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.
Stream: Friday’s game will be streamed on B1G+ with Colin Carrithers (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (color) on the call.
OPENING TIP
• Iowa opened the regular season with a 101-69 victory over Robert Morris on Tuesday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was Iowa’s 14th straight win in a season opener.
• Ben McCollum is the third Iowa head coach to have his team reach the century mark in his Hawkeye debut, joining Ralph Miller (1965) and Lute Olson (1975).
• Senior Bennett Stirtz led the way with 19 points to go along with six assists and four steals. The 19 points tied Aaron White for the most by a Hawkeye in their team debut in the last 30 seasons.
• Amongst active players, Stirtz is the only player nationally ranked in the top 10 in points (1,637) and assists (438) and he is one of six to have 1,500 points and 350 assists.
• Iowa is receiving votes in both the preseason Associated Press and Coaches’ rankings. The Hawkeyes are 37th in the AP poll and 39th in the Coaches’ poll.
• The Hawkeyes had six players land in double figures and the team shot 61.7 percent from the field in the win over Robert Morris.
• Iowa has 12 newcomers on its 14-player roster under first-year head coach McCollum. Six of the players followed McCollum to Iowa City from Drake where they posted a 31-4 record, won the MVC regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Hawkeyes’ transfer portal class was ranked eighth nationally by 247Sports.
• Stirtz is a preseason All-American by CBS Sports, Field of 68, Jon Rothstein and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and he’s on the Naismith, Oscar Robertson Trophy and NABC Division I National Player of the Year Watch List.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
• WIU dropped its season opener, falling 80-75 at Radford on Monday night. Guard Lucas Lorenzen paced the team, scoring 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting with four 3s. The Leathernecks shot 47.5 percent but went just 6-of-18 from 3.
• The Leathernecks were picked to finish 11th in the 2025-16 OVC preseason poll in a vote of league coaches and communications directors.
• Western Illinois has 14 newcomers on its roster with players from Division I, Division II, junior college, NAIA and high school levels. Ifiok Peter, who redshirted a season ago, is the lone returnee.
• WIU has Division I transfers from Indiana State, Idaho State, Northern Illinois, Bradley, Missouri and Southern Illinois.
• The Leathernecks have three Iowans on the roster — Lucas Lorenzen (Milford, Iowa/Okoboji HS), Jake Edwards (Winfield, Iowa/Winfield Mount Union) and Goanar Biliew (Denison, Iowa/Denison-Schleswig HS).
• Iowa’s Tavion Banks and WIU’s Antwaun Massey were high school teammates at Minnesota Prep.
• The Leathernecks play their first four games of the regular season on the road — coast-to-coast — with stops in Virginia, Iowa City and California.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Hawkeyes are 11-0 all-time against Western Illinois, which includes a 9-0 mark inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Friday’s meeting is the first in the series since 2021 — a 92-71 Iowa victory.
• Iowa is 29-1 all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference with the lone loss coming against Eastern Illinois in 2022.
