Iowa Star Bennett Stirtz Uses March Madness Platform to ‘Give Glory to God’
The point guard who propelled Iowa to a stunning upset and led the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16 told a TV audience Sunday his goal is to use his platform to glorify God.
Bennett Stirtz struggled behind the 3-point arc but nevertheless finished with 13 points and five assists as ninth-seeded Iowa shocked the basketball world with a 73-72 win over No. 1 seed Florida in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The so-called experts said Iowa would lose by about 10 points – but instead the Hawkeyes punched their ticket to a third-round matchup with Nebraska in what is Iowa’s first Sweet 16 berth since 1999.
Most importantly, Stirtz set up the game-winner in the final moments, racing past Florida defenders with Iowa trailing 72-70 and then passing to teammate Alvaro Folgueiras, who drained a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left.
“Win or lose, give glory to God. He gave me a platform, I just wanna go use it for Him.”
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) March 23, 2026
- Iowa G Bennett Stirtz after there upset win over defending champion Florida pic.twitter.com/9VQyqJM3Aj
“Win or lose – give glory to God,” Stirtz told TBS after the game. “He gave me a platform. I just want to go use it for Him.”
The 6-foot-4 Stirtz earned first-team Big Ten honors in March after averaging 20.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He began his college career at Northwest Missouri State, where he played two seasons before transferring to Drake and guiding the Bulldogs to an NCAA appearance and first-round win in 2024-25. Each step of the way, he followed coach Ben McCollum, who began at Northwest Missouri State before taking jobs at Drake and then Iowa.
Stirtz has grown into an NBA prospect, but his father told Sports Spectrum his character and foundation have remained unchanged.
“He’s had one girlfriend in his life. He’s driven one vehicle in his life,” Roger Stirtz told the magazine. “He’s extremely loyal. It might not look like you’re loyal when you go to three different schools in your college career, but he’s committed to a coach and a system.”
The Hawkeye guard said his faith blossomed when he moved away from home and began attending school at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo.
“That’s really where my faith and my relationship with Jesus just started to strengthen because I went to Him every day,” he said. “In high school, to be honest, I didn’t really do that. I just started getting in the Word every day.”
He told Sports Spectrum he turned down more NIL money at other schools to stay at Iowa.
“Money is never going to satisfy you,” he said. “Fame will never satisfy you. Nothing in this world is going to satisfy you except for God.”
ARE. YOU. JOKING.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2026
IOWA LEADS. THIS IS MARCH. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sNDHTqaGj1
Iowa will face Nebraska on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST on TBS.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images / Mike Carlson / Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published March 23, 2026.
