MBB Notes: Exhibition vs. Illinois Springfield

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.
TV: Tuesday’s game will be streamed on B1G+ with Collin Carrithers (play-by-play) and Karch Smith (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP
• The Hawkeyes will host Illinois Springfield in an exhibition contest on Tuesday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.  Tickets are $5 for general public; free for UI students.
• Iowa is receiving votes in the Associated Press rankings, coming in at No. 34 with 12 points. 
• Iowa has played two closed scrimmages at Texas Tech and hosted Saint Louis.
• Iowa is picked to finish 10th in the Big Ten in the preseason media poll.
• Iowa returns three starters and eight letterwinners from a team that went 24-13 and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2025-26.  The Hawkeyes must replace their top three scorers.
• The Hawkeyes brought in two transfers -- Ty’Reek Coleman from Illinois State and Andrew McKeever from Saint Mary’s College -- and welcome two first-year players in Jaidyn Coon and Ethan Harris.
• McKeever is the tallest player in Iowa men’s basketball history and the first 7-footer coached by Ben McCollum.
• Third-year Cooper Koch is the team’s top returning scorer after averaging 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 2025-26.  The forward made 66 3-point field goals -- second-most on the team.
• Cam Manyawu, Bennett Stirtz and Koch were the only three Hawkeyes to start every game in 2026-27.
• Iowa is one of 20 schools nationally (three in the Big Ten) to retain its entire coaching staff and support staff from the 2025-26 season.
• The Hawkeyes will play 15 of their first 17 games inside Iowa state border.  Iowa will play three neutral site contests -- one in Sioux City and two in Des Moines.  The team’s only two road trips before mid-January is a trip to Xavier and Purdue.

SCOUTING UIS
• The Prairie Stars finished with a 17-12 overall and 13-7 league record during the 2025-26 season.  UIS advanced to the conference tournament quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed a season ago.
• UIS, an NCAA Division II team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), is picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches’ poll.  
•Isaiah Davis is the team’s top returning scorer after averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds a season ago.  Davis shot 43.2 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from 3-point range, making a team-high 96 3s.

ELITE HAWKEYES
Iowa is coming off a season where it advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 and for the fifth time in program history.  The Hawkeyes’ Sweet 16 berth was the first since 1999 and the ninth all-time.
• Iowa finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-13 overall record and a No. 15 ranking in the final Associated Press and No. 19 ranking in the Coaches’ poll.

NOTABLES
• Following the departure of its top three scorers, Iowa returns 45.4 percent of its scoring, 61.5 percent of its rebounding and 46.7 percent of its assists in 2026-27.
• Two second-year players -- Peyton McCollum and Trey Thompson -- will be set to make their collegiate debuts.  Both players redshirted in 2025-26.
• Head coach Ben McCollum has led his teams to 15 straight 20-win seasons.
• Assistant coach Luke Barnwell was named to the 2026 Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful/Influential High Major Assistant Coaches List and the 2026 Roots 66 List ahead of the 2026-27 season.
• The Hawkeyes finished 14-3 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season -- the most home victories since the 2022-23 campaign.