AP FILE PHOTO BY NICK ROHLMAN/THE GAZETTE - Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) drives to the basket against Ohio State during a Big Ten Conference basketball game on Feb. 25 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Senior guard Bennett Stirtz headlined the Big Ten Conference postseason honors for the Iowa men’s basketball team when the league announced its 2025-26 all-conference teams Tuesday.

Stirtz earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition from the media and second-team honors from conference coaches after producing one of the league’s most productive seasons. The Liberty, Mo., native averaged 22.2 points per game and ranked among the conference leaders in scoring while also distributing 135 assists during the season. He was the only player nationally to surpass 625 points and 135 assists during the campaign.

Stirtz also received second-team All-Big Ten recognition from The Associated Press and was Iowa’s recipient of the conference’s Sportsmanship Award. He became the first Hawkeye since Kris Murray in 2023 to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors from either the coaches or media.

Stirtz, a 6-foot-4 guard, was a consistent offensive presence for Iowa throughout the season. He recorded 13 games of at least 20 points and three 30-point performances while shooting 50% from the field, 37.3% from 3-point range and 83.9% at the free-throw line.

Across the conference, Yaxel Lendeborg of Michigan earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors from both the coaches and media. Lendeborg led a Michigan team that finished atop the conference standings and also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten first team.

Joining Lendeborg on the coaches’ first team were Keaton Wagler of Illinois, Jeremy Fears Jr. of Michigan State, Braden Smith of Purdue and Pryce Sandfort of Nebraska.

The media’s first team featured a similar group but included Stirtz in place of Sandfort alongside Wagler, Lendeborg, Fears and Smith.

Several players who received first-team consideration were also among the conference’s statistical leaders. Smith continued his reputation as one of the nation’s top point guards with his playmaking ability for Purdue, while Wagler emerged as one of the league’s most productive young scorers for Illinois. Fears guided Michigan State’s backcourt and Lendeborg delivered a strong all-around season that helped Michigan secure the regular-season title.

The All-Big Ten second team selected by coaches included Nick Martinelli of Northwestern, Bruce Thornton of Ohio State, Nick Boyd of Wisconsin, Lamar Wilkerson of Indiana, and Stirtz.

The media’s second team included Martinelli, Thornton and Boyd along with Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara of Michigan.

Wagler was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year by both coaches and media. Michigan center Mara was voted Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches, while Nebraska’s Braden Frager received Sixth Man of the Year honors.

The All-Big Ten third team included Mara, Tyler Bilodeau of UCLA, Hannes Steinbach of Washington, John Blackwell of Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Johnson on the coaches’ ballot, while the media’s third team substituted Wilkerson for Johnson.