Bennett Stirtz chasing March magic as Iowa, Clemson open NCAA Tournament

Bennett Stirtz made a big splash in the NCAA Tournament last season when he led Drake to a first-round upset of Missouri.

Now at Iowa, Stirtz tries to steer the No. 9 seed Hawkeyes on a surprise run, beginning with Friday night's first-round South region matchup against No. 8 Clemson at Tampa, Fla.

Stirtz was named an honorable mention All-American on Tuesday, the latest accomplishment of a dream-like career. He's averaging team-best figures of 20.0 points and 4.5 assists as well as 82 3-pointers for the Hawkeyes (21-12).

Major schools - well, minor Division I programs too - didn't view Stirtz as much of a player coming out of high school and he ended up at Division II Northwest Missouri State for two seasons. The Bearcats won that level's national championship both seasons.

Stirtz followed coach Ben McCollum to Drake and was the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and received honorable mention All-American honors. The 11th-seeded Bulldogs earned the program's second NCAA win in 54 years.

McCollum then took the Iowa job. Naturally, Stritz again followed and he excelled in the tough Big Ten by receiving first-team all-conference honors.

Accolades aside, Stirtz is focused on what the Hawkeyes need to do to thrive in March Madness.

"Stick together as a team, and if we do that, we'll rebound a lot better, get back in transition, and really guard," Stirtz said. "I think our defense relies a lot on whether we win or lose a game, and it definitely has to travel to Tampa.

"I think if our defense is tuned up and we get stops, our offense is a lot better."

McCollum concurs with his ultrareliable point guard.

"You score enough to make sure you can set your defense, and hopefully that shows up in the tournament," McCollum said.

Tavion Banks (10.5) is the only other Iowa player scoring in double digits. He also is the club's leading rebounder with a modest 4.7 per game. Freshman Cooper Koch has emerged as a deep threat who could help space the floor.

But the Hawkeyes enter the contest with Clemson in a deep slide, losing seven of their past 10 games.

The Tigers (24-10) won four of their past six games but sustained a huge blow during the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament when 6-foot-10 Carter Welling injured his knee against Wake Forest on March 11 and ensuing test results revealed a torn ACL.

Welling is Clemson's second-leading scorer (10.2) and top rebounder (5.4).

"We've had a lot of adversity," Tigers coach Brad Brownell said while giving props to his players for overcoming hurdles. "This was a really good regular season. To finish tied for fourth in the ACC and to make the ACC tournament semifinals is a good accomplishment."

This is Clemson's third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. They've hit two extremes, reaching the Elite Eight in 2024, including upsets of No. 3 Baylor and No. 2 Arizona before losing to No. 4 Alabama with a Final Four berth on the line.

Clemson lost to No. 12 seed McNeese State in the first round last year.

Now the Tigers are focused on winning their first game before worrying about what comes next.

"We do not take these for granted," Brownell said. "It is a lot of hard work that goes into this," Brownell said. "I am really proud of our team. These guys have given us maximum effort all year."

Clemson leading scorer RJ Godfrey (11.9) offered a brief scouting report of the Hawkeyes.

"They're a good team," Godfrey said. "They move the ball well and play good defense. We're not too familiar with them."

Iowa has won three of the four all-time meetings with Clemson.