IOWA CITY — During Drake’s 31-4 run last season, there was a near-constant presence on the court.

There are a variety of numbers that stand out when looking at Bennett Stirtz’s output for the Bulldogs. The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 39.5 percent from deep.

And then there’s Stirtz’s playing time.

He rarely came off the floor.

Stirtz appeared in all 35 of Drake’s contests last season, averaging 39.4 minutes per game. The Bulldogs went to overtime on five occasions, so there were five games in which Stirtz played more than the typical allotment of 40 minutes.

It begs the question: Can Stirtz be a marathon man for Iowa basketball?

“It’s always open for debate, but we’ve done this f

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