Iowa Hawkeyes make historic run in NCAA Tournament. It all began in Missouri
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- Ben McCollum leaned on Missouri connections in Iowa’s 2026 Sweet 16 run.
- KC-area Stirtz, Banks and Manyawu were key starters for Iowa.
- Iowa beat defending champ Florida and now faces Nebraska in Sweet 16.
The state of Iowa may have to give some props to the state of Missouri for its historic men’s basketball run.
First-year head coach Ben McCollum orchestrated the winning play for Liberty High alum Bennett Stirtz to pass to a wide-open Alvaro Folgueiras for a 3-pointer, as No. 9 seed Iowa stunned No. 1 Florida to advance to the 2026 Sweet 16.
It’s Iowa’s first time reaching this round of the tournament since 1999, and the Hawkeyes took down the defending national champions in the process.
This Hawkeyes team is full of ties to Kansas City and the state of Missouri, representing the pinnacle of a journey marinated in the northwestern part of the state.
McCollum is an Iowa City-born, Storm Lake, Iowa native, playing in junior college at North Iowa Area CC before transferring to Division II program Northwest Missouri State in Maryville. He played there from 2001-03.
He was a grad assistant at NWMSU, then an assistant at Emporia State. Then, at age 27, McCollum replaced coach Steve Tappmeyer at his alma mater in 2009.
McCollum’s teams finished with losing records in his first two seasons. But they popped in 2011-12, when the Bearcats made the NCAA Division II Tournament, and did so each year in his final 11 seasons.
McCollum became a legend in 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State. No, quite literally, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
McCollum collected a 395-91 record, leading the Bearcats to four NCAA titles in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022. They were also the nation’s top-ranked team in 2020, when the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19.
The bulk of those years were led by program history-breakers, including Blue Springs South alum Justin Pitts and Manhattan, Kansas native Trevor Hudgins. Both went on to play professionally in European leagues.
McCollum returned to his home state to take over Drake University’s program in Des Moines. In his lone season there last year, he led them to a school-record 31 wins, the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
They beat Missouri as an 11 seed.
Then he packed his bags and moved to Iowa City to take over the Hawkeyes, bringing six players from the KC metro, and his son, who led the Bulldogs to their historic season.
The trio of Stirtz, Tavion Banks (spent time at Hogan Prep, University Academy, Ruskin High School and Minnesota Prep Academy) and Cam Manyawu (Staley High alum) were among the starters with local ties leading that team.
Stirtz, his star point guard who was part of his title-winning dynasty at NWMSU, is also preparing for the NBA Draft, where he is projected to be a first-round pick.
He didn’t have a great shooting night (5-for-16 overall, 0-for-9 from 3), but the leader never leaves the floor and was key in decision-making. The senior ended the night with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Banks led the Hawkeyes with 20 points and six rebounds, only missing 10 minutes of game time with four fouls.
They were also key in Iowa’s win over No. 8 seed Clemson in the first round.
Iowa will next face Big Ten foe and No. 4 seed Nebraska in the Sweet 16. The teams split a pair of games this season
McCollum’s teams have routinely been filled with Kansas City and Maryville talent. In two years, talent from those same areas has put a major spotlight on basketball in the state of Iowa
McCollum’s principles and emphasis on finding the right players to buy into the culture of his programs is what he tabs as the keys to his success.
“We sell the fact that we are going to love the heck out of you. ... We’re going to take care of you. We’re going to make you a better man, better father, better husband, whatever you want to be in life. That is really honestly what we sell,” McCollum said after beating Florida.
“From a basketball perspective, we feel like it speaks for itself depending on what you are. ... If you’re anything, we can use you. Anybody that’s a recruit that hasn’t signed yet, we need you, too.”
While McCollum has forged the foundation of his success in Missouri, he still considers Iowa home.
“Tampa is nice. It’s beautiful down here. But I like Iowa City. I like Carver-Hawkeye (Arena),” he said. “That’s home, so we love it there.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 7:15 AM.
