It is all smiles in Iowa City as the new-look men's basketball squad continues to prepare for the 2025-2026 college basketball season.
The Hawkeye men's and women's basketball teams took to an outdoor court for the "Hawkeye Hoops From Downtown" event on October 17.
There were player introductions, fan and player contests, music, and prizes as the two squads participated in the unofficial start to the 2025-2026 season.
The women's squad is poised for a deep run in its second season under Jan Jensen, with returning seniors Kylie Feuerbach, Taylor McCabe, and Hannah Stuelke, and the addition of talented players in the 2025 recruiting class.
The men's squad also has high expectations, but only two players have Big Ten experience (Cooper Koch and Jacob Koch) after new Head Coach Ben McCollum and his staff rebuilt the roster.
Star guard Bennett Stirtz will lead the squad, but the rest of the roster is unproven at this level.
Even with a lot of question marks across the board for the Hawkeyes, one analyst thinks they will win the Big Ten next season.
College Basketball Conference Champion Picks 🏆 pic.twitter.com/rV9VahEZOW
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) October 27, 2025
CBK Report's "KJ" chose the Hawkeyes as his pick to win the Big Ten after the end of the regular season.
The Big Ten will be a gauntlet in men's college basketball once again this season, with Purdue (No. 1), Michigan (No. 7), UCLA (No. 12), Illinois (No. 17), Michigan State (No. 22), and Wisconsin (No. 24) being ranked in the preseason AP Top 25.
The Hawkeyes have an uphill climb to become Big Ten Champions and get back to the NCAA Tournament, but no one is counting out McCollum and the Hawkeyes in his first season in charge.