MBB Notes: NCAA South Regional Final vs. Illinois

ON THE AIR
Radio: Games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call.  The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and includes portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.  The Hawkeye Radio Network includes a 60-minute pregame show.
National Radio: NCAA Tournament contests will be broadcast on Westwood One.  Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Fran Frascilla (color) will be on the call.
TV: Saturday’s game will be televised on TBS/TruTv with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (color), Stan Van Gundy (color) and Lauren Shehadi (sideline) on the call.

OPENING TIP
• Iowa defeated fourth-seeded Nebraska to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 and for the fifth time in program history (1955, 1956, 1980, 1987, 2026).
• The Hawkeyes have downed all higher seeds -- No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Nebraska -- en route to the Regional Final.  Iowa is the lowest seed in the Big Ten all-time to reach the Elite Eight.
• Iowa became the ninth No. 9 seed all-time to knock off a No. 1 seed and the first since 2018.  The Hawkeyes are the sixth No. 9 seed all-time to advance to the Elite Eight.
• Head coach Ben McCollum is the only first-year head coach this season to guide his team to the Elite Eight.  The last to do so was Rodney Terry (Texas) and Jerome Tang (Kansas State) in 2023.   
• Freshman Tate Sage had career-highs in points (19) and rebounds (8) in Iowa’s Sweet 16 win over Nebraska. The 19 points are tied for the most by a Hawkeye freshman in an NCAA Tournament game (Joe Wieskamp, 2019; Guy Rucker, 1997).
• Iowa made a program NCAA Tournament record 13 3-point field goals (in a record 30 attempts) in the win over Nebraska on March 26.  
• The Hawkeyes have won three NCAA Tournament games in the last seven days; Iowa won three games in the previous 20 years.
• Ben McCollum joins Dr. Tom Davis as the only two Iowa head coaches to guide the program to a Elite Eight in their first season.  A lifelong Hawkeye, McCollum was six years old the last time the Hawkyes have gone to the Elite Eight.
• Iowa is looking for its first Final Four appearance since 1980.  The Hawkeyes have played in three Final Fours in program history.
• The Hawkeyes’ 24 wins this season are the most for the program since 2021-22 and are tied for the fifth-most in a season in program history.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz has one turnover, while playing all 120 minutes in three NCAA Tournament games.  He is averaging 16.3 points, four rebounds and 1.5 assists.   He has played 40 minutes 12 times in the last 17 games, playing all but 7:58 of 725 minutes.

IOWA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Iowa is making its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time and the first since the 2022-23 season.  The Hawkeyes have won three NCAA Tournament games in the last seven days; the program had three NCAA wins in the last 20 years.
• The Hawkeyes are in the Elite Eight for the fifth time in program history and for the first time since 1987.  
• Iowa is the lowest seed in the Big Ten to reach the Elite Eight all-time.  The last No. 9 seed to advance was Florida Atlantic in 2023.
• Iowa is the sixth No. 9 seed to advance to the Elite Eight all-time; twice has a No. 9 seed advanced to the Final Four.  
• The Hawkeyes made their first Sweet 16 appearance since the 1999 season and the ninth in program history.  
• Iowa now has two victories over No. 1 seeds in its history, downing Syracuse (88-77) in 1980 and Florida (73-72) in 2026.
• The Hawkeyes’ win over Clemson was the program’s first over a Power Conference opponent in the NCAA Tournament since 1999 (Arkansas).  
• Iowa is a No. 9 seed for the second time in program history.  Iowa was previously a nine seed in 1992 where it defeated Texas (98-92) in the Round of 64 before losing to top-seeded Duke, 75-62.  

IOWA'S NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
• Head coach Ben McCollum is 39-8 (.809) all-time in NCAA Tournament play at the Division I and Division II levels.  He won four NCAA Division II titles at Northwest Missouri State (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).  
• McCollum is 4-1 in the Division I NCAA Tournament, leading Drake to the second round in 2025 and the Hawkeyes to the Elite Eight this season. All four of McCollum’s NCAA Tournament wins have come as the lower seed.
• Iowa’s roster has a combined 36 games of NCAA Tournament experience heading into Thursday’s game -- Bennett Stirtz (5), Cam Manyawu (5), Isaia Howard (5), Kael Combs (5), Tavion Banks (5), Alvaro Folgueiras (4), Cooper Koch (3), Tate Sage (3), Trevin Jirak (1).

SERIES HISTORY
• Saturday’s game is the 173rd game in the all-time series between Iowa and Illinois. The Illini lead the series, 95-77.
• Illinois has won five straight and 10 of the last 11 games in the series following a five-game Hawkeye winning streak from 2018-20.
• Iowa’s last victory over the Illini came on Feb. 4, 2023 -- an 81-79 win in Iowa City.

LAST GAME: IOWA 77, FLORIDA 71
Bennett Stirtz’s 3-pointer at the 2:10 mark of the second half gave Iowa its first lead and the Hawkeyes went on to down Nebraska, 77-71, to advance to the first Elite Eight since 1987.  Iowa trailed by as many as 10 points six times in the game, but trimmed the deficit to 46-43 at the break.  The Hawkeyes held Nebraska to 25 points in the second half on 28.1 percent shooting and a 25-percent clip from long range.
• Four Hawkeyes landed in double figures with Stirtz leading the way with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting with three 3-pointers, four assists and zero turnovers in 40 minutes.  
• Freshman Tate Sage netted a career-best 19 points and had a team and career-high eight rebounds, while Alvaro Folgueiras (16) and Cooper Koch (11) were also in double digits.
• Iowa shot 51.9 percent from the floor and made a program NCAA Tournament record 13 3-point field goals.

NCAA TIDBITS
• Iowa will be only the second team to play multiple conference opponents prior to the Final Four in NCAA Tournament history, along with 1986 Kentucky.
• It is the first time since 2000 (Purdue vs. Wisconsin) that two Big Ten teams will meet in a Regional Final. It also guarantees the conference a spot in the Final Four for the second time since 2019.  
• It is Iowa’s second straight game and the third all-time matchup against a Big Ten opponent in the Big Dance in school history.  The Hawkeyes lost to Purdue in the 1980 National Third Place game (the second-to-last year this game was contested).
• Senior Tavion Banks is the first Hawkeye with 20+ points and 5+ rebounds against a No. 1 seed since Vince Brookins had 21/5 against Syracuse in the Regional Semifinals.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz is the fourth Iowa player with 13+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists in an NCAA Tournament game, joining Joe Wieskamp (2021, 2X), Kenyon Murray (1996) and James Moses (1992).
• Tate Sage’s 19-point outing against Nebraska are tied for the most points by a Hawkeye freshman in an NCAA Tournament game with Joe Wieskamp (2019) and Guy Rucker (1997).
• Junior Cam Manyawu’s 10 rebounds against Clemson were the most by a Hawkeye in an NCAA Tournament game since Greg Brunner’s 10 against Northwestern State in 2006.  
• Manyawu’s 10 boards are the most by a Hawkeye in an NCAA Tournament victory since Ryan Bowen had 16 against Virginia in 1997.

1987: IOWA'S LAST ELITE EIGHT
The Hawkeyes lost 84-81 to UNLV in the Elite Eight during the 1987 NCAA Tournament in Seattle.  After taking a 58-42 lead into locker room, the Runnin’ Rebels rallied, outscoring Iowa, 42-23, in the second half to claim the three point victory.  B.J. Armstrong and Kevin Gamble scored 18 points apiece to pace the Hawkeyes, while Brad Lohaus added 12.  
• Iowa lost despite having a 55.6 field goal percentage to .441 for UNLV, but the Rebels made 11 3-pointers to Iowa’s two.

HAWKEYES IN THE DANCE
Iowa has three players averaging in double figures during the Elite Eight run and a total of six players scoring at least nine points per contest.  
• The Hawkeyes are shooting 47.3 percent from the field and have made 27 3-pointers.  Iowa has 10 more free throws made and 15 more attempted.
• Defensively, Iowa is +1.3 on the glass (31.0-29.7).
• Senior Bennett Stirtz is averaging 16.3 points, four rebounds and 3.7 assists despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from 3-point range.
• Junior Alvaro Folguerias is averaging 14.7 points and 3.7 rebounds with .600/.417/.938 shooting clips, while redshirt freshman Cooper Koch averages 10.3 points and four rebounds with a team-high eight 3-pointers.
• Tavion Banks (9.3/4.3), Tate Sage (9.3/3.0) and Kael Combs (9.0/3.7 assists) are all at or above nine points per contest.  Combs has 11 assists in his last two games.