Ben McCollum and Bennett Stirtz have turned sustained March success into a defining storyline, winning NCAA tournament games in four consecutive years and now guiding Iowa to their deepest run yet.
The pair’s latest milestone came with Iowa advancing to the Elite Eight, a step beyond what they had previously achieved during their four-year streak of tournament victories. Their rise has been notable not only for its consistency, but also for the unlikely path that brought them here — from Division II roots to the sport’s biggest stage.
Four straight years of NCAA tournament wins
Winning in the NCAA tournament is difficult in any single season; doing it year after year is rarer still. McCollum and Stirtz have now made it a yearly standard, extending their run of tournament game wins to four straight years while reaching a new high-water mark this time around.
From Division II to the Elite Eight
Their journey stands out in a tournament landscape often dominated by familiar power-conference names. McCollum and Stirtz have carried their winning pedigree from Division II into the national spotlight, with Iowa’s Elite Eight appearance serving as the clearest marker yet of how far they’ve climbed.
With this latest breakthrough, Iowa’s run has become the deepest of McCollum and Stirtz’s four-year stretch of NCAA tournament success.