The unseasonably-warm temperatures in the Midwest may not reveal it, but the 2025-26 Iowa men’s basketball season is just 20 days away.

The season will mark a drastic change for the Hawkeye program. Longtime head coach Fran McCaffery was fired after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign and was replaced by Drake head coach Ben McCollum, who has compiled a 426-95 record in 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

McCollum’s impressive record speaks for itself, but the move to Iowa City will present a unique challenge for the 44-year-old coach. Des Moines and Iowa City are separated by just 90 minutes, but the difference between the two programs is massive. Drake has established itself as an annual contender in the Missouri Valley Conference, but coaching the Hawkeyes not only comes with a tough schedule, it naturally brings a lot of pressure and high expectations from fans and the media.

McCollum doesn’t listen to the outside noise, but his main goal is to keep it from reaching his players.

“You have to understand what it actually is and I do value somebody’s opinion in regards to this because they’re still 18 to 22-23-year-olds that are fairly sensitive to things. That’s probably the biggest difference,” McCollum said.

What could Iowa’s identity be? 

A coaching change traditionally brings high expectations from fans, and Iowa is no different. Though the Hawkeyes have missed the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons, McCollum’s team received six votes in the preseason Associated Press Top-25, and ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi projected Iowa as a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Reigning MVC Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz is the obvious headliner on this Hawkeye team, but McCollum also brought in Brendan Hausen from Kansas State and Alvaro Folgueiras from Robert Morris. Nicknamed the “Amarillo Assassin” for his prolific three-point shooting, Hausen is on his third school in three years, having played two seasons at Villanova and one at Kansas State before coming to Iowa.

Hailing from Malaga, Spain, Folgueiras spent two seasons at Robert Morris, and was the primary factor in the Colonials’ impressive 2024-25 campaign. Robert Morris went 26-9, winning both the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles. Folgueiras posted 14.1 points per game and was recognized as the Horizon League Player of the Year.

The trio of Hausen, Stirtz, and Folgueiras could help Iowa generate solid floor spacing, a key factor to winning in the Big Ten.

“You kind of have to pick and choose where you’re going to tag from, who you’re going to leave,” Hausen. “So it’s going to be an awesome experience.”

In contrast to McCaffery’s fast-paced offense, McCollum’s offenses never operate at a set pace. He chooses to play to “whatever wins the game” but the same can’t be said about McCollum’s defenses, which are widely praised for their intensity.

Stirtz hinted the intensity comes from playing “with a chip on my shoulder,” something McCollum also referenced as a key factor for being a successful Big Ten program.

“A little extra edge is something we kind of need this year, and I think that’ll help us a lot, because we were doubted, and I feel like I’ve played with just motivation and that chip on my shoulder my whole career, and I couldn’t imagine not having that and not playing with it,” Stirtz said.

“Our defense dictates a little bit of that tempo, meaning it takes a while to get a quality shot against us if you have a team that’s actually patient and doesn’t take early average, that dictates some of that pace,” McCollum said.

Could the freshmen produce? 

Iowa’s 2025 freshmen class of Trevin Jirak, Peyton McCollum, Tate Sage, and Trey Thompson was ranked as the No. 45 class by 247Sports. Sage, McCollum, and Jirak are all in-state prospects from the Des Moines metro area, but Thompson’s path was far from traditional. The Greenville, Tennessee, native was originally a member of the Class of 2026, but the four-star decided to reclassify and play for the Hawkeyes this season.

The jump from high school to college is difficult for anyone, but the challenge is even harder for the 17-year-old Thompson, who has taken it in stride. The forward has gained five pounds of muscle since arriving on campus.

“Biggest challenges adapting to the pace. Fefensively, I’m guarding guys that can bench 300 pounds,” Thompson said. “It’s tough, but you have to fight your waist around it and battle.”

Sage and Peyton could also develop bench roles, but the name to watch out of this group could be Jirak, a 6-foot-11 center from West Des Moines. Jirak, the 2025 Iowa Mr. Basketball honoree, has garnered a lot of praise from McCollum. McCollum even named the young center as the player who has stood out the most this offseason.

“Trevin has been great. He’s really gotten himself into shape,” McCollum said. “He can really, really pass it. The game slows down for him. He can shoot. Yesterday I think he was 2-2 or 3-3 from three. Just does a lot of good things. Great attitude.”

Jirak’s tall stature makes it difficult for him to play defense in the paint without fouling, which is something he is trying to work on before the season begins.

“My mom would always tell me to start fouling. You’re not aggressive enough,” Jirak said. “I’m not the type of guy to go out there and just start hacking, but knowing who I’m guarding and making the right plays and decisions because I don’t want to foul out, so just staying smart and make the offense make tough shots.”

Koch returns 

McCollum tried to lure several of Iowa’s key 2024-25 players out of the transfer portal, but could only convince forward Cooper Koch to return. Koch, the son of former Hawkeye J.R. Koch, entered college as a four-star recruit and the No. 2 player in Illinois by 247Sports, but a health issue sidelined him for most of his freshman campaign. The health issue was never revealed, but Koch said it’s now behind him and he can focus on the new season.

“I’m back to 100 percent and should stay that way for as long as possible,” Koch said.

The redshirt freshman is content with any role, as long as he gets the opportunity to receive it.

“Just bringing a spark, whether that’s coming off the bench or being a starter role, just being able to do all the little things and knock down some shots,” Koch said.