Iowa men have dunk-a-thon amid crowd-pleasing defense in opening-game romp

IOWA CITY -- It was new for Ben McCollum, but it wasn’t really new at all. Other than the scoring 101 points, that is.

In McCollum’s first game as the Iowa men’s basketball coach, he started four of the players he coached to 31 wins at Drake last season, and all four scored in double figures. The point-total in the Hawkeyes’ 101-69 win over Robert Morris Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, though, was nothing like Drake had last season.

“That’s the first time we scored 100 in a while,” McCollum said. “Probably 100 years ago.”

Actually, it was February 2004, when his Northwest Missouri State club leveled Nebraska Kearney, 105-53. But flipping on the third digit of the scoreboard isn’t a calling card of McCollum’s teams. Defense is, and the Hawkeyes had the crowd of 9,232 excited about their first-half defensive force in building a quick 17-2 lead on the way to a 49-26 halftime edge.

“Things go well, it fires them up,” McCollum said. “And I want them to fire us up when things aren't going well, that's what I'm really trying to fight for.

“But yes, the defense is because our kids fly around. We've got some edgy kids, tough kids, and they get pretty physical, and it makes the game pretty fun.”

For the first time, a student section for about 300 Iowa students was set up behind the south basket, and the noise from them and the students above them was a new wrinkle to an Iowa men’s game.

So was the Hawkeyes’ head coach motioning to the fans to make noise on a few occasions during the game.

Mostly, those fans found it easy to cheer for 11 steals, and 61.7 percent shooting that was helped by eight high-percentage shots known as dunks. Six different Hawkeyes had dunks, with senior forward Tavion Banks getting three on his way to 17 points.

“Defense is going to win the game,” Banks said, “and defense is going to go into offense.”

Senior point guard Bennett Stirtz was as good as advertised in his Iowa debut. Last season’s Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year had 15 first-half points on the way to a game-high 19, and had six assists and four steals.

“We played with a lot of energy,” Stirtz said. “We were amped up, but we were playing together.

“I think the new guys, there’s six new guys, they mesh really well with us. So it kind of felt like Drake, but just different colors.”

Stirtz played the game’s first 35 minutes and change. He did a good job of changing the speeds of the offense depending on what was available.

“I know he kind of is steady-steady,” McCollum said, “but it can burn pretty high. He obviously plays with great pace, great patience.

“I always tell people guys like him make you look like you can coach.”

McCollum did find fault with his team surrendering 11 offensive rebounds in the first half and 13 overall.

“Obviously, we're still going to be a work in progress,” he said. “We've got a long ways to go. Really happy to start our energy out of the gate defensively.”

Iowa’s next game is here Friday at 6 p.m. against Western Illinois (0-1).

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