Dispatch 2026-27 Big Ten men’s basketball preseason media poll was not overly kind to the Iowa Hawkeyes, but that may be bulletin board material for this team.
Iowa's Big Ten Basketball Preseason Media Ranking
Last year, Iowa went 10-10 in Big Ten play, which put them at No. 6 in the final conference standings after a couple of ties ahead of them. This year's preseason poll sees Iowa all the way down at No. 11 in the preseason Big Ten rankings.
Big Ten Basketball Preseason Rankings
1) Illinois Fighting Illini
2) Michigan State Spartans
3) Michigan Wolverines
4) UCLA Bruins
5) Nebraska Cornhuskers
6) Purdue Boilermakers
7) USC Trojans
8) Ohio State Buckeyes
9) Indiana Hoosiers
10) Iowa Hawkeyes
11) Wisconsin Badgers
12) Maryland Terrapins
13) Minnesota Golden Gophers
14) Oregon Ducks
15) Washington Huskies
16) Northwestern Wildcats
17) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
18) Penn State Nittany Lions
Are we really going to doubt Ben McCollum?
This is where I struggle with these rankings. Ben McCollum is a proven winner everywhere he goes. He has won at every stop along the way. Shall we take a trip down memory lane?
Ben McCollum was 395-91 at Northwest Missouri State with four national championships under his belt. He moved to Drake. How'd that go? Drake went 31-4 and won an NCAA Tournament game coming out of the Missouri Valley Conference.
His first year at Iowa? McCollum resurrected a program that was facing apathy and losing fan interest by going 24-13 and leading them to the Elite 8 by out-coaching the teams in Iowa's path.
Iowa lost Bennett Stirtz but upgraded elsewhere
I won't sit and pretend that losing Bennett Stirtz isn't going to impact this team. It will. He did everything for Iowa and was an extension of McCollum on the court.
McCollum went out and added pieces, though. He brought in Ty'Reek Coleman, a point guard, and big man Andrew McKeever from the transfer portal to tighten up some areas of concern.
Coming back to Iowa for another year is the duo of Cooper Koch and Tate Sage. They are lengthy, athletic, and talented wings who can get to the hoop with aggressiveness or knock down the open look. They bring the versatility McCollum's scheme necessitates.
Doubt Ben McCollum at your own risk, but I am a believer in proven success, and it's hard to think there are nine coaches and teams with more proven success than Ben McCollum in the Big Ten this year.
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