Iowa Men's Basketball headed West to Palm Springs, California, for the Acrisure Classic this week.
The Hawkeyes entered their first game against Ole Miss with a perfect 5-0 record through the first five games of the series, but faced a tough test against the Rebels on Tuesday night.
Ole Miss was also 5-0 entering Tuesday's game, and was coming off a 72-65 win over Austin Peay last week.
Iowa faced its first true road test of the season, and Ole Miss gave them all they could handle.
The Rebels are led by a trio of solid guards in their starting lineup, and the Hawkeyes worked hard to contain them on the defensive end.
The game was tied after the first 20 minutes and it remained tight throughout the second half.
Iowa struggled to score throughout the game, but used its defense and clean play to defeat Ole Miss 74-69.
The Hawkeyes only had one turnover in the second half on a late charge call against guard Bennett Stirtz, and the offense went through Stirtz on every possession in the second half.
In typical Stirtz fashion, he played every minute of the game, notching 29 points, including six three-point baskets.
Cooper Koch notched his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Alavaro Folgueiras, Kael Combs, and Tavion Banks all added seven points each.
When the competition ramps up, so does Bennett Stirtz
Last week, ESPN released its latest NBA mock draft for the upcoming 2026 draft and projected Bennett Stirtz to go in the first round.
Stirtz generated NBA Draft buzz during his stellar season with the Drake Bulldogs last year, but he had not played much high-level Division I competition.
Outside of Stirtz's ability to do almost everything well on the court, Head Coach Ben McCollum has always believed that when the competition gets tougher, so does Stirtz.
He also finds another gear or a way to up his game to meet the level of competition, and he showcased that Tuesday night.
He poured in 29 points against Ole Miss in Iowa's first true road test of the season, and the competition will only get more challenging in the Big Ten Conference.
Cooper Koch is a perfect player in Ben McCollum's system
Koch may not get all the headlines, but he does everything you want on the basketball court.
He hustles for every rebound and loose ball, and is a knock-down three-point shooter when he is left open.
Koch is more than just a pick-and-pop player or spot-up shooter, and he has shown the ability to get to the rim at will.
Whatever McCollum needs Koch to do, he does, and does very well.
During Iowa's victory over Ole Miss, he grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with his 14 points, and shot an efficient 71 percent from the field.
Everyone on the team will be overshadowed by Stirtz this season, but every team in college basketball could use a player like Cooper Koch on its roster.