By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It almost seems fitting that Ben McCollum will coach against the legendary Tom Izzo in McCollum’s first Big Ten game as the Iowa head coach.

Because Izzo is what McCollum aspires to be; a homegrown head coach who landed his dream job and then built a program that is now amongst the very best in college basketball and has been for over two decades.

McCollum also would never duck a challenge.

So he figures why not start in arguably the toughest road environment in the Big Ten, and against the defending Big Ten regular-season champion.

“If you’re going to start the league off why not go to the champs,” McCollum said. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to. Just to straight to it. We’re going to go straight to the action. We’re not starting with someone that’s in a different environment. A lot of the environments are big time, but we’re not starting there. We’re starting at the biggest one, outside of them, Purdue, and a few others that really create a home-court advantage. We’re going to the defending champs and obviously, one of the toughest places to play in America.”

Some head coachers would maybe prefer an easier conference opener, but McCollum seems to relish the opportunity to compete against one of the true coaching icons in college basketball.

McCollum should learn a lot about his team over the next three games as Iowa will face Maryland on Saturday in Iowa City before traveling to Ames to play Iowa State on Dec. 11.

To kick off this three-game stretch with a win at Michigan State would certainly be step in the right direction.

But of course, that will be much easier said than done with Izzo and the Spartans standing in the way.

Tuesday’s Big Ten opener will match a coaching legend versus a coach on the rise.

Izzo grew up in northern Michigan, while McCollum was born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake.

How they climbed the coaching ladder couldn’t be much different as Izzo was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Jud Heathcote retired as the Michigan State head coach in 1995, whereas McCollum spent 14 seasons as the head coach for Northwest Missouri State, where he won four Division II national titles, and then this past season at Drake, where he led the Bulldogs to a 31-4 record and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Izzo started as a high school coach in 1977 and then moved to his alma mater, Northern Michigan, where he was an assistant coach from 1979 to 1983.

He then joined the Michigan State staff in 1983 and has been coaching in East Lansing, Michigan ever since.

Izzo has led Michigan State to eight Finals Fours, and to the national title in 2000. He also has won 11 Big Ten regular-season titles and six Big Ten Tournament titles.

His current team is 7-0 and ranked 11th nationally heading into Tuesday’s game against Iowa at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Michigan State has three wins over ranked opponents in November, defeating No. 14 Arkansas (69-66), No. 12 Kentucky (83-66) in New York City and No. 18 North Carolina (74-58) in Fort Myers.

The Spartans are 4-0 inside the Breslin Center this season.

Michigan State also has one the most visible and spirited student sections in the country known as the Izzone, which consists of roughly 5,000 members, seated in both the lower and upper bowls of the Breslin Center.

“Obviously, they’re one the best and most consistent programs in the country, close to the most consistent” McCollum said of Michigan State. “I think he obviously gets extreme effort out of his players. They’ve created an environment that is very difficult to play in. And obviously, they compete at the highest level.”

McCollum grew up as an Iowa fan, but he also admires and respects what Izzo has accomplished in East Lansing.

“I’ve watched their teams for quite a few years and know what we’re up against and know how powerful they are as a program and how good this team is,” McCollum said.

Michigan State has four players averaging in double figures: Jaxon Kohler (14.6), Jeremy Fears, Jr., (12.0), Coen Carr (10.7) and Carson Cooper (10.6).

The Hawkeyes are 20-47 all-time in East Lansing, but Iowa has won two of the last three games at the Breslin Center.

But those two wins came under previous head coach Fran McCaffery, who was fired the day after last season ended after 14 years on the job.

McCollum was hired barely a week after McCaffery was let go, and six of his players from Drake would follow McCollum to Iowa, including star point guard Bennett Stirtz.

And so far, it’s been a success with Iowa 7-0 and coming off two wins over Ole Miss (74-69) and Grand Canyon (59-46) in the Acrisure Classic this past week in Palm Springs, California. McCollum is the fourth Iowa coach all-time to open his tenure with seven consecutive wins — the first since Dr. Tom Davis in the 1986-87 season.

Since the start of last season, McCollum has a 38-4 overall record.

He also has one of the top collegiate point guards in the country in the 6-foot-4 Stirtz, who leads Iowa with an 18.6 scoring average and with 38 assists.

Stirtz played for McCollum as a freshman and sophomore at Northwest Missouri State, and at Drake last season where Stirtz was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.

Michigan State also has a talented point guard in Jeremy Fears Jr., who is averaging 12 points per contest.

McCollum was asked Monday if Stirtz has ever faced a point guard like Fears, and if Stirtz’s demeanor has changed in preparation for this matchup?

“Second question first; no, he always prepares the same way,” McCollum said of Stirtz. “It’s not something that has created any level of urgency that he doesn’t already have.

“First question; yeah, he’s faced plenty of good guards throughout his career, and obviously, this summer, too, going to all those NBA things and the Chris Paul camp and what not. He’s faced quite a few guards.”

Iowa (7-0) vs. Michigan State (7-0)

When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Where: East Lansing, Michigan, Breslin Center (15,000)

Stream: Peacock

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

Series history: Tuesday’s game is the 139th in the all-time series that dates back to 1937. The Spartans lead the series, 78-60. Iowa has won five of the last seven dating back to the 2020-21 season. The Spartans won in Iowa City last season, winning 91-84 on March 6.

The Hawkeyes are 20-47 all-time in East Lansing, but Iowa has won two of the last three games at the Breslin Center.

Iowa won 88-58 on Feb. 13, 2021, fell 63-61 in 2023 and was victorious, 78-71, in its last game in East Lansing on Feb. 20, 2024