When Darian DeVries left Drake to become the head coach at West Virginia two years ago, Ben McCollum took over in this place. DeVries and McCollum would then spend just one season each at their respective schools in 2024-25, with both taking on new jobs in the Big Ten for the 2025-26 season. DeVries headed to Bloomington to become Indiana's next head coach, while McCollum stayed in Iowa to lead the Iowa Hawkeyes.
DeVries and McCollum found very different results during their inaugural Big Ten seasons. DeVries led the Hoosiers to an underwhelming campaign that ended with an overall record of 18-14 with a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play. Indiana has several opportunities to qualify to the NCAA Tournament, but ultimately fell short.
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McCollum led the Hawkeyes to a pedestrian 10-10 record in the Big Ten during the regular season, but orchestrated an eye-popping NCAA Tournament run that resulted in Iowa's first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. During their run, the Hawkeyes took down 8th-seeded Clemson, reigning national champion and 1st-seeded Florida, and 4th-seeded Nebraska before falling short to 3rd-seeded Illinois in the Elite Eight.
After taking his team to within one win of a Final Four appearance, McCollum's name was floated around as a possible replacement for Hubert Davis at North Carolina. He quickly shot the rumors down and is now finalizing a new six-year contract extension to stay with the Hawkeyes for the long haul. That creates a problem for DeVries and the Hoosiers moving forward.
Ben McCollum's new contract at Iowa presents a tough challenge for Indiana in the Big Ten
Iowa's first regular season under McCollum wasn't other-worldly, but the Hawkeyes made light work of the Hoosiers in their lone meeting of the season back on January 17 in Bloomington. Iowa cruised to a 74-57 victory and never trailed in the contest. The Hawkeyes shot 50% from the floor and held the Hoosiers to just a 38% shooting percentage, and Iowa collected 17 points on nine Indiana turnovers.
After taking Iowa to the Elite 8, McCollum and the Hawkeyes now has the attention of the college basketball world. His instant success in Iowa City, along with his new contract, make Iowa a contender not only in the Big Ten, but on the national stage as well.
It's clear that McCollum has cemented himself among the best tournament coaches in all of college basketball. Prior to his time in Iowa City, McCollum boasted a 32-7 tournament record with Division II Northwest Missouri State. He then won a tournament game with Drake in the 2025 NCAA Tournament before taking Iowa to the Elite 8 this past season.
In their head-to-head matchups in 2026 and beyond, the Hoosiers could have their hands full with McCollum's Hawkeyes.
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