Iowa Hawkeye Men's Basketball was not a big draw for Hawkeye fans last season, as they struggled throughout the year. The empty seats at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during home games were a key indicator of the lack of interest in the program this season.
The Hawkeyes limped to a record of 17-16 (7-13 Big Ten) as their season ended in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
After a tumultuous 2024-2025 season, long-time head coach Fran McCaffery was fired. Seven Hawkeyes entered the transfer portal and the program lost two prized recruits after McCaffery was dismissed.
The rebuild began on Monday, March 24, after Drake Bulldogs Men's Basketball Head Coach Ben McCollum was hired as McCaffery's replacement. McCollum aims to change the aura around the Iowa Men's Basketball program and wants fans to help.
"We want all of Iowa to be a part of this."
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) March 26, 2025
New @IowaHoops coach Ben McCollum on the importance of Hawkeye fans’ support during the program’s rebuild 👇#B1GToday x #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/kw42irR99K
McCollum stated that a successful rebuild is not only up to the players and coaches, but also to the fans and supporters.
McCollum made this statement in an interview with the Big Ten Network during the University of Iowa's "One Day for Iowa" day of giving.
During the One Day for Iowa campaign, University staff and coaches work together to ask supporters to donate money to their program or organization through online donations. Donations to the Iowa Men's Basketball program are currently a little over 16 thousand dollars.
Due to the team's struggles, the Iowa Men's Basketball program has not brought in fans over the past few seasons. Last season, the Hawkeyes averaged 5,045 tickets scanned for home games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That is 33.6 percent of Carver-Hawkeye Arena's capacity.
That percentage of tickets went down 12.1 percent from 5,655 during the 2023-2024 season.
Iowa Men's basketball is undergoing a massive rebuild and cannot be done without fan support. Head Coach Ben McCollum is imploring the fans for their support and wants to turn Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a raucous environment once again.