Shorter B1G road trips await Hawkeyes

IOWA CITY — Travel time for Iowa's men's basketball team will be significantly shorter for next year's Big Ten campaign.

The Hawkeyes, who played just one border opponent on the road in league action last season, travel to all five this year. Monday, the Big Ten announced opponents and locations for the 2016-17 men's basketball season. Dates, times and viewing options will be released in August or early September.

For the third straight season, Iowa will play five opponents home and away. They include longtime rivals Illinois and Purdue, border foe Nebraska and league newcomers Maryland and Rutgers. It's the first time the Hawkeyes will face Maryland and Rutgers twice in the same season. Iowa and Purdue met twice in regular-season action last year, while the Hawkeyes and Fighting Illini faced off in Champaign on Feb. 7 and then in the Big Ten Tournament. The Cornhuskers traveled to Carver-Hawkeye for the teams' only game last winter.

Among Iowa's single-play home games, Indiana comes to Iowa City after a earning the outright Big Ten title at Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season. Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State also travel to Iowa City.

In road action, the Hawkeyes travel to border rivals Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin for the first time in two seasons. Iowa also heads to Michigan State, where in January the Hawkeyes earned their first win since 1993.

Most of the Hawkeyes' 2016-17 non-conference schedule is finalized, as previously reported by The Gazette.

Iowa opens the season against Kennesaw State on Friday, Nov. 11 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa also greets Nebraska-Omaha (Dec. 3), Iowa State (Dec. 8) and North Dakota (Dec. 20) at home.

The Hawkeyes compete in the Emerald Coast Classic, with two games at home and the final two in Niceville, Fla. At Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa plays Savannah State on Nov. 13 and then Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 20. In the final two games, the Hawkeyes face Virginia on Nov. 25 (6 p.m.) and either Memphis or Providence on Nov. 26 (3 or 6 p.m.).

In the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, Iowa travels to Notre Dame on Nov. 29. The Hawkeyes play host to Seton Hall on Nov. 17 in the second installment of Gavitt Games, a series between the Big East and Big Ten. On Dec. 17, Iowa faces Northern Iowa at Des Moines' Wells Fargo Arena as part of the fifth annual Big Four Classic.

Iowa will fill out its non-conference slate with one or two more games.

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