Iowa opens the long awaited new season at 7:00 PM Tuesday night as the Hawkeyes welcome Lipscomb to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Bisons are coming off a 19-13 season under first-year head coach Kevin Carroll and enter the year with even higher expectations.

Opponent

Lipscomb was picked third in the A-Sun preseason poll, but the Bisons will be looking to replace a significant amount of production from last year’s team. They return just one starter, with 6-foot-4 guard Titas Sargiunas leading the returning group after averaging 9.7 points per game off the bench last season. Despite the roster turnover, Lipscomb enters Iowa City as a group capable of testing the Hawkeyes in game one.

One player Iowa fans should keep an eye on is former Oregon guard Takai Simpkins. The experienced Big Ten guard averaged 12.5 points per game last season and has already proven he can be a problem for the Hawkeyes. When Iowa faced Oregon on February 1, 2026, Simpkins posted 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists. His ability to create offense will be one of the key storylines to watch in the season opener.

This will be the first meeting between Iowa and Lipscomb in program history. When I spoke with Trey Thompson, he told me this is a game he has had circled on his calendar for a while. Not only is it the season opener, but it also carries a little extra meaning for Thompson, who is from Tennessee, the home state of Lipscomb University.

Lipscomb will also be playing in a rare college basketball back-to-back, something worth keeping an eye on heading into the Tuesday night matchup. The Bisons travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to take on SEMO on Monday at 6:30 p.m. before hustling over to Iowa City for another game just over 24 hours later. It will be interesting to see if the quick turnaround has any impact on Lipscomb’s energy going into the back end of a back-to-back as already massive underdogs.

What To Watch For

Ben McCollum spoke about the health of Andrew McKeever during his presser today. He said McKeever is still a little dinged up but is expected to play. However, there seemed to be some hesitation in Ben’s answer, which has led some fans to speculate that McKeever could miss game one. I would certainly expect McKeever to play. We saw limited action from Andrew in the exhibition vs Illinois-Springfield due to the injury, so it would not be surprising to see his minutes restricted in this matchup.

Guard play is where Lipscomb is at its best, making it essential for Iowa’s backcourt to be locked in defensively from the opening tip. Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, and Ty’Reek Coleman need to set the tone early and make life difficult for the Bisons’ guards. One interesting takeaway from the exhibition game was Payton McCollum playing more than half the game and checking in around the 16-minute mark of the first half. After the game, Ben McCollum explained that some of his rotations were influenced by Illinois-Springfield’s personnel. That leads me to believe Payton was used heavily because UIS struggled in the backcourt, allowing him to apply pressure and create discomfort for their guards. Against a team with stronger guard play, I expect Payton McCollum’s minutes to be trimmed back, likely settling somewhere around 14 minutes.

Tate Sage needs to establish himself early in his sophomore season. Hawkeye fans have seen flashes of his scoring ability dating back to last year, and his offseason development has only added to the excitement surrounding him. There has been buzz both around the Big Ten and nationally that Sage could emerge as a major contributor for Iowa this season. Tomorrow is a great opportunity for him to make an early statement. A player with his talent and scoring ability should have no problem getting to double-digit shot attempts on a nightly basis. Expect to see Sage involved in plenty of handoff actions around the perimeter as Coach McCollum looks to put him in positions to succeed offensively. It’s important that he takes advantage of those opportunities and plays aggressively from the start.

Prediction

Iowa 86, Lipscomb 61

Pick To Click

Tate Sage