Iowa Basketball: What to Expect from the Hawkeyes in 2026-2027
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It was a frustrating, disappointing end to an incredible run, but did not in any way take away from the joy and excitement the Hawkeyes provided the fanbase over the last two weekends. We suffered for 27 years without a run past the first weekend and 39 years without a truly deep run into the Elite Eight. In just one season, Ben McCollum flipped that on its head.
The regular season was not all sunshine and roses. There were ups and downs and Iowa was put into a tough draw in the NCAA Tournament because of some head-scratching losses during the year. But at the end of the day, they checked pretty much every box an Iowa fan could have reasonably had for them, and then some.
Twenty regular season wins? Check. At least .500 in conference play? Check. NCAA Tournament win? Check. Sweet 16 monkey off the back? Check.
But McCollum didn’t stop there. No, no. We got that Sweet 16 monkey thrown off and just kept running right to the Elite Eight with a legitimate shot at the Final Four with a group of Drake players within arm’s reach.
Iowa knocked off defending national champion Florida — the first No. 1 seed to fall this tournament. They devastated rival Nebraska in the Sweet 16 after they won their first NCAA Tournament game in program history. This was a season that will be remembered for generations in Iowa City.
Doing it with just one player who had high-major offers out of high school has to give Iowa fans so much optimism. And that brings us to the big question: what does 2026-2027 look like?
Who’s Gone
Iowa loses three seniors, all guards: Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks*, and Brendan Hausen. That’s your leading scorer, your most physical interior presence, and a floor-spacer. Stirtz is irreplaceable while Banks, if he is not granted a waiver to return for another year (recall he started his career at a JUCO), was the team’s X-factor and the muscle of this team’s NCAA Tournament run. Losing both creates massive holes in scoring, leadership, and identity.
There’s also the transfer portal wildcard. Alvaro Folgueiras — yes, the hero of the Florida game — is the most likely candidate to explore his options. He doesn’t have the prior relationship with McCollum that the Drake transfers do, and his playing time was inconsistent down the stretch (just 9 minutes in the Elite Eight loss). Joey Matteoni and Tate Sage are also names to watch for totally different reasons. It’s tough to see Matteoni carving out a big role while Sage attracted a lot of eyeballs in the Tournament and, like Folgueiras, is likely to have some big money offers if he listens.
Who’s Back
The good news: Cooper Koch, Kael Combs, and Cam Manyawu all seem likely to return. Koch was the spark plug off the bench who caught fire in the Florida game (12 points, 4 threes) and carries a legacy connection to the program — his dad J.R. was on the 1999 Sweet 16 team. Combs showed he can be a go-to scorer with his 18-point performance in the Nebraska overtime loss during the regular season. And Manyawu is the garbage man in the middle who will be even better served if McCollum can find a bigger bodied center to play in front of him.
Trevin Jirak, the 6-foot-11 freshman center, gets another year of development. He appeared in 17 games and averaged 8 minutes, but the ceiling is there for a guy his size. Four-star recruit Ethan Harris (6-foot-9) arrives from the Class of 2026 to add frontcourt depth, alongside 6-foot-8 RS freshman Trey Thompson, a former top-60 recruit who is likely to figure into the mix meaningfully.
The Portal Priority
McCollum was blunt after the Elite Eight loss: “We need some size. We just don’t have a true five.” The transfer portal window opens April 7, and Iowa’s No. 1 priority is a legitimate seven-footer who can compete in the paint against Big Ten bigs. The Illinois game made that painfully clear — you can’t get outscored 40-12 in the paint and expect to win at this level.
Iowa will also need to replace Stirtz’s scoring and playmaking, which means another experienced guard is likely on the shopping list. McCollum proved last offseason that he can work the portal — he built an Elite Eight team in Year 1 — so there’s reason to trust the process here.
So… What’s the Expectation?
That’s what we want to know from you. After a season that exceeded every reasonable expectation, what’s the bar for Year 2 under McCollum? Is the Elite Eight the new floor? Is an NCAA Tournament appearance enough while the roster turns over? Or are we shooting for the Final Four now that we’ve tasted March success?
Vote in this week’s Reacts poll below and let us know where you stand heading into next season.
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