After hiring Head Coach Ben McCollum, the Iowa Men's Basketball program is looking up. McCollum has brought renewed vigor and excitement to Iowa City. From his first day on campus, the support for the men's basketball program has grown.
Before his introductory press conference, McCollum was greeted by a swarm of Hawkeye fans donning white shirts and yellow ties. He is attempting to restore excitement to the program and wants fans to be involved in the rebuild.
Not only is he attempting to restore faith in the program, but McCollum is also trying to build a competitive team for the 2025-2026 season. The Hawkeyes have failed to make any noise in the Big Ten and the NCAA Tournament over the past few seasons and McCollum aims to fix that.
Over the past few weeks, McCollum has rebuilt the roster with five transfers from his former team at Drake and added three of his former assistant coaches from Drake. McCollum's efforts are receiving recognition by the fans and the national media.
College basketball analyst John Fanta has released his "way too early top 25" for 2025 with the Iowa Hawkeyes coming in at No. 25. He released his rankings shortly after the Florida Gators were crowned as National Champions after defeating the Houston Cougars 65-63.
Fanta noted that college basketball is now a year-round sport, so it is never too early to start talking about next season. He also stated roster-building is a key component in the offseason, but it is always an uncertainty with the current college basketball landscape.
Iowa crawled into Fanta's way too early top 25 rankings after revamping their program following the departure of long-time Head Coach Fran McCaffery.
If the Hawkeyes are ranked to begin the 2025-2026 season, it would be their first time being ranked since the 2022 season (ranked as high as No. 25).
Ben McCollum has been a winner at every stop. In his first and only season at Drake, McCollum led Drake to a program-record 31 wins, Missouri Valley Conference regular and conference titles, and an NCAA Tournament berth.
The competition in the Big Ten will be tougher than the Missouri Valley Conference, but the national media is betting McCollum will succeed in his first season in Iowa City.