After adding two transfers, Iowa men's basketball's head coach is right back to work scheduling a marquee opponent to his non-conference schedule.
Even after some of his most satisfying wins, Iowa men's basketball head coach Ben McCollum rarely cracks a smile.
His goal is to obviously win games, but once the mission is accomplished it's back to work preparing for the next opponent.
That mentality was shown during Iowa's remarkable Elite Eight run this past season, and it's why the Hawkeyes could be poised for bigger success down the road.
It's too early to break down the 2026-27 team, but there's one aspect we can look forward to throughout the summer - the slow unfolding of Iowa's schedule. The full Big Ten slate won't be released until the fall, but most of the Hawkeyes' non-conference foes should be rolled out by the end of the summer.
In-state rival Iowa State and Big East foe Xavier - the return trip to Cincinnati is part of a home-and-home with the Musketeers - are already some of the highlights on the schedule, but another high-profile opponent was added late Monday evening.
Just before the clock struck midnight on May 4, From the Hawkeye of the Storm, an Iowa podcast and postgame show on YouTube, reported that McCollum and the Hawkeyes have added Creighton to the schedule.
The contest will take place on Nov. 15 at the Casey's Center (formerly Wells Fargo Arena) in Des Moines. It will be the second consecutive time Iowa will play a game in the capital city, but the stakes of this game will mean so much more.
The Hawkeyes played Bucknell in Des Moines last year, but the Dec. 20 matchup didn't have much enthusiasm to it. Though a good crowd was on hand, Iowa already had the game out of hand by halftime.
There's a lot of unknowns with this Creighton matchup, but this will be a key game for both teams.
The Bluejays are entering year one under new head coach Alan Huss, who replaced longtime coach Greg McDermott in the offseason, and look to return to Big East contention after a one-year NCAA absence.
Meanwhile, Iowa looks to build off its Elite Eight run with an early statement victory. Since this game will take place in early November, it's probably the first real test for both of these teams.
We won't have a clearer picture of this Hawkeye team until the fall, but this is another really good scheduling move by McCollum. Playing cupcakes will bank wins, but it really doesn't help your NCAA tournament seed.
Creighton would have to be a good team for the Hawkeyes to maintain a Quadrant 1 win on their resume, but at minimum, this gives Iowans that normally can't travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena a chance to watch their team in person.
Connecting with the fanbase was one of McCollum's main goals when he took the Iowa job, and he expressed his willingness to play higher-profile games on neutral sites to help make that happen during my interview with him last summer.
McCollum isn't messing around, folks.
Looking for a FREE Hawkeyes community?
Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.
Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!
Missed the Caitlin Clark jersey giveaway?
No problem! Become a FREE HawkeyeRoundtable community member today to have a chance to win future Hawkeye prizes! We'll continue the giveaways throughout the year and may or may not have one coming later this month, so stay tuned!
HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io