In Cinderella-Less March Madness, Ben McCollum Is Writing Iowa's Fairy Tale
Cinderella has already exited the building.
After a relatively quiet opening round of upsets in the men's 2026 NCAA tournament, the first weekend shattered the storybook dreams of VCU and High Point. Only top programs and power-conference teams advanced to the Sweet 16.
That, however, does not mean a fairy tale can no longer be written. In fact, the winner of this particular showdown—a clash between Big Ten rivals Iowa and Nebraska—was destined to elicit some praise.
Iowa emerged victorious in Houston thanks to a late flurry that fueled the Hawkeyes' dramatic 77-71 win.
Ben McCollum, as a result, has earned a glimmering spotlight.
Two years ago, few people but local fans or basketball diehards had heard of the coach. McCollum, an alum of Division II Northwest Missouri State, began overseeing his alma mater in 2009 and elevated the program into a powerhouse.
After a pair of losing records to begin his tenure, McCollum's teams in Maryville rattled off 13 straight 20-win seasons. The Bearcats won 12 regular-season league crowns, eight conference tourney championships and four national titles—including one in a perfect 38-0 campaign—under McCollum.
Cinderella, he is not. This is not a rags-to-riches story.
But we, the sports universe, love the underdog. We love the outcast who finds beloved status, the little-known coach who climbs the ladder.
Just two months back, we saw Indiana football's Curt Cignetti complete a ridiculous, incredible ascent. He started at D-II school IUP in 2011, worked up to Elon and James Madison, then accepted the IU job. Cignetti instituted his system and culture at a program starved for success and won a national title within two years.
McCollum is a prime example of how great coaches, like Cignetti, can thrive anywhere.
Now, unlike Indiana football, Iowa basketball has a larger history of success. Since the Big Dance expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Hawkeyes have punched a ticket 22 times in those 40 seasons. Fran McCaffery, the predecessor to McCollum, guided Iowa to the NCAA tournament seven times in the last 12 years.
But the veteran coach struggled to win in March. McCaffery's teams failed to reach the second weekend of March Madness in every appearance.
McCaffery certainly was not alone, though. Iowa hadn't secured a spot in the Sweet 16 since 1999—and before that, 1988. Not since the 1987 campaign has an Elite Eight featured the Hawkeyes.
Well, not until Thursday night's win ended that 39-year drought.
Iowa has found its solution to those woes in McCollum, who arrived in Iowa City following a successful year at Drake. He'd taken a handful of players—including star guard Bennett Stirtz, the leader of this Iowa roster—from Northwest to Drake, which posted a 31-4 record with a sweep of the Missouri Valley championships and upset Missouri in the opening round of last season's NCAA tourney.
McCollum repeated the plan at Iowa, bringing along Stirtz, Tavion Banks, Tavion Banks, Cam Manyawu, Isaiah Howard and incoming freshman Tate Sage.
And the results speak for themselves.
Iowa knocked off Clemson last Friday, then stunned top-seeded Florida on Sunday. That alone guaranteed 2025-26 would be remembered as a success for the Hawkeyes, but this victory is now the catalyst of Final Four dreams.
What if?
What if another Big Ten opponent is the perfect matchup? After all, Iowa put a scare into Illinois during the regular season, only losing 75-69. Stirtz and second-round hero Alvaro Folguerias combined to shoot 6-of-21 with a modest 18 points in that previous loss, so what if they bounce back in a rematch?
Yeah, the Hawkeyes will be the underdog. After seeing Illinois clamp down defensively in the triumph over Houston, the Illini look pretty scary, too.
But what if?
That's the foundation of a fairy-tale ending, after all. Iowa is not supposed to be here, holding an opportunity at shaking a 46-year Final Four absence.
No, not after mustering a 2-7 mark to close the regular season or a third-round exit in the Big Ten tournament. Not after Stirtz only connected on 9-of-33 shots in the opening two games, the kind of performances that doomed Iowa all year.
And certainly not with a coach who hadn't led a D-I program until last season.
The beautiful part, as always, is the storyline doesn't need to follow a traditional arc. McCollum is a proven winner, yet college basketball—heck, every sport—is loaded with successful coaches who struggle at the next level.
Iowa was not immune to those challenges, posting a 10-10 conference record and dropping 12 games overall. This is not a perfect team.
At the perfect moment, however, the Hawkeyes are thriving.
McCollum has spearheaded Iowa's unexpected surge, silencing four decades of postseason frustration along the way. Visions of competing for a national title are suddenly dancing in thousands of Black and Gold-loving heads.
In all likelihood, that dream won't be around much longer. As the ninth seed, Iowa undeniably faces the toughest path of all remaining teams.
But what if?
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