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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s basketball team will play at Virginia Tech as part of the 2017 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The announcement was made Thursday. Game date, time, and television details will be announced later this summer.
Iowa has won three of its last four Challenge games by five points or less. Iowa topped Notre Dame (98-93) in Iowa City in 2013, won at No. 12 North Carolina (60-55) in 2014, and outlasted Florida State (78-75) in overtime in Iowa City in 2015. The Hawkeyes dropped a 92-78 decision to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, a year ago.
This will be the Hawkeyes’ fourth meeting against the Hokies, all as part of the Challenge, with Virginia Tech winning the three previous contests: 69-65 in Blacksburg in 2006; 70-64 in Iowa City in 2009; and 95-79 in Blacksburg in 2012.
This will mark Iowa’s 17th appearance in the 19-year history of the Challenge and first time that the Hawkeyes will play back-to-back road games. Iowa and Ohio State are the only Big Ten schools not to have played consecutive road games since the Challenge began in 1999; Nebraska and Rutgers also have not yet played back-to-back road games but joined the Challenge in 2011 and 2014, respectively.
“With the nature of this event, there comes a time in the rotation when teams are to play consecutive road games,” said UI head coach Fran McCaffery. “It is our turn to do so this season. We have a great deal of respect for Virginia Tech and look forward to the challenge. This game will no doubt strengthen our schedule and be another test for us away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena early in the season.”
Iowa finished the 2016-17 season with a 19-15 overall record. The Hawkeyes return 12 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year’s squad that finished 19-15 overall, tied for fifth place in the Big Ten and advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Virginia Tech posted a 22-11 record, tied for seventh in the ACC with a 10-8 league mark, and lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
The ACC won last year’s Challenge by the count of 9-5, to regain possession of the Commissioners Cup. The Big Ten has won five of the last eight Challenges (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015). The ACC and Big Ten split the 2012 and 2013 Challenges, with each conference notching six victories.