Ben McCollum is a basketball genius, and he proved it with a masterpiece against the heavily favored Florida Gators.
McCollum and his squad put together a solid game plan and executed it to perfection as they knocked off Florida 73-72 to advance to the Sweet 16.
This will be Iowa's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1999, and McCollum became only the second coach to make the Sweet 16 in his first season, alongside legendary head coach Tom Davis.
McCollum was asked how all of his success will impact the perception of the program in the eyes of transfers and potential prospects, and he had a great response.
'If you're a tough dude,' Iowa is a good spot for you
McCollum has proven he can rebuild a program from the ground up, and he does it with a certain type of player.
Ben McCollum on how he thinks prospective high school and portal players will perceive Iowa, considering what the program is accomplishing this season: “If you’re a tough dude, this is a good spot for you. If you’re soft and you like yourself way too much, this is probably not… pic.twitter.com/RdKCwIom0K
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) March 23, 2026
McCollum had a short, blunt response to how the Iowa program will be perceived after all his success in his first season.
He said that if you're a "tough dude," Iowa is a good spot for you, but if you like yourself too much, it probably isn't.
McCollum has always been a team-first guy and has instilled that in his players, so it makes sense that he wants players on his team that want to be a part of something "bigger than themselves."
Iowa's win over Florida proved that Iowa develops tough kids who don't care about stats and want to do everything they can for the good of the team as a whole, and McCollum's no-nonsense attitude is reflected in the way the team plays.
If you don't want to be a part of a team and only want to get a big paycheck or rack up personal accolades, the Iowa program isn't the program for you.