Iowa guard Peyton McCollum dribbles the ball in the basketball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Eastern Illinois Panthers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. McCollum had 14 points coming off of the bench. Iowa defeated Eastern Illinois 91-47.(Travis Crabb/The Daily Iowan)
The Hawkeyes officially have a real test on the horizon. Iowa travels to the far west side of the Heartland state to take on Virginia Tech in Sioux City, Iowa.
Opponent Preview
The Hokies are on a four-year NCAA Tournament drought. However, this team looks like it has a very good chance to snap that streak. They bring back their top two players from last year’s squad, which went 19-13 and finished just outside the NCAA Tournament bubble. This season, Virginia Tech sits ninth in the preseason ACC Poll which is right in the middle of a solid Conference.
Watching tape on Virginia Tech, it’s clear their favorite offensive possession is getting the ball on the block for Amani Hansberry. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior is as physical as they come in college basketball. Every time he gets the ball in the post, his goal is to overpower his defender and get to his left-handed hook shot.
Andrew McKeever is questionable for this matchup, which will worry a lot of Iowa fans given the challenge Hansberry presents down low. Looking back at McKeever’s tape from Saint Mary’s, this is the exact type of matchup he often struggled with. Strong, physical forwards just like Hansberry were able to knock him off his spot and finish around the basket which made McKeever somewhat of a liability defensively.
That’s why I believe this matchup is perfect for Cam Manyawu. Manyawu is Iowa’s more physical big man, and he’s likely better equipped to handle a player like Hansberry who is still an inch shorter than him. Regardless of McKeever’s availability, Manyawu is going to have to play a huge role in this matchup against Virginia Tech. We have seen Cam take a back seat in these first couple games to let the younger guys get a better feel. It is imperative that he steps up in this game.
Ben Hammond Leads the Backcourt
The Hokies also deploy Ben Hammond in their starting five, an undersized 5-foot-11 point guard who averaged 13.2 points per game last season. Hammond is off to a strong start this year, averaging 18 points and six assists per game. He is very quick and can really shoot it. 43.2 percent from three last season with some serious ability to get downhill and finish at the rim. He is also an absolute pest on the defensive side of the ball. Hammond’s twelve steals through the first two games of the season is good for top in the country. Kael Combs and Ty’Reek Coleman need to limit what he can do defensively by taking care of the basketball and limiting live ball turnovers especially.
Next to Hammond in the backcourt is another really fun guard to watch in 6-foot-1 senior Jaylen Curry. He is very quick with the ability to get his shot off extremely quickly as well as on the move. He has had a great start to the season for Virginia Tech averaging 16.5 ppg early on. His numbers from years past show a lack of consistency with his field goal percentages which is not surprising when you see his shot selection. It will be very important to not allow Jaylen Curry to get his shot going early on. He is a volume shooter and if you let him get hot it could really be an issue for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa’s Guards Face a Challenge
One of the most overlooked aspects of Iowa’s team is its on-ball defense. Isaia Howard, Peyton McCollum, Jaidyn Coon, Kael Combs, and Ty’Reek Coleman are all high-level on-ball defenders who can make opposing guards work for every possession. This is the game for them to prove it. Virginia Tech has some really good guard play that can cause issues for any team and is a big reason that they could surprise people this year.
Controlling the Tempo
Virginia Tech is a very athletic basketball team. They like to use that athleticism to get out and run in transition. Iowa can’t get sped up in a game like this. It is important for the Hawkeyes to play at their pace. The Hokies are going to want to play fast and speed up the tempo of this game. Controlling the tempo is going to be huge in this matchup.
Final Thoughts
It is overall going to be a really fun game to watch. Virginia Tech has a fun team to watch with their guard play and speed and regardless of the outcome it is going to be a good experience for Iowa to go up against this talented Hokies team early in the season to see where they are really at.
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