What Stands Out About Iowa Basketball's Big Ten Schedule? Instant Takeaways

The Iowa Hawkeyes are taking the next step on the court and in the Big Ten conference, with a Big Ten schedule seeing them with favorable time slots.

Mar 19, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum looks on during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ben McCollum is entering his second year as the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, which means it's time to go from the Cinderella story to a consistent contender.

McCollum has hit the transfer portal hard, brought in some highly-touted freshmen, and returns quite a bit of production. Still, the majority of the production left the program with Bennett Stirtz's departure to the NBA.

How Iowa handles that will be a big sign, especially in Big Ten play. The Big Ten conference slate for the Hawkeyes is out, and it's time to look into the draw.

Iowa's Big Ten Schedule

Home: Indiana (12/7), Ohio State (1/2), Wisconsin (1/6), Maryland (1/9), Penn State (1/23), Nebraska (1/30), Oregon (2/10), Michigan State (2/16), Minnesota (2/27), Washington (3/2)

Away: Purdue (12/1), Rutgers (1/12), Nebraska (1/16), Ohio State (1/26), USC (2/3), UCLA (2/6), Northwestern (2/13), Michigan (2/20), Wisconsin (2/24), Illinois (3/6)

Game times and TV networks are coming soon. https://t.co/eXDlS02dhl pic.twitter.com/qYG6SIFKBP

— Iowa Men's Basketball (@IowaHoops) September 16, 2026

Instant road test in the opener

Right out of the gates, it's on for McCollum and the Hawkeyes. Iowa doesn't get the benefit of easing into Big Ten play. Instead, Iowa hits the road and has to go into a hostile Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on the Purdue Boilermakers.

This year's Purdue team may look different, though. Brayden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are gone. Trey Kaufmann-Renn is navigating injunctions to possibly return, but there are going to be a lot of new faces on Matt Painter's squad.

This would be an utterly massive win to open Big Ten play if Iowa can steal one on the road.

Saturdays at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are favorable

The Hawkeyes have landed five Saturday home games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and those have to be a clean sweep. The crowd will be sold out; it's the thick of college basketball season, and there should be no excuses.

Iowa draws Ohio State, Maryland, Penn State, Nebraska, and Minnesota at home. Those are five winnable games for the Hawkeyes that need to go their way with the favorable weekend draw.

Staying home for Christmas... and all of December

Starting November 24, the Iowa Hawkeyes will leave the borders of the state of Iowa just one time - the Big Ten opener on the road at Purdue. It's unbelievably favorable for the Hawkeyes.

During that stretch, Iowa will play Prairie View A&M, Indiana, Iowa State, Western Illinois, Bethune-Cookman, Alabama (in Des Moines), South Dakota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Maryland.

This sort of schedule draw sets the table for Iowa to go on a serious run here to stack some wins together to give some buffer before Big Ten play starts.

Huge opportunity awaits once the calendar hits 2027

Once the calendar changes to 2027, the Iowa Hawkeyes are staring at a three-game stretch that could change the season. The Hawkeyes host Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Maryland within one week at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa needs to sell out and pick up three Big Ten wins here with this favorable draw to collect as many Big Ten wins as it can early.