Preseason power rankings have Iowa starting in the middle of the Big Ten Conference

As the calendar flips to November it signals the start of college basketball season!

The new-look Iowa Hawkeyes take the court for the first time in the 2025-2026 season on Tuesday, November 4, against Robert Morris.

Much has been discussed about what the Hawkeyes will look like this winter, but Head Coach Ben McCollum is optimistic that if they can play hard consistently, they will win some games along the way.

During the summer and fall workouts and practices, McCollum has emphasized improving every day, and he has been pleased with the progress so far.

During Media Days, McCollum also mentioned that while he has had success in the past, the Big Ten is a completely different league, and he is still navigating how to win and sustain success within it.

Everyone expects Iowa to win immediately because that is what McCollum and his staff did with Drake last season, but McCollum knows it will be harder to win this year, and it is supposed to be harder.

Before the season begins next week, multiple rankings lists and projections have been released, with the Hawkeyes starting the season unranked but poised to make some noise.

Another preseason Big Ten Conference power rankings list has the Hawkeyes starting the season in the middle of the conference.

"The Field of 68" has the Hawkeyes beginning the season at No. 8, just behind traditional college basketball powerhouse Michigan State, and just ahead of former Drake head coach Darian DeVries and Indiana.

While the Hawkeyes have multiple unknowns heading into this season, most people are confident in McCollum's ability to build a roster and maximize its potential.

Most people are focused on star guard Bennett Stirtz, and rightly so, but the squad also has some other sneaky good players on the roster.

Junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras was the 2024 Horizon League Player of the Year, and has the potential to be one of the best passing and shooting big men in the Big Ten this season.

Brendan Hausen, another transfer, is a lights-out shooter who has never shot below 38 percent from beyond the arc in his career. With Stirtz running the point, Hausen should get plenty of open looks.

Iowa also has two talented freshmen, Trevin Jirak and Trey Thompson, who should be solid contributors off the bench this season.

Jirak has the size (six-foot-ten) to be effective down low in the Big Ten, and he has been working on becoming a more consistent shooter.

Thompson is a versatile player who can shoot from anywhere on the floor and brings energy and hustle to the game whenever he is on the court.

If McCollum can fit the right pieces together in his first season, Iowa will open some eyes in the Big Ten and nationally.