I’ve been attending Iowa men’s basketball games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena for 14 years, both as a spectator and now as a reporter.

Tuesday’s game against Robert Morris probably lands near the bottom of the totem poll in terms of its prestige, but the atmosphere in Carver-Hawkeye Arena felt different well before the game even began.

I arrived at the arena two hours before tipoff, and though the familiar sight of the empty, brown bowl of seats greeted me, I couldn’t help but notice the sparkling array of gold ties that donned each seat in the lower bowl and student section. The ties are a signature part of new head coach Ben McCollum’s game day attire, and Iowa made sure some of its fans would be wearing it with their new coach for his first game.

The crowd was a traditional late-arriving one – students included – but those who did show up early were excited to be there. That hasn’t always been the case on the men’s side in recent years, as the Hawkeyes recorded one of their worst-attended seasons in over 50 years last year.

Winning will ultimately return the raucous crowds that used to define Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the 1980s and 1990s, but Tuesday’s crowd was on the edge of its seat from the get-go. A palpable buzz stirred in the crowd before the game, and the fans exploded into a vociferous roar when McCollum and the Hawkeyes took the floor.

Many anticipated Iowa would get off to a slow start, which is typically the norm for a team in its season-opener, but the Hawkeyes looked like they were in mid-season form from the opening tip. Before anyone had broken a sweat, the Hawkeyes were already off to a blazing 17-2 start, and Robert Morris was forced to call timeout.

Iowa never let the Colonials gain any traction at any point in this game, but the way it did so is what raised every fan’s eyebrow. The Hawkeyes would win these types of games under McCaffery with similar relative ease, but there was always a five-minute defensive lapse in the first half that left a sour taste in the minds of both the players and fans alike before halftime. Those lapses did occur on Tuesday, but Iowa allowed them when it was already winning by 30 and had the game well-out of reach, which is expected.

The point I am trying to make here? The Hawkeyes were outstanding defensively on this night. They weren’t just getting lucky due to missed wide-open jumpers, they were by far the physical team on this night. No matter the score, the personnel on the floor, or how much time was left in the game, Iowa defenders were constantly in the face of Robert Morris shooters, disrupting passing lanes and forcing 25 turnovers in the process.

We’ve seen McCaffery-coached teams have these types of defensive performances against mid-major opponents, but this defense has been McCollum’s trademark throughout his successful coaching career. The coach hasn’t just hoped his teams play good enough defense, he instills it in the DNA of each program he’s at.

Four-hundred and twenty-six career wins and four Division II national championships later, McCollum’s tenacious defensive strategies have made their way to Iowa and the Big Ten, a conference that historically has thrived on physical, tough play. It’s also a style of play that defined the Hawkeyes’ legendary teams of the late ’80s and 1990s, an era of Iowa basketball McCollum grew up watching and loving.

Iowa fans have missed seeing their team defend at a high level, but the Hawkeyes showed they can do just that against the Colonials. Oh, and you can’t forget about their offense either. Iowa teams under McCaffery would play at a frantic pace, which led to high outputs like McCollum’s squad posted Tuesday.

The difference? McCollum’s teams are patient. Yes, they are always willing to push the pace when needed, but his offenses have thrived on elite ball movement to get the best possible shot. That strategy was on full display against Robert Morris, and when you have a point guard with the IQ of Bennett Stirtz, you’re going to be in a great position to win – and win big.

Iowa fans are still learning the names of their brand-new roster, but they certainly loved what they saw on this night and will probably have those names figured out by the time the next game rolls around. There’s certainly going to be growing pains for the 2025-26 Hawkeyes – every new coach has to battle them to rebuild a program – but Iowa fans have every right to be optimistic about the potential of their squad.

For the first time in years, Iowa men’s basketball has life.