MBB Notes: Virginia Tech in Sioux City

ON THE AIR
TV: Tuesday’s game will be televised on FS1 with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Greg McDermott (color) on the call.
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.

OPENING TIP
• After opening the season with wins over two mid-majors, Iowa will play three straight Power 5 teams away from Iowa City -- two on neutral courts and one on the road.
• A second Iowa reserve -- second-year Peyton McCollum -- paced the team in scoring, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four 3-pointers against Eastern Illinois.  
• Iowa made 14 3-pointers -- by eight different players -- against EIU.  The Hawkeyes were 10-of-18 in the second half alone.  The 14 3s are tied for the most in a game during Ben McCollum’s Iowa tenure.
• Second-year Ty’Reek Coleman has been in double digits in both contests. He was 5-for-5 from the floor, scoring 13 points and dishing out a career-high six assists in the win over EIU.  Coleman averages 11.5 points, four rebounds and five assists.
• The Hawkeyes are allowing 50.5 points -- the fewest in the Big Ten and 14th-fewest nationally --  in two games, including allowing a season-low 47 points against EIU.  Opponents are shooting just 34.3 percent and 12 percent from long range -- No. 2 nationally.
• Iowa held Lipscomb to 54 points -- the fewest the program has allowed in an opener since 2013-14.  The 47 points vs. EIU are the third-fewest under McCollum at Iowa.
• Second-year Trevin Jirak was on triple-double watch against EIU, finishing with eight points, eight assists and seven rebounds.  He is averaging seven points, seven boards and six assists in two games.
• Fourth-year center Andrew McKeever -- the tallest player in Iowa MBB history and the first 7-footer coached by McCollum, has missed the first two games because of injury.
• 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.
• 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 the 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 are trips to Xavier and Purdue.

LAST GAME: IOWA 91, EASTERN ILLINOIS 47
Four players landed in double figures in Iowa’s 91-47 victory over Eastern Illinois on Friday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  The Hawkeyes made 14 3-pointers and shot 63.5 percent from the floor -- a high under head coach Ben McCollum -- and 46.7 percent from long range.  The team made 10 3s in the second half alone.
• Second-year Peyton McCollum paced the team in scoring, netting 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four 3-pointers. 
• Iowa limited EIU to 32.7 percent shooting and the Panthers did not make a 3-pointer in seven tries.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
• The Hokies bring a 2-0 record into Sioux City with wins over Coppin State (88-54) and Mercer (96-67).  
• Four VT players are averaging in double figures with Amani Hansberry leading the way at 19.5 points and seven rebounds.  He is shooting 62.5 percent from the field.
• Ben Hammond (18.0, 6.0 assists), Jaylen Curry (16.5 points) and Tyler Johnson (10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds) are also in double figures.
• Virginia Tech is averaging 92 points on 49.2 percent shooting and the team has made 21 3-pointers in two games.  The Hokies are +7.0 on the glass and have 36 assists to 18 turnovers.
• Hansberry was named to the ACC’s preseason second team.  He led the Hockies, averaging 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds en route to honorable mention All-ACC honors a season ago. He was also named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Tuesday’s game will be the fifth all-time meeting between Iowa and Virginia Tech.  The Hokies lead the series, 4-0.
• Three of the four games have taken place in Blacksburg and Iowa lost 70-64 in Iowa City in 2009.  
• VT won the most recent game, winning 79-55 in Blacksburg in 2017 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
• Iowa is 49-52 all-time against current members of the ACC.  The Hawkeyes downed Clemson, 67-61, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season in Tampa.

COLEMAN STARTS STRONG
Second-year Ty’Reek Coleman has landed in double figures in his first two games as a Hawkeye.  The Kentucky native is averaging 11.5 points, five assists and four assists in 22 minutes per game.
• Coleman was 5-for-5 from the floor en route to a 13-point outing against Eastern Illinois and he had a career-high six assists.

DUNKING & DEFENSE
First-year Jaidyn Coon scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting (with three dunks) and grabbed six rebounds in his Hawkeye debut against Lipscomb on Nov. 3.  The Storm Lake, Iowa, native also was strong defensively, locking up the Bisons’ leading scorer Takai Simpkins.  
• Coon is playing above the rim as he has four dunks in two games.

QUALITY DEPTH
The Hawkeyes are a team in the truest sense in 2026-27.  Every player on the roster has scored in the first two games and three of the team’s top five scorers are reserves.  
• Iowa’s reserves are averaging 51.5 points in the first two games of the season.  The Hawkeyes got 61 points from the reserves in the 44-point victory over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 6.
• Second-year Tate Sage is the only starter to land in double figures this season (10 points vs. EIU).