Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Iowa fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
When Ben McCollum was introduced as Iowa’s 23rd head men’s basketball coach last March, the expectations were pretty high — and for much of his first season in Iowa City, he’d done little to disappoint. The Iowa City native, who grew up dreaming of wearing black and gold, has brought
a fresh jolt of energy to Carver-Hawkeye Arena with defense, intensity and a new emphasis on fan engagement.
The Hawkeyes enter the final stretch of the regular season at 20-9 overall and 10-8 in Big Ten play, sitting firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture with two games remaining. Through 26 games, McCollum has the third-most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. Not bad for a guy still learning the ropes of Big Ten basketball.
The season has had its share of highlights with Iowa’s 57-52 victory over #9 Nebraska snapping a 13-game losing streak against ranked opponents — and marking the program’s first home win over a top-10 team since 2019.
But it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows as the honeymoon period begins to sunset. While the Hawkeyes are firmly in the Tournament picture, they’ve fumbled away several opportunities this year, culminating in the miserable loss on the road at Penn State last week that has taken Iowa back to the bubble.
Now the Hawkeyes close out the regular season playing host Michigan this week — a Wolverines squad that has already clinched the Big Ten regular-season title — before heading to Lincoln to face another top-10 team in Nebraska on March 8. With bracketology heating up, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has projected Iowa as a 9-seed heading into that final stretch, though that number will likely shift depending on how those final two games shake out.
So where do you stand, Hawkeye fans? Is this season shaping up to be everything you hoped for in year one under McCollum? And where do you think this team lands when the bracket drops? Cast your votes below — we want to hear from YOU!
