Fran McCaffery: Owen Freeman is ‘playing at an incredibly high level’
Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery meets with the media on July 15, 2024.
IOWA CITY — Iowa men’s basketball officially announced its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season on Wednesday.
Here is a look at the Hawkeyes‘ opponents, along with the dates and locations of the matchups.
- Exhibition vs. Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 25 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- Texas A&M Commerce on Nov. 4 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- Southern on Nov. 7 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- South Dakota on Nov. 12 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- Washington State on Nov. 15 (Vibrant Arena in Moline, Illinois)
- Rider University on Nov. 19 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- Utah State on Nov. 22, 2024 (T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri)
- USC Upstate on Nov. 26 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- Iowa State on Dec. 12, 2024 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- University of New Orleans on Dec. 15, 2024 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
- University of Utah on Dec. 21, 2024 (Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
- University of New Hampshire on Dec. 30, 2024 (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
More: Iowa basketball: Josh Dix on the offseason, taking another major step as junior
On paper, the quartet of opponents that stick out is Iowa State, Washington State, Utah and Utah State — the latter three of which are on neutral courts (though Iowa should have a heavy presence at least for the Washington State game).
Utah State could provide an early season test in November. The Aggies made the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons, both times under a different coach. There is more turnover in the program again as Jerrod Calhoun, who spent the last seven seasons as the head man at Youngstown State, is entering his first campaign coaching at Utah State.
Iowa State is coming off a fantastic season under coach T. J. Otzelberger as the Cyclones program has built significant momentum in Ames. Not only is it a rivalry, but it’s also a chance for Iowa to pick up a marquee non-conference win. Iowa State thoroughly dominated Iowa in last season’s matchup at Hilton Coliseum.
Utah presents another power conference opponent. It hasn’t been long since the programs met as the Utes ended the Hawkeyes’ 2023-24 season, beating Iowa, 91-82, in the second round of the NIT.
Iowa plays both Iowa State and Utah in a 10-day stretch, which could provide a gauge for where the Hawkeyes stand in December.
Notably, Iowa doesn’t play any true road games on its 2024 non-conference schedule.
The Big Ten previously announced single and double-play conference opponents for the 2024-25 men’s basketball regular season but hasn’t released exact dates yet. Here is a look at the Hawkeyes‘ Big Ten opponents:
- Home only: Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington
- Away only: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
- Home and away: Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin
After a lackluster 2023-24 campaign in which Iowa failed to make the NCAA Tournament, the Hawkeyes gained momentum this offseason. Iowa retained key contributors, such as Owen Freeman, Josh Dix and, after going through the 2024 pre-NBA Draft process, Payton Sandfort. Iowa also landed a pair of transfer portal additions in Drew Thelwell (Morehead State) and Seydou Traore (Manhattan).
More: Why Drew Thelwell transferred to Iowa men’s basketball from Morehead State
The work head coach Fran McCaffery and company have done this offseason has heightened expectations for the program entering the 2024-25 campaign.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
