Latest news with #BennettStirtz
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa basketball guard Bennett Stirtz set up to sky rocket up NBA draft boards
The success of the Iowa Hawkeyes' men's college basketball season could very well go through the play of incoming transfer guard Bennett Stirtz. Following new head coach Ben McCollum from Drake, Stirtz will have his chance to prove himself in one of the best conferences in the country when he takes on the Big Ten. Already viewed as one of the best transfer portal pieces of the offseason to make a move, Stirtz is also primed for a big year to find himself skyrocketing up NBA draft boards if he can deliver a big year for the Hawkeyes. With the NBA draft barely in our rearview mirrors, attention has already turned to digging into the top 2026 prospects, a list Stirtz has landed on. He is one of CBS Sports' top 10 draft prospects set up to raise their NBA draft stock. Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa Stirtz followed his coach, Ben McCollum, from Northwest Missouri State to Drake and then from Drake to Iowa. The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year had a breakout season in his first year playing Division I basketball and gets a chance to showcase his skills at the high-major level. McCollum is considered one of the rising stars in the coaching ranks, and Stirtz is poised for a big year. He's a knockdown shooter from outside and can score in a variety of ways. - Cameron Salerno, CBS Sports Stirtz will face some growing pains and an adjustment to the Big Ten after starting his career outside of the FBS ranks and then one year in the Missouri Valley Conference. Fortunately, Stirtz has experience taking on the best of the best in power conferences. While a member of the Drake Bulldogs, Stirtz had the chance to take on Miami, Vanderbilt, Kansas State, Missouri, and Texas Tech. Stirtz put up 21 points against each Miami, Missouri, and Texas Tech. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN's Dick Vitale stamps approval on Iowa men's basketball transfer portal talent
It's awesome, baby! That is what Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball fans have been shouting all offseason as the program has done a complete facelift with the addition of new head coach Ben McCollum. His arrival at the Hawkeyes has given them a breath of fresh air with an injection of transfer portal talent. One of those talents comes in the form of guard Bennett Stirtz, who is following McCollum from Drake to Iowa. The Hawkeyes landing Stirtz is arguably their biggest move of the offseason. It is also a move that finds itself named of Dick Vitale's biggest winners of the offseason transfer portal heading into the 2025-26 college basketball season. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa Hawkeyes Stirtz is a skilled combo guard with a silky arc shot and a knack for scoring around the rim. The Big Ten's a step up, but this kid's got the talent to adapt and excel in his first year with the Hawkeyes. In that motion offense, Stirtz will slice and dice Big Ten defenses like a Ginsu knife! - Dick Vitale, ESPN Stirtz, the Missouri Valley Player of the Year last year, gives Iowa one of the top guards in the Big Ten, and possibly even the entire college basketball landscape, who can lift this team to an NCAA Tournament berth with some help from others. Last year, Bennett Stirtz was a 49.8% shooter from the field and a 39.5% shooter from three-point range. He averaged 19.2 points per game to go with 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN tabs Iowa basketball star as 2026 NBA draft 1st-round prospect
ESPN tabs Iowa basketball star as 2026 NBA draft 1st-round prospect Iowa basketball has been busy in the transfer portal, adding six transfers to the program this offseason. The Hawkeyes made waves early during the transfer portal cycle, bringing in arguably the top player in former Drake point guard Bennett Stirtz. The 6-foot-4 guard chose to follow first-year head coach Ben McCollum to Iowa. Stirtz's arrival brought immediate star power to the black and gold. The Liberty, Missouri, native was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year last season after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game on 49.8% field goal shooting, 39.5% 3-point accuracy and 79.4% from the free throw line. Stirtz was named a first-team All-American by The Field of 68. ESPN thinks Iowa is welcoming a superstar. ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony chose Stirtz as his prospect that could be a 2026 NBA draft first-rounder after opting to return to college. Bennett Stirtz, a 6-foot-4 point guard who played for Drake last season, was one of the breakout stars of the NCAA tournament, posting 42 points and 12 assists in two strong performances against Missouri and Texas, showing his game more than translates against elite-level competition after a dominant season in the Horizon League. Stirtz was ranked No. 35 in the ESPN Top 100 when he announced he would enter the transfer portal and follow his coach, Ben McCollum, from Drake to Iowa, not even bothering to test the NBA draft waters along the way. NBA scouts won't complain about having a full season to evaluate Stirtz in the Big Ten, where they'll get a better feel for how his impressive ballhandling, ability to change speeds, touch and creativity finishing around the basket translate for a full season. Stirtz is a dynamic perimeter shooter who is one of the best passers and decision-makers in college basketball but getting a better gauge for his defense and how he handles coaches planning against him on a nightly basis will surely shed light on how high he should be selected next June. - Jonathan Givony, ESPN. If Stirtz replicates what he accomplished at Drake in the Big Ten, then he very well could see his name rocketing up 2026 NBA draft boards. For the Hawkeyes, Stirtz's familiarity with coach McCollum's system and his proven star power will pay dividends for a program transitioning into a new era. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa basketball inside initial 2025-26 ESPN bracketology projection
Iowa isn't done building its finalized roster for the 2025-26 men's college basketball season. But, ESPN has seen enough from first-year head coach Ben McCollum and the Hawkeyes' current additions to the roster to place Iowa within its initial bracketology. Iowa returns forward Cooper Koch and added Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu, Kansas State transfer Brendan Hausen and Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras. Advertisement Stirtz was honored as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game on 49.8% field goal shooting and 39.5% 3-point shooting. Folgueiras was the Horizon League Player of the Year after posting averages of 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on 54.8% field goal shooting and 41.3% from beyond the arc. Here's a look at ESPN's initial bracketology projection for the Hawkeyes. Iowa basketball initial ESPN bracketology projection Mar 9, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Drake Bulldogs head coach Ben McCollum hugs guard Bennett Stirtz (14) after defeating the Bradley Braves to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Seed: No. 9 in the West Opponent: No. 8 Vanderbilt Iowa earns the No. 9 seed in the West Region and is slated to face No. 8 seed Vanderbilt. First- and second-round games would be played in Oklahoma City from inside the Paycom Center with the regional semifinals and regional final taking place in San Jose. Full West region Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) walks off the court after losing to the Florida Gators in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Southeast Missouri State Advertisement No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. No. 9 Iowa No. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 12 Yale No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Charleston No. 6 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 VCU No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 McNeese No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Miami No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Youngstown State No. 1 seeds St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino during the team introductions Thursday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, NCAA Tournament. 3/20/25 No. 1 seeds: Purdue, St. John's, Houston, Duke Conference bids breakdown The Big Ten logo dominates a lightly trafficked Monument Square in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday after the conference announced it was pulling the plug on the men's basketball tournament over coronavirus concerns. Bigten Jpg SEC: 13 Big Ten: 12 Big 12: 8 ACC: 5 Big East: 4 Big Ten teams in the field of 68 Iowa's new head men's basketball coach Ben McCollum walks into his introductory press conference with his family, President Barbara Wilson and Athletic Director Beth Goetz Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. No. 1 Purdue (top overall seed) No. 2 Michigan No. 4 UCLA No. 4 USC No. 4 Michigan State No. 5 Ohio State No. 6 Wisconsin No. 7 Illinois No. 8 Oregon No. 9 Iowa No. 10 Maryland No. 10 Indiana Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball inside initial 2025-26 ESPN bracketology projection
NBC Sports
21-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Drake vs. Texas Tech Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends, and Stats for 2025 March Madness Round 2
The Drake Bulldogs (31-3), seeded 11th in the West Region, will face the 3rd-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders (26-8) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Wichita, KS. Drake opened the tournament with a 67-57 victory over Missouri. The Bulldogs' defense gave up just 23 points to the Tigers in the first half. Bennett Stirtz, MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference, topped Drake with 21 points while playing all 40 minutes. The junior leads the nation in minutes played per game averaging 39.4 per contest. Texas Tech secured a win in Round 1, 82-72, against UNC Wilmington. The Red Raiders attempted 46 threes in the game. Kerwin Walton was 8 for 19 from deep but the rest of the Red Raiders were just 5-27 from beyond the arc. The winner of this game earns an invite to the Sweet 16 where they will meet the winner of the Arkansas vs. St. John's game. Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Game details & how to watch Drake vs. Texas Tech Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025 Time: 6:10PM EST Site: INTRUST Bank Arena City: Wichita, KS Network/Streaming: TNT Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates. Game odds for Drake vs. Texas Tech The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of BetMGM: Odds: Drake Bulldogs (+260), Texas Tech Red Raiders (-325) Spread: Red Raiders -7.5 Total: 126.5 points Expert picks & predictions for Drake vs. Texas Tech Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Saturday's Bulldogs & Red Raiders game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on Drake +7.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 126.5. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Drake vs. Texas Tech: Top betting trends and recent stats Drake has won 8 in a row and 19 of their last 20 Drake is 12-8 in their last 20 against the spread (15-13 for the season) The UNDER has cashed in Drake's last 4 games Texas Tech has failed to cover the spread in their last 3 and 4 of their last 5 games (17-14 ATS for the season) The OVER has cashed in 5 of Texas Tech's last 6 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
