Inside The Hawkeyes

Why Iowa is Facing Bucknell Instead of Saint Louis

The Iowa Hawkeyes saw a late schedule change as they replaced Saint Louis with Bucknell.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum watches his team play the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum watches his team play the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

In this story:

Iowa Hawkeyes

Originally, the Iowa Hawkeyes were supposed to play Saint Louis on December 20. Now that the day has come, it's clear this team is taking on Bucknell instead of the Billikens.

Saint Louis, coached by Josh Schertz, is on a tear this season. According to ESPN's latest Bracketology, they're actually on their way to facing the Hawkeyes in the first round of the tournament.

Knowing why first year head coach Ben McCollum got with Schertz to take away their non-conference game, things would be extremely interesting if that's how things play out in March.

Iowa HC Ben McCollum Considers Schertz a Close Friend

During his press conference leading up to the game, McCollum discussed why the change was made, "I was like, I really don’t want to play my good friend in Des Moines, so we switched it."

Ultimately, it was as simple as that. Bucknell certainly wasn't McCollum's first choice to replace the Billikens, but Iowa was left with slim pickings after the late schedule change.

“And at that point, all the Power Fives, we just couldn’t get one. So then you’re just like, ‘OK, who do we play?’ And it just happened to be Bucknell. But yeah, we would love to do that with Power Five competition.”

Playing at the Casey's Center vs. Carver

One of the main reasons for the Iowa vs. Saint Louis game was so it could be scheduled at the Casey's Center in Des Moines, Iowa. This is far from a true home game for the Hawkeyes as they'll have to travel just under two hours to play a non-conference game against a team that is just 3-9.

Ultimately, that's the price McCollum had to pay if he didn't want to play Saint Louis. The location of the game didn't change, just the opponent. During the press conference, Iowa's first year head coach did note that he wants to keep playing at Casey's once a year, but would prefer it to be against a Power Five opponent.

The atmosphere will be different against Bucknell, but Iowa would much rather play this game than go to Michigan State or Iowa State. It may not be a true home court advantage, but that's not something the Hawkeyes should need against a Bison team that has only beaten Delaware, Mount St. Mary's, and Rider. Sure, Bucknell is coming into this game off a win, but it's not like a 51-38 win over 1-9 Rider is enough to impress a B1G opponent.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!

Published
Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

Home/Basketball