Iowa continued its strong start under new head coach Ben McCollum with a 77-58 victory over Western Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“I’m actually more proud of this game than I was the first game,” McCollum said. “I think it’s more difficult for a team, when you’re not totally teed up. And I thought we were pretty teed up, but it wasn’t like it was the other day.”
The Hawkeyes are now 2-0 on the young season ahead of a big home test against Big East foe Xavier next Friday.
Here are three observations from Iowa’s win:
Folguieras flies all over the floor
Outside of Bennett Stirtz, McCollum’s most-prized transfer portal acquisition was probably Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras. The 6-foot-11 forward won the 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year award with the Colonials, and has looked sharp to begin his Hawkeye career.
Folgueiras netted 11 points against his old team on Tuesday, but it didn’t take long for him to best that performance against Western Illinois. Folgueiras again came off the bench, but was inserted into the game after only a few minutes of action.
The forward’s presence sparked both Iowa’s offense and defense, which was put on full display when Folgueiras jumped in front of a pass and took it the other way for a powerful slam dunk.
That’ll wake ya right up. 💥@AlvaroFolgue x #Hawkeyes
📺 B1G+ pic.twitter.com/AOB8yHXLLh
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 8, 2025
“I feel good. I feel comfortable,” Folgueiras said. “People in the team really trust my options in offense, and I’m pretty happy. I think we focus on priorities. Everything will work after that.”
11 of Folguieras’ 13 points in this one came in the first half, which prompted McCollum to start him to begin the second period. When asked about the decision, McCollum offered a simple explanation – it was due to Folgueiras’ strong play.
“He’s worked really hard,” McCollum said. “We have high expectations for him, I think his talent says that he could be started.”
Though he didn’t register many numbers on the stat sheet in the second half, Folgueiras still finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Steady Stirtz
To no one’s surprise, Stirtz continued to be Iowa’s most valuable player. The fourth-year point guard collected 19 points and played 36 minutes in the Hawkeyes’ win over Robert Morris on Tuesday, and it was deja vu again on Friday.
While the rest of the Iowa roster was trying to find its legs early, Stirtz was there to deliver a bucket. When the Hawkeyes needed a defensive stop, Stirtz was either getting in the face of a Leatherneck shooter, deflecting a pass, or securing a rebound.
From behind the arc. @bennett_stirtz x #Hawkeyes
📺 B1G+ pic.twitter.com/rsFRqaSUBv
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 8, 2025
Stirtz concluded the game with a team-high 24 points, one rebound, and seven assists. Not only that, the senior also played for the entire 40 minutes, something that he frequently did during his breakout season with Drake last year. That level of durability is unheard of in college basketball, but Stirtz continues to make it his specialty. Stirtz’s teammates and coaches are unsure how he doesn’t get tired.
“He conditions a lot,” second-year guard Isaia Howard said. “He’s well conditioned, and even if he is tired, you can’t tell.”
“I don’t know. I don’t ask him. I don’t want to ask him,” McCollum added. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s used to it. He’s done it for three years now.”
Sluggish first half
Iowa opened the season with a 22-2 start against Robert Morris, but began the first half very slowly against the Leathernecks. The Hawkeye offense seemed out of sync throughout the frame, missing wide-open shots and committing sloppy turnovers. Iowa did end up shooting 50 percent from the floor, but it was some uncharacteristic defense mistakes that allowed Western Illinois to hang around. The Leathernecks shot at a 52 percent clip from the field, including 40 percent from three-point range.
McCollum attributed some of the defensive struggles to Western Illinois’ unconventional offense. The Leathernecks barely passed the ball while in their half-court offense, preferring to run down the shut clock and isolate one of their guards on the top of the key, which McCollum said “sucked the life out of the game.”
“You can’t get a run going,” McCollum said. “That was a great game plan by them.”
Folguieras’ presence off the bench briefly helped stop the bleeding, but McCollum was constantly looking for answers for most of the half. This was evident when he called a timeout in frustration midway through the first half. The message was simple, but it was enough to light a small fire in the Hawkeyes.
“Just keep getting stops, finishing the defensive possession with rebound, trusting each other,” Howard said. “Just be more physical.”
Iowa closed the half with a small run to enter the intermission with an eight-point lead, and it quickly grew to 20 points early in the half, where it hovered for the rest of the game.
Up next
The Hawkeyes have a week off before returning to action on Friday, Nov. 14 for a home matchup against Xavier. Led by first-year head coach Richard Pitino, the Musketeers are 2-0 on the young season and will take on Santa Clara on Monday before traveling to Iowa City.
“We’re going to beat Oregon [in football] tomorrow, and then after that, we’ll prepare for Xavier,” McCollum said.
Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. local time on FS1.