Sage played like an upperclassmen during Iowa's Elite Eight Run
Iowa men's basketball needed its whole roster to come through if it wanted to make an NCAA tournament run, and it did just that.
Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, and of course Alvaro Folgueiras were the main headliners during that improbable Elite Eight run that no Hawkeye fan will soon forget, but they weren't the only players that helped guide Iowa to its March moment.
Cooper Koch was one of them, but let's not forget about Tate Sage.
The freshman wasn't expected to be much of a contributor for the 2026 Hawkeyes, but as the year wore on, he blossomed into much more than just a contributor.
Here's Sage's 2025-26 season grade:
The rundown
Hindsight is 20/20, but it's pretty remarkable that we all overlooked Sage before the season. The Weatherford, Oklahoma native came to Iowa with only three Division I offers - none were from Power Four teams.
Sage was originally committed to Ben McCollum at Drake, but jumped to Iowa City after McCollum was named the Hawkeyes' head coach in March 2025.
Looking back, it was too obvious that Sage would be a great player before he even stepped foot in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. McCollum is well-known for developing guards that weren't highly recruited out of high school, with a notable example being Sage's teammate Bennett Stirtz.
Sage's goal was to prove his doubters wrong, and it's safe to say he accomplished that. Though he was just a freshman, the moment never seemed too big for Sage.
His coming out party was a narrow loss against in-state rival Iowa State on Dec. 11. Sage only scored eight points in that game, but made enough plays on both sides of the floor to keep the Cyclones from pulling away.
Sage remained a steady presence for the rest of the season, posting 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. When Iowa needed a spark plug off the bench, Sage was the man to provide it.
But when the Hawkeyes needed a bucket in the most crucial moment of the most crucial game of the season, Sage delivered. He was knocking down shots throughout Iowa's Sweet 16 game against rival Nebraska, but he nailed a three with just over a minute left to give the Hawkeyes a two-possession lead.
Sage finished with 19 points (4-of-7 from deep) in Iowa's victory, and it's games like those that should excite Hawkeye fans next season.
Sage couldn't have asked for a better freshman campaign, and Iowa couldn't have asked for more from him. Another year under McCollum will only help Sage blossom into one of the Big Ten's best guards.
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Grade: B+
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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