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When the ballots are tallied on the annual CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 college basketball coaches ranking before the 2026-27 season tips, Iowa’s<\/a> Ben McCollum figures to be in for a considerable rise.<\/p>\n After clocking in as the “And 1” — or 26th-ranked coach —\u00a0heading into his first season<\/a><\/span> with the Hawkeyes, the former Drake<\/a> coach and four-time Division II national-title winner at Northwest Missouri State<\/a> only improved his stock.\u00a0<\/p>\n During his first season at the high-major level, McCollum led Iowa on an improbable Elite Eight run that included a stunning upset win over No. 1 seed and reigning national champion Florida<\/a> in the second round. It was Iowa’s first Elite Eight since 1987, and it portends big things to come for the 45-year-old Iowa native, who owns a career winning percentage of better than 80%.<\/p>\n Yet, despite the success of McCollum’s debut squad, the Hawkeyes landed on the outside looking in at the first 76-team CBS Sports Bracketology<\/a><\/span> for the 2026-27 season. Why?<\/p>\n First off, Bracketology in May is an exercise in theoretical physics and should be taken as nothing more. Rosters are still evolving, and that’s true of Iowa’s.<\/p>\n With the status of Tavion Banks<\/a> up in the air, Iowa may be losing four of its top five most efficient players from last season, per evanmiya.com<\/a>‘s player ratings. Banks, a 6-foot-7 wing, would be Iowa’s leading returning scorer if he winds up back in uniform.<\/p>\n For now, he is in the transfer portal<\/a> and declared for the NBA Draft<\/a> while leaving the door open for a return to the Hawkeyes if he’s granted an additional season of eligibility after a career that included two junior college seasons.<\/p>\n Without Banks, Iowa’s roster projects to be in the 49-58 range, according to evanmiya.com<\/a>‘s roster outlook tool. That’s outside of at-large territory, even in the new 76-team format, which leaves room for 44 at-large teams. Roughly 45-48 high-major teams will likely make the field.<\/p>\n If Banks finds his way back into an Iowa uniform, the Hawkeyes would be in the 38-46 range, which makes them a stronger at-large candidate. Bart Torvik’s 2027 projections also place the Hawkeyes at No. 44, which is near the cut line for an at-large team.<\/p>\n While an unforeseen late addition other than Banks could also move the needle, the Hawkeyes’ roster is light on sizzle as things stand in early May.<\/p>\n Gone due to exhausted eligibility is 2025-26 CBS Sports third-team All-American point guard Bennett Stirtz<\/a>. McCollum and Stirtz accomplished remarkable things together at Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa. Stirtz was the centerpiece of McCollum’s first two Division I teams, and there is no one on the 2026-27 roster who will be capable of replicating what he brought to Iowa last season. The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged 19.8 points per game even while orchestrating college basketball’s third-slowest offense.<\/p>\n Also gone is former Horizon League Player of the Year and 2025-26 Hawkeyes sixth man Alvaro Folgueiras<\/a>, who hit the game-winning shot against Florida — assisted by Stirtz — before joining big-spending Louisville<\/a>.<\/p>\n On a positive note, three starters are set to return even without Banks in the equation. But the leading scorer among them is junior forward Cooper Koch<\/a>. He averaged 7.8 points per game last season. If Banks doesn’t return, Iowa will be without its top three scorers from last season.<\/p>\n That’s not uncommon in this era. Michigan<\/a> replaced its top three scorers from Dusty May’s first squad and proceeded to win the national title in his second season. The difference is that Michigan landed the nation’s No. 2-ranked transfer class, which included four staters who each ranked in the top 60 of the 247Sports transfer rankings.<\/p>\n The Wolverines also landed a McDonald’s All-American, freshman guard Trey McKenney<\/a>, who hit the game-clinching shot in the national championship game. Nothing comparable on either front can be said for the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n Iowa’s approach to replacing its departed production appears to be based largely on internal development and giving returning players a chance to grow into bigger roles rather than simply recruiting over them as many coaches would do. The Hawkeyes’ No. 45-ranked freshman class is highlighted by No. 113-ranked prospect Ethan Harris, and its No. 73 transfer class isn’t jumping off the page, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rising sophomore transfer Ty’Reek Coleman<\/a> posted encouraging numbers for a quality Missouri Valley team at Illinois State<\/a>, but the Hawkeyes will be banking on his game to quickly translate in a big way to the highest level of college basketball. The 6-foot-2 guard is the No. 242-ranked transfer, per evanmiya.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n To compare him with names more familiar to college basketball fans, he’s in the same neighborhood as former Kansas<\/a> guard Elmarko Jackson<\/a> (No. 234) and former Pitt\/Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe<\/a> (No. 244). Players in that range are useful, but they are several rungs below Stirtz, who lived up to his billing as 247Sports’ No. 3-ranked transfer last offseason.<\/p>\n Similarly, 247Sports’ No. 112-ranked transfer, Andrew McKeever<\/a> from Saint Mary’s<\/a>, looks like he could be a starting-caliber Big Ten player. But he’s in for a big jump from the WCC to the Big Ten, which perennially produces some of the nation’s top bigs.<\/p>\n Roster-centric data, which must underpin any way-too-early stab at Bracketology, suggests there is wisdom in taking caution before betting on a big follow-up campaign for Iowa. The star power the Hawkeyes had with Stirtz is glaringly absent.<\/p>\n McCollum is an artist, but he is also replacing his magic brush. Stirtz was a unique talent perfectly suited to usher in McCollum’s arrival to college basketball’s big stage. Replacing someone like that is a tall task, even for an elite coach.\u00a0<\/p>\n Had Iowa spent big to attract a high-dollar, headline-grabbing replacement for Stirtz, the Hawkeyes would likely be in the way-too-early Bracketology. They went a different route, piecing together an understated roster with an old-school, retention-oriented flair that will provide a new canvas upon which McCollum can begin his next masterpiece.<\/p>\n If that means the Hawkeyes are on the outside looking in for now, so be it. It’s May. McCollum can clearly coach, and Iowa’s 2026-27 roster, which is already being slept on, gives him the chance to prove it once again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat the Hawkeyes must replace<\/h2>\n
Iowa’s roster-building approach\u00a0<\/h2>\n