May 2, 2006
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Iowa’s men’s basketball team will travel to Blacksburg, VA to meet Virginia Tech Wednesday, Nov. 29 as part of the 2006 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Game time will be 7 p.m. CT. The contest will be televised on ESPNU.
Iowa is 2-3 in the Challenge after a 45-42 win over North Carolina State last season in Iowa City. Iowa lost to Maryland, in Baltimore, in 2000, defeated Georgia Tech in 2001 in Iowa City, lost at Florida State in 2003 and lost to Duke in Chicago in 2002. Iowa did not take part in the event in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Iowa and Virginia Tech will be meeting for the first time.
“Taking part in this event is exciting and challenging,” said Iowa Coach Steve Alford. “We knew we would be on the road this season and Virginia Tech will be a tough opponent. Seth Greenberg is a veteran coach who has done a good job in each of his previous stops as a head coach. Tech will feature a veteran team that gained valuable experience a year ago during its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
The Hokies posted a 14-16 record a year ago and return all five starters. Guard Zabian Dowdell and center Coleman Collins each earned honorable mention all-ACC honors last season. VA Tech lost at Ohio State (69-56) in the 2005 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Tech plays its home games at Cassell Coliseum (9,847).
Coach Seth Greenberg has posted a 45-44 record in three seasons at Virginia Tech and his overall record stands at 258-214 in 16 seasons. Greenberg joined the Virginia Tech staff from South Florida and previously was the head coach at Long Beach State. Greenberg’s Long Beach State team was defeated by Iowa 110-79 in the title game of the 2003 Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City.
Iowa posted a 25-9 record last season, compiling the second highest victory total in school history. Iowa earned its sixth straight post-season appearance after a sixth straight winning season. The Hawkeyes placed second in the Big Ten during the regular season before winning the post-season tournament and making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa returns five lettermen and two starters from a year ago, including senior guards Adam Haluska and Mike Henderson. Haluska ranked second on the team in scoring (13.9) and rebounding (4.7) last season, earning third team all-Big Ten and academic all-America recognition.
Henderson started all 34 games, averaging 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds. He ranked second on the team with 38 steals and led the Hawkeyes in three-point field goal percentage (.464).
For the second straight year, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge includes 11 games over a three-day period.