The Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) take on a Xavier Musketeers (2-1) squad their season began with tight wins over Rider & Le Moyne and a 21-point loss to Santa Clara. With both Iowa (48) and Xavier (60) starting in the same range on KenPom, they have gone in totally opposite directions with Iowa moving up a bit to 43 while Xavier has gone way down to 103.
In other words, what was originally slated as a potential feather in the cap for Iowa when the game was announced over the summer has now turned into a bit of a must win. Given their early season trajectory, Richard Pitino’s squad looks like a bottom tier Big East team and likely Q3 opponent, win or lose. Best to avoid a loss.
Advertisement
Richard Pitino is well-known around these parts given his time in Minnesota coaching the Golden Gophers. During his eight-year tenure up north, he went 6-7 against (Fran McCaffery’s) Hawkeyes, and made just two NCAA Tournaments. He turned got New Mexico back into the tournament after a nine-year drought from March Madness behind Donovan Dent.
If he had been able to bring Dent over from Albuquerque, perhaps the start of his tenure would have been more positive. Instead, the former Lobo is a preseason all-American at UCLA. The only player Pitino brought over from New Mexico is forward Filip Borovicanin, who averaged just 5.9 points and 4.6 boards last year.
As it stands, the Hawkeyes enter as double-digit favorites per KenPom behind Bennett Stirtz and his cadre of former Drake Bulldogs. Stirtz is averaging 21.5 points and 6.5 assists, both in the top 5 of the Big Ten’s young season. Add in his 3 steals/game and he has showed everything which makes his game special through two no drama wins over Robert Morris and Western Illinois.
To build off those wins, Iowa will likely use the week between games to continue hammering home the defense. Though it’s just 80 minutes of basketball, opponents have made over 40% of threes against the Hawks and that is arguably Xavier’s best offense right now – passing the ball (they rank first in assists/FG) and making threes (36% clip). If there’s a path for Xavier to win, it’s catching fire from deep and keeping the Hawks at bay in a low possession game.
Advertisement
While Pitino is working with very new groceries, Ben McCollum has brought over 50% of his minutes from last year’s Drake team. That institutional knowledge has shined with defensive rotations and ball movement on offense. That seems enough to carry Iowa to a win.
A win still remains important, both for avoiding a potential bogey on the dreaded team sheet but also as McCollum and company look to build momentum during his first season. On a Friday night, the arena should be ready to go with little else going on in Iowa City. McCollum is hyper-focused on making Carver-Hawkeye Arena the place to be when the men are playing and a win against a power conference opponent would continue building the value statement on his young tenure.
Friday, 11/14: Xavier Musketeers at Iowa, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 7:00 PM CST, FS1
Noted notable: Iowa’s lone 2026 basketball recruit, Ethan Harris, signed his letter of intent earlier this week. The four-star forward out of Washington. He’s regarded as a big with guard skills and an ability to shoot the ball.
