On one hand, it’s a symbol of what could have been. A trip to the Final Four cut just short for head coach Ben McCollum and his unlikely team. On the other, it’s a reminder of how many people they’ve proven wrong. How many brackets they’ve broken. And how, after a year of uncertainty, a team of dreamers dragged Iowa basketball back into belief.

The Run of a Lifetime

After losing five of their final seven games before the NCAA tournament, Iowa wasn’t exactly on a roll. But considering they hadn’t made it to the big dance since 2022-23, it still seemed like fans were content with the season and excitement McCollum had brought back to Iowa City.

The team, however, was anything but satisfied.

The #9 Iowa Hawkeyes won a toss-up game with #8 Clemson behind a free-throw frenzy where Iowa made 24 of their 31 attempts at the line. One down. And with it, something started.

Just 48 hours after the win, they shocked the basketball world by beating Florida, the reigning champions, in the final seconds. Down by two points, Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz took the inbound and dribbled it past half court. Finding himself caught between two Gators trying to foul him, Stirtz dished it off to Alvaro Folgueiras, who hit the game-winning shot with 4.5 seconds left to play. The final buzzer sounded, cementing a storybook score on the jumbotron: 73-72, Iowa. From there, a Midwest motto was born.

“March is for the dreamers,” Folgueiras said after the game. “And there’s no better dreamer than us.”

Four days later, the dreamers took on Nebraska in their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1999. Both squads shot the lights out, but incredible performances from Iowa role players Tate Sage (19 points) and Folgueiras (16 points), along with Stirtz’s 20 points, lifted Iowa up and over the Cornhuskers. 77-71. Another win, another chapter closed.

Last night, their story came to an end against Illinois in the Elite Eight. The dream was over. And while for a split second it felt like the world was ending, it didn’t take long for fans and school alumni to express endless support for a team that will never be forgotten. Tweets and posts flooded social media, with praises and pictures of how much hope this team gave them. From half-empty arenas last season to jam-packed student sections and a historic tournament run this year, the energy was back for this program.

This team was special for a multitude of reasons. The lowest Big Ten seed to ever reach an Elite Eight. A roster built from places far outside the spotlight. A group that believed, with almost delusional conviction, that they could just keep winning. That they could restore hope to a dwindling fanbase.

And for nine days in March, they did just that. They made everyone believe.

Smile Because it Happened

There is something very uncomfortable about watching grown men cry. Especially when you’re in a room surrounded by them.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it once or you’re a seasoned veteran, numb to the emotions that follow such a gut-wrenching tournament’s end. It’s weird. It’s hard. As close to twenty media members stuck microphones and camera lights in the faces of young athletes, illuminating dried tears and crusty lips, it felt necessary to seek out a smile.

The question: what would your 10-year-old self think about this journey?

Bennett Stirtz: “I always wanted to play college ball, but he wouldn’t believe this. It’s been pretty cool.”

Tate Sage: “He’d be pretty happy. Especially being able to stay up past my bedtime and watch myself on the TV.”

Kael Combs: “I wouldn’t believe it. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’d tell him not to change a thing. “

Brendan Hausen: “Believe you can. Dream on. There will be lots of highs and lows, but just believe.”

Cooper Koch: “It’s fun. Enjoy practicing with these guys every day and lifting during the season. Trust the process and take it all in. You only get four years of it.”

One by one, reporters started to fade away as they got the answers they needed. When the players were done, they removed their sweat-soaked black and gold jerseys and tossed them into a tattered black Nike suitcase in the middle of the floor. Some laughed, shooting it like a basketball as they hugged their teammates. Others solemnly dropped their tank top time capsule of memories into the bag.

Just a Dream

After the locker rooms cleared completely, Ben McCollum emerged from the hallway to stand in front of a black and blue foldable March Madness backdrop. His usual white dress shirt and gold tie were nowhere to be seen, likely creased and damp, bearing the marks from a game he’ll think about for days.

His voice was steady, but his eyes told a different story. The kind that comes from knowing how close you were. The kind that doesn’t fully settle in until much later.

He talked about Bennett Stirtz, and how the journey they’ve taken together is “a little ridiculous.” How he followed him from school to school. How the University of Iowa feels like home.

For a moment, he paused, reflecting on just how far they’d come.

“We were just in Maryville, Missouri,” he said. “And now we’re playing in the Elite Eight.”

He laughed.

“Man, I almost said Final Four.”

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Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok were essential, notching 49 of Iowa’s 85 points. “Uthoff and Jok were the two guys we wanted to be with at all times,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins. Uthoff had 19 points in the first half and finished with 23, while Jok scored 26 points, 22 of which came in the second half. “We lost him (Uthoff) a bunch, and in the second half we lost Jok,” said Collins.

The turning point in this game was the second half run led by Peter Jok. Jok hit three consecutive three pointers for the Hawks just as Northwestern had gotten to within ten points, and from that point Jok took over the game. Jok shot 6-10 in the game with four three-pointers, and went 10-12 from the free throw line.

“He’s (Jok) really an interesting player, because he’s so smart, and he gets open, and he gets going,” said Head Coach Fran McCaffery when asked about Jok’s performance.

Free throws played a big factor in the game, as the Iowa Hawkeyes shot 36 free throws, to Northwestern’s 14. Collins noted Iowa’s veteran leadership. “…they’re a veteran team, they’re smart and they knew how to get themselves to the line.”

There was nothing but praise from Collins for Fran McCaffery’s team. The one thing that stood out most to Collins was the Hawkeyes’ experience. “What you see is all juniors and seniors that believe they’re good.”

Collins couldn’t help but throw in a bit of humor when talking about Coach McCaffery. “I’ve known Fran since I was a ball boy and he was a player at the University of Pennsylvania… I used to watch him play back when he was ‘White Magic’.”

The Hawks improve to 17-4 on the season, with an 8-1 record in the Big Ten Conference, good for a share of first place for the Big Ten standings with Indiana. The Hawks’ next game comes on Wednesday, February 3^rd at home against Penn State University.

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The Hawkeyes carried a 43-26 lead into the locker room at the break, shooting 51.5% from the field and 5-12 (41.7%) from three.

The Hawkeye defense used a three quarter court press, which, coupled with their length and quickness, forced 9 first half turnovers.

Iowa had no intentions of letting up after taking their initial 4-2 lead. The post size down low for the Hawkeyes proved to be too much. Junior center Adam Woodbury filled the stat sheet early on and went on to finish the game with 10 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and a block. Gabriel Olaseni led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. He added 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. The duo each posted double-doubles. Aaron White finished with a team high 5 assists.

Coming out of the halftime break, Iowa opened up a 32-point lead after a quick 15-0 spurt. The Bison could not get much going, with their first second half field goal coming with just 13:50 remaining in the game. North Dakota State finished the game shooting an abysmal 26.9% (18-67) from the field.

North Dakota State, coming off of an 85-50 debacle in Texas against the Longhorns, had early woes, shooting just 9-33 (27.3%) from the field in the first half. The Bison used perimeter shooting to keep them in the game early on, but the Hawkeyes defense was too much.

The defense was all over the place, forcing a poor shooting night for the Bison. They used their press throughout most of the game and forced a promising 16 turnovers.

“I feel like we paid attention to the game plan defensively. Alexander got away from us late, but we did a pretty good job on him for the most part,” Coach McCaffery said of his defense.

Hawkeye’s forward Aaron White, who came off of a 19-point performance against Hampton, was held to just 4 points in the first half on only 2 field goal attempts. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

When asked about his teams play, Aaron White responded, “We’ve been doing really well communicating and playing good team defense. I thought they (North Dakota State) worked it a little more and tried to get better shots and I thought we stayed locked in for the whole possession.”

The games’ leading scorer was North Dakota State’s Lawrence Alexander. Alexander, a 6’3 guard, was the Bison’s only consistent scorer. He finished with 21 points on 7-17 shooting with 3 rebounds and an assist.

Five Hawkeyes were in double figures as Iowa finished with a 53.6% (30-56) field goal shooting. The team finished with 45 rebounds, 20 assists, and 18 turnovers.

Iowa shot at will throughout the game, nailing 9 threes on 20 attempts. They also finished with a stellar 18-20 mark from the free throw line.

Aside from the 18 giveaways, Iowa’s head coach Fran McCaffery was pleased with his team’s performance. “We’ve done a pretty good job these last two games of locking into the game plan. We moved the ball; we really wanted to run, we got our transition game going.”

The Hawkeyes will travel to New York City where they will take on #10 Texas at 6pm on Thursday as a part of the 2K Classic.

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