Sept. 7, 2011
- Purchase Iowa Men’s Basketball Tickets
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Take the Hawkeyes With You: Iowa Podcasts
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa’s 2011-12 men’s basketball schedule was released today, and it includes eight weekend home dates and 21 regular season appearances on national television.
The Big Ten released the entire schedule, and for the fifth straight season, every league regular season and postseason conference tournament game will be nationally televised. Over 100 contests will be televised nationally on CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or BTN. The Hawkeyes will appear on an ESPN network seven times, the most since the 2006-07 season.
“I feel like we have a balanced schedule and are eager to get started,” said head coach Fran McCaffery. “Twenty two of our 31 regular season games are in the state of Iowa, which allows our fans to watch our team in person.”
Iowa’s eight weekend home dates include five conference games. Weekend home contests are against IPFW (Nov. 26), Brown (Dec. 3), Drake (Dec. 17), Ohio State (Jan. 7), Michigan (Jan. 14), Penn State (Feb. 4), Indiana (Feb. 19) and the season finale against Northwestern (March 3).
The Hawkeyes have 11 weeknight home games, with six of the 11 tipping off at 7 p.m. or sooner.
“Our home crowds were terrific last season,” added McCaffery. “The fans responded to how hard our kids worked, and I believe their support will be even better this year.”
Iowa will have two basketball doubleheaders this season. Hawkeye fans can catch both Lisa Bluder and Fran McCaffery’s squad in their only exhibitions on Nov. 6. The women will play first at 1 p.m. followed by the men at 3:30 p.m. On Dec. 22, Iowa fans can catch another hoops double-dip when the women host Mississippi Valley State at 5 p.m., followed by the men entertaining Boise State at 7:30 p.m.
The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play with seven straight games against teams that participating in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Iowa welcomes Purdue to Iowa City on Dec. 28 to open conference action, followed by a pair of road games at Wisconsin (Dec. 31) and Minnesota (Jan. 4). The Hawkeyes’ game at Wisconsin on New Year’s Eve day will be their first road game outside the state of Iowa in 2011-12. Iowa’s next three games will be against opponents it will only play once. Ohio State will visit Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena Jan. 7, followed by a road contest at Michigan State (Jan. 10) and a home game versus Michigan (Jan. 14). Iowa will play its second game against the Boilermakers Jan. 17 in West Lafayette, Ind., to close out the opening seven-game stretch.
Following a weekend “bye” the Hawkeyes will play three of their next four at home. Iowa will entertain Nebraska (Jan. 26), Minnesota (Feb. 1) and Penn State (Feb. 4), while traveling to Indiana (Jan. 29).
Iowa’s second “bye” is sandwiched between a pair of road games. The Hawkeyes will travel to Northwestern Feb. 9 and then have a week to prepare for Penn State (Feb. 17) in State College, Pa.
The Hoosiers (Feb. 19) and Badgers (Feb. 23) visit Iowa City before the Hawkeyes hit the road for their final two road contests, at Illinois (Feb. 26) and Nebraska (Feb. 29). The Hawkeyes’ game against the Illini in Champaign, Ill., will be the only regular season meeting between the two schools. Iowa concludes the regular season at home against Northwestern (March 3).
Eleven, and possibly 12, of Iowa’s conference games will appear on the BTN. Six Hawkeye conference games will appear on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Iowa home games vs. Nebraska and Penn State, and road contests at Northwestern, Penn State and Nebraska will appear on ESPNU. Iowa’s home game vs. Wisconsin will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2. Iowa’s home game versus Indiana is a television wildcard pick and will be broadcast on either CBS or BTN.
The Big Ten Conference Tournament (March 8-11) will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the fifth straight year, with tournament games airing on BTN, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS. After this season the conference tournament will rotate locations the next four years; Chicago’s United Center will entertain the 2013 Big Ten Tournament before returning to Indianapolis in 2014.
The Hawkeyes will play 19 of their 31 regular season contests at Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ten of Iowa’s 13 non-conference games will be played in Iowa City, while two will be played on the road against in-state schools and one on a neutral court in Des Moines.
Iowa will first hit the hardwood Nov. 6 in an exhibition against NW Missouri State. The regular season tips off on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) when the Hawkeyes welcome Chicago State. Other non-league home games include: North Carolina AT&T (Nov. 14), Northern Illinois (Nov. 17), Campbell (Nov. 23), IPFW (Nov. 26), Clemson (Nov. 29), Brown (Dec. 3), Drake (Dec. 17), Central Arkansas (Dec. 19) and Boise State (Dec. 22). The Big Ten / ACC Challenge game against Clemson will be televised on ESPNU.
Iowa’s two non-Big Ten road games will be at Northern Iowa (Dec. 6) and Iowa State (Dec. 9), while it will play Creighton Nov. 20 in the Dale Howard Classic on a neutral court at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.