Ben McCollum has significantly improved Iowa's basketball program, leading them to an Elite Eight finish in his first season. Despite this success, the Hawkeyes are currently outside of early Bracketology projections.
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When the ballots are tallied on the annual CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 college basketball coaches ranking before the 2026-27 season tips, Iowa's Ben McCollum figures to be in for a considerable rise.
After clocking in as the "And 1" -- or 26th-ranked coach -- heading into his first season with the Hawkeyes, the former Drake coach and four-time Division II national-title winner at Northwest Missouri State only improved his stock.
During his first season at the high-major level, McCollum led Iowa on an improbable Elite Eight run that included a stunning upset win over No. 1 seed and reigning national champion Florida in the second round. It was Iowa's first Elite Eight since 1987, and it portends big things to come for the 45-year-old Iowa native, who owns a career winning percentage of better than 80%.
Yet, despite the success of McCollum's debut squad, the Hawkeyes landed on the outside looking in at the first 76-team CBS Sports Bracketology for the 2026-27 season. Why?
First off, Bracketology in May is an exercise in theoretical physics and should be taken as nothing more. Rosters are still evolving, and that's true of Iowa's.
With the status of Tavion Banks up in the air, Iowa may be losing four of its top five most efficient players from last season, per evanmiya.com's player ratings. Banks, a 6-foot-7 wing, would be Iowa's leading returning scorer if he winds up back in uniform.
In his first season, Ben McCollum led Iowa to an Elite Eight run, including an upset over the No. 1 seed Florida.
Despite their Elite Eight appearance, the Hawkeyes are currently viewed as outside contenders in early Bracketology projections.
Ben McCollum was a four-time Division II national-title winner at Northwest Missouri State, which contributed to his successful transition to coaching at Iowa.
Ben McCollum has a career winning percentage of over 80%, showcasing his effectiveness as a coach.
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For now, he is in the transfer portal and declared for the NBA Draft while leaving the door open for a return to the Hawkeyes if he's granted an additional season of eligibility after a career that included two junior college seasons.
Without Banks, Iowa's roster projects to be in the 49-58 range, according to evanmiya.com's roster outlook tool. That's outside of at-large territory, even in the new 76-team format, which leaves room for 44 at-large teams. Roughly 45-48 high-major teams will likely make the field.
If Banks finds his way back into an Iowa uniform, the Hawkeyes would be in the 38-46 range, which makes them a stronger at-large candidate. Bart Torvik's 2027 projections also place the Hawkeyes at No. 44, which is near the cut line for an at-large team.
While an unforeseen late addition other than Banks could also move the needle, the Hawkeyes' roster is light on sizzle as things stand in early May.
Gone due to exhausted eligibility is 2025-26 CBS Sports third-team All-American point guard Bennett Stirtz. McCollum and Stirtz accomplished remarkable things together at Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa. Stirtz was the centerpiece of McCollum's first two Division I teams, and there is no one on the 2026-27 roster who will be capable of replicating what he brought to Iowa last season. The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged 19.8 points per game even while orchestrating college basketball's third-slowest offense.
Also gone is former Horizon League Player of the Year and 2025-26 Hawkeyes sixth man Alvaro Folgueiras, who hit the game-winning shot against Florida -- assisted by Stirtz -- before joining big-spending Louisville.
IOWA TAKES THE LEAD LATE! pic.twitter.com/SkTT5OP2w9
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 23, 2026
On a positive note, three starters are set to return even without Banks in the equation. But the leading scorer among them is junior forward Cooper Koch. He averaged 7.8 points per game last season. If Banks doesn't return, Iowa will be without its top three scorers from last season.
That's not uncommon in this era. Michigan replaced its top three scorers from Dusty May's first squad and proceeded to win the national title in his second season. The difference is that Michigan landed the nation's No. 2-ranked transfer class, which included four staters who each ranked in the top 60 of the 247Sports transfer rankings.
The Wolverines also landed a McDonald's All-American, freshman guard Trey McKenney, who hit the game-clinching shot in the national championship game. Nothing comparable on either front can be said for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa's approach to replacing its departed production appears to be based largely on internal development and giving returning players a chance to grow into bigger roles rather than simply recruiting over them as many coaches would do. The Hawkeyes' No. 45-ranked freshman class is highlighted by No. 113-ranked prospect Ethan Harris, and its No. 73 transfer class isn't jumping off the page, either.
Rising sophomore transfer Ty'Reek Coleman posted encouraging numbers for a quality Missouri Valley team at Illinois State, but the Hawkeyes will be banking on his game to quickly translate in a big way to the highest level of college basketball. The 6-foot-2 guard is the No. 242-ranked transfer, per evanmiya.com.
To compare him with names more familiar to college basketball fans, he's in the same neighborhood as former Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson (No. 234) and former Pitt/Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe (No. 244). Players in that range are useful, but they are several rungs below Stirtz, who lived up to his billing as 247Sports' No. 3-ranked transfer last offseason.
Similarly, 247Sports' No. 112-ranked transfer, Andrew McKeever from Saint Mary's, looks like he could be a starting-caliber Big Ten player. But he's in for a big jump from the WCC to the Big Ten, which perennially produces some of the nation's top bigs.
Roster-centric data, which must underpin any way-too-early stab at Bracketology, suggests there is wisdom in taking caution before betting on a big follow-up campaign for Iowa. The star power the Hawkeyes had with Stirtz is glaringly absent.
McCollum is an artist, but he is also replacing his magic brush. Stirtz was a unique talent perfectly suited to usher in McCollum's arrival to college basketball's big stage. Replacing someone like that is a tall task, even for an elite coach.
Had Iowa spent big to attract a high-dollar, headline-grabbing replacement for Stirtz, the Hawkeyes would likely be in the way-too-early Bracketology. They went a different route, piecing together an understated roster with an old-school, retention-oriented flair that will provide a new canvas upon which McCollum can begin his next masterpiece.
If that means the Hawkeyes are on the outside looking in for now, so be it. It's May. McCollum can clearly coach, and Iowa's 2026-27 roster, which is already being slept on, gives him the chance to prove it once again.