Attacking the transfer portal and grabbing a true five will be crucial for Ben McCollum and the Hawkeyes.
Ben McCollum and Iowa men's basketball deserve a long break, but the landscape of college athletics won't give the Hawkeyes much time off.
Why? Because the transfer portal opens on April 7. Over 2,000 players entered the portal last season, and that number could see an increase in 2026 - which might include some entries from Iowa City.
The opening of the portal means I get to use my favorite saying - portal kombat. Buckle up, because the offseason never ends.
In all seriousness, what does a successful offseason look like for Iowa basketball? The momentum this program has is something it hasn't had since the 1980s, so there's a lot of pressure on McCollum and this staff to beef up the roster for 2027 and beyond.
Without further adieu, here's my offseason wish list for Iowa basketball:
Get a true big man out of the portal
McCollum and his players admitted Illinois' size overwhelmed them in the paint, and they were correct. The Fighting Illini out-rebounded the Hawkeyes 38-21, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second-chance points. Iowa's played with fire all season, but it's biggest weakness was ultimately its downfall in the regional final.
As clutch as Alvaro Folgueiras was in the NCAA tournament, the 6-foot-9 forward was just too undersized to be considered the go-to big man against a tall Illinois lineup. Cam Manyawu also falls into the same bout despite making hustle plays every night.
"[We] need some size. It just was hard. It is a tough game. That's another part of it," McCollum said. "Tough game for out for altitude is the size down there. Cam, such a big body, and so he's just strong. And Al was just, it was hard because he had to play the five. We just don't have a true five."
Retaining talent will be important for the Hawkeyes (more on that in a second), but securing a versatile center (ideally 6-foot-11 or taller) will be crucial for Iowa in 2026-27.
Retain as much talent as possible
While Hawkeye fans may be unhappy with some of the current pieces of this roster, it's hard to emphasize how important retaining a roster is. Will some of Iowa's role players likely see decreased playing time or transfer? It's definitely a possibility, but there's no reason why McCollum should kick guys that have stayed loyal to him to the curb, and he's already stated numerous times on record that he wants to build a program similar to his football counterpart - Kirk Ferentz.
It's wild to expect a team compiled with Drake transfers to immediately adjust to Big Ten basketball. It's like learning how to drive a car - you'll start slow but quickly get better with time.
"Hopefully we'll be able to retain as much as we can," McCollum said. "I think this time of year is always tricky, but I feel pretty good about quite a few of them."
More guard depth
This one goes hand-in-hand with the other two bullet points here. Isaia Howard and Kael Combs are two valuable pieces for the Hawkeyes moving forward, but Iowa is going to need a point guard to replace Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz is irreplaceable, but playing for McCollum could be an easy sell for a talented guard looking for a Power Four role.
Having someone to run the offense will be necessary, but that shouldn't be the only thing McCollum and Co. should look for. The Hawkeyes desperately need perimeter shooting to balance the offense, something they missed against Illinois (11-for-30 from distance).
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