Iowa Will Play Oregon State In Sioux Falls

Iowa's men’s basketball team will take on Oregon State in a nonconference neutral-court game this season.

The Hawkeyes and Beavers will play on Dec. 22 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

A start time, which will be determined by TV coverage, has not been set.
It will be Iowa’s second trip to the Pentagon, which has played host to 28 NCAA Division I men’s college basketball games since opening in 2013. The Hawkeyes defeated Colorado, 80-73, on Dec. 22, 2017.

This will be Oregon State’s first visit to the Pentagon.

This game was being planned before concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic developed.

“We’re excited to have a basketball game to talk about, and we hope it will be played in front of a full house on national television, but if that may not be the case, adjustments will be made,” Steve Young, president of Sanford Sports, said in a statement. "It’s a thrill to welcome Iowa and their fans back to the Pentagon, and we know the Beavers and their fans will have a memorable experience as well.”

The Hawkeyes are coming off a 2019-20 season in which they went 20-11 overall, 11-9 in the Big Ten. Iowa was 34th in the NCAA's NET rankings last season.

Center Luka Garza, a consensus All-American, has declared for the NBA Draft, but has left open the possibility of returning to school for his senior season. The Hawkeyes have six other players returning with starting experience, including senior Jordan Bohannon and junior Joe Wieskamp, and junior Connor McCaffery, who led all Division I players in assist-to-turnover ratio a year ago.

“We are thrilled to return to Sioux Falls and play another game at the Sanford Pentagon,” said Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. “The community response to our last visit three years ago was overwhelming. We look forward to the opportunity to play against a well-coached Oregon State team.”

Oregon State, a member of the Pac-12 Conference, finished the 2019-20 season with an 18-13 record. The Beavers were scheduled to play Oregon before the game and conference tournament were cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Beavers were 71st in the NET last season

“We’re really looking forward to being a part of such an incredible event,” said Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle. “We’ve heard nothing but great things about the Sanford Pentagon and the atmosphere around the game. We know we’re facing a very tough opponent in Iowa, but it should be a terrific experience for our team.”

The last time these two teams played was 37 years ago. The Beavers beat the Hawkeyes, 53-48, on Dec. 10, 1983, in Corvallis, Oregon.

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