Iowa's 2026 NCAA Tournament run starts today!
After a short layoff following their defeat in the Big Ten Tournament in the second round to Ohio State, the Hawkeyes return to the court for their first-round matchup against Clemson.
Iowa has been diligently preparing through rigorous practices for a challenging match-up against the Tigers.
Iowa will rely on star guards Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks to lead the way on offense, but there is one player the Hawkeyes might need even more if they want to be successful and make a deep March run.
Making the case for Isaia Howard as Iowa's game-changer
We all know that Iowa goes as Stirtz goes. If he gets rolling early and Clemson lets him get to his spots on the floor, it's all over.
Banks has been Iowa's second-best player this season, but often relies on Stirtz and others to set him up or on cuts to the basket.
Clemson is a stout defensive team that loves to pressure the ball at the point of attack with their guards, making Isaia Howard that much more important.
When Howard enters the game and is aggressive on both ends of the floor, the Hawkeyes look like a whole different team. He isn't going to knock down three-pointers at a huge clip, but he doesn't need to.
What he does best is pressure the opposing guards, forcing deflections and steals, and turning them into fastbreak dunks for himself or others.
When Iowa's offense has struggled this season, it has been when the ball sticks, and the guys stand around waiting for Stirtz to do something. If Clemson takes him away, they need another facilitator to get Stirtz/Banks/Cooper Koch open looks.
Howard can be that guy.
Howard's minutes dwindled in the middle of the Big Ten schedule because he was ineffective and passive when he was in the game, but over the past few weeks, he has flipped the script.
He brings energy off the bench, and if Combs is ineffective and Stirtz is having an off shooting night, Howard is a guy McCollum trusts, and he can provide a quick spark on both ends.
Howard's numbers don't jump out, but if he comes off the bench flying around with extreme energy on both ends, the Hawkeyes have a good chance to make a run.