By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The first week of the season for Iowa’s men’s basketball team had contrasting bookend wins.

The opening win over Robert Morris couldn’t have gone any better. Friday’s 77-58 win over Western Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena had its flaws, and that’s OK, coach Ben McCollum said.

“I’m actually more proud of this game than the first game,” McCollum said. “I think it’s more difficult for a team when you’re not totally teed up, and I thought we were pretty teed up, but it wasn’t like it was the other day.”

McCollum credited the game plan of the Leathernecks (0-2), who did enough things on both ends of the court to gum up the Hawkeyes at times.

“I didn’t think I was the best coach in the world today, but I was really proud of the fact that we weren’t at our best, and we still won the game,” McCollum said.

Iowa shot 52% from the field for the game and committed just seven turnovers while having 21 assists on 26 field goals.

The takeaways from Friday’s win:

Folgueiras is comfortable

Alvaro Folgueiras was projected as a starter for the Hawkeyes this season, but has come off the bench in the first two games.

He’s still logging significant minutes — he played almost 27 minutes in this game — and he’s providing plenty of lift when he gets in there.

Folgueiras finished with 13 points, adding in five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

“I feel good. I feel comfortable,” Folgueiras, a transfer from Robert Morris, said. “People on the team really trust my option on offense.”

“He brings a ton of energy,” guard Isaia Howard said. “He brings a different aspect of the game. He can do a little bit of everything.”

McCollum knows Folgueiras could be a starter — he did start the second half in this game.

“He’s a competitor,” Folgueiras said. “And he’s worked really hard. We have high expectations for him. You know, I think his talent says that he could be starting. The cool part about him is that it’s like, ‘I want to earn this, and I want to get in there and do that.’ and then when you challenge him he’s just like that. And so he’s seen the work that he’s put in the weight room, the conditioning on the floor, all that attitude, all those things … he’s got a good attitude, but just getting it redirected, he’s seeing the results of that now. And so hopefully he continues to progress.”

Stirtz time is all the time

Point guard Bennett Stirtz played all 40 minutes, which isn’t a surprise, considering he averaged 39.3 minutes per game last year for McCollum at Drake.

It didn’t seem to bother him — Stirtz had a game-high 24 points and seven assists without committing a turnover.

Asked if Stirtz gets tired, McCollum said, “I don’t want to ask him. I don’t know. Maybe he’s used to it. He’s done it for three years now. He’s what, 22 years old? I’m 40 something, and so I probably couldn’t do that. But when you’re 22, why can’t you go play? You’ve only got so many games in your college career, you might as well go play.

The same lineup … for now

McCollum stuck with the same starting lineup as the first game — Stirtz, Howard, Cam Manyawu, Tavion Banks and Cooper Koch.

The way the Hawkeyes played in the second half with Folgueiras starting — they held the Leathernecks to six field goals on 27% shooting — a taller lineup might be something McCollum considers.

“I don’t know for a fact, but I think going forward, we might have to play more two-big lineups,” he said. “I don’t know yet. I don’t know. We’re still work in progress. We’re still trying to figure it out. So if you guys got suggestions…”

Photo: Iowa coach Ben McCollum diagrams a play during a timeout in Friday’s win over Western Illinois. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)