Grand Canyon, Iowa Preview of Men’s Basketball: Hawkeyes Look Acrisure Classic Title Against Growing Lopes Iowa’s victory over Ole Miss on Tuesday night was short-lived. The unbeaten Hawkeyes are back on the court in Palm Springs less than a day after winning 74–69, and this time, a trophy is at stake. The Acrisure Classic championship game between Iowa (6-0) and Grand Canyon (4-2) will begin tonight at Acrisure Arena at 8:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
Iowa is in a familiar stage early in the season, but this time the winning team is different. The Hawkeyes have focused on efficiency, discipline, and timely shot-making under first-year head coach Ben McCollum. They also required all three on Tuesday. Stirtz continues to be hot.
Bennett Stirtz, who scored 29 points against the Rebels, has been Iowa’s most reliable player thus far. He made six of eight threes and raised his season average to 19.5 points per game. He didn’t just shoot well; he did so with the confidence of a seasoned player in total control. He is currently 15-of-28 from beyond the arc through six games, a scorching 53.6 percent that is making defenses work extremely hard to contain him. Cooper Koch gave the Hawkeyes the kind of frontcourt presence they’ll need as conference play draws near with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Even though Ole Miss attempted to force a chaotic finish, his board work was particularly crucial on Tuesday, helping Iowa maintain tempo control in the final moments.
Once more, the Hawkeyes had outstanding basketball cleanliness. Only one of their seven turnovers occurred in the second half. Iowa has remained in the single digits in that category for the third time this season; early in the McCollum era, this is starting to become a quiet calling card. McCollum’s tighter rotation against Ole Miss might be a sign of things to come in games with greater competition. Due to the staff’s heavy reliance on experience and consistency, freshmen Trevin Jirak and Tate Sage only played a combined seven minutes.
Grand Canyon Scouting After defeating Utah 68–58 on Tuesday, Grand Canyon has a very different kind of victory under its belt. The Lopes were outrebounded 40–33 and only shot 39.7% from the field. They finished 0-of-10 from beyond the arc, not even making a single three-pointer. Nevertheless, they were in charge of the game. How? turnovers. Utah coughed it up fourteen times. Only six were given away by GCU. This matchup is intriguing because both Iowa and Grand Canyon are very good at protecting the basketball. It might depend on which team bends first tonight.
The GCU group has already undergone testing. The Lopes have defeated Utah and other teams, but Youngstown State and Saint Louis have also defeated them. Although they have struggled with consistency, their elite talent is strong enough to keep them competitive every night. Go ahead Leading the Lopes at 17 points per game is Jaden Henley, a 6-foot-7 matchup puzzle on his fourth college stop. He scored eighteen against Utah, and Iowa’s wings will need to cling to his combination of size and fluidity.
Nanu Owusu-Anane, a 6-foot-8 forward in his fifth year who transferred from Brown, is another well-known player to keep an eye on. He gives GCU stability around the rim and is flirting with a double-double average of 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. An overview of the past and the issues involved Although there has only been one previous meeting between these teams, Iowa supporters have vivid memories of it. The Hawkeyes defeated the Lopes 78–64 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. Despite having a completely different roster and coaching staff, it is still Iowa’s most recent NCAA Tournament triumph.
Obviously, tonight doesn’t have the same weight as March. However, it does provide Iowa the opportunity to win an early-season title, maintain their unblemished record, and build momentum for their Big Ten opener against Michigan State on Tuesday. Events in the early season might occasionally feel like dress rehearsals. This one feels more like an identification check for Iowa. If the shots don’t go in, can the Hawkeyes still win? If the pace slows, can they continue to be effective? Can their defense withstand the tough, self-assured GCU team?
We’ll find out soon enough. It is already evident that Iowa has adopted a new strategy and is playing with the assurance of a team that anticipates victory rather than merely hopes for it. And they have a chance to add some hardware to that expanding conviction tonight.
