Iowa, Big Ten release conference schedule

IOWA CITY — The Big Ten Conference released their men's basketball schedules on Thursday afternoon, filling out the remainder of the Hawkeyes' 2016-17 slate.

The Hawkeyes, who went 22-11 and 12-6 in Big Ten play last season, open their 18-game conference season at Purdue on Dec. 28. Iowa broke a 10-year losing streak at then-No. 14 Purdue last season with a furious second-half comeback, capping off a week that saw the Hawkeyes beat No. 1 Michigan State at home.

Iowa has six home games on the weekend this season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but more importantly, a pair of them are on Saturday — against Ohio State on Jan. 28 and against Illinois on Feb. 18. Last season, all of the Hawkeyes' home weekend conference games were on Sundays, drawing the ire of much of Iowa's fanbase, citing Saturdays as a far easier day to attend games. The Sunday games include Michigan on New Year's Day, Rutgers on Jan. 8, Nebraska on Feb. 5 and Penn State for Senior Day on March 5.

The Hawkeyes play five conference foes twice, and eight more a single time. Home-and-homes are set with Purdue (26-9, 12-6 Big Ten last season; home Jan. 12), Nebraska (16-18, 6-12 last season; games in Lincoln, Neb. on Jan. 5, home Feb. 5), Illinois (15-19, 5-13 last season; games in Champaign-Urbana, Ill. on Jan. 25, home Feb. 18), Maryland (27-9, 12-6 last season; games at home Jan. 19, at College Park, Md. on Feb. 25) and Rutgers (7-25, 1-17 last season; games at home Jan. 8, at Piscataway, N.J. on Jan. 31).

The single games for Iowa include the aforementioned Michigan matchup at home, at Northwestern on Jan. 15, Ohio State at home on Jan. 28, at Minnesota on Feb. 8, at Michigan State on Feb. 11, Indiana at home on Feb. 21, at Wisconsin on March 2 and the aforementioned Penn State game for Senior Day.

With the way the schedule plays out, the Hawkeyes face the top two teams in the league last season in Indiana and Michigan State just once apiece, as well as Wisconsin, which returns everyone but seldom-used redshirt senior Jordan Smith. They also get three of the bottom four teams from last season (Nebraska, Illinois and Rutgers) twice.

The Big Ten Tournament is set for March 8-12 in Washington, D.C.

Television designations for the Big Ten men's basketball conference schedule and Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament will be announced at a later date, according to a release from the school.

The first television game times for Iowa were released Wednesday morning along with Big Ten Network's entire non-conference television schedule.

The Hawkeyes have three games set to air live on the network.

Iowa home games against Seton Hall on Nov. 17, North Dakota on Dec. 20, and Delaware State on Dec. 22 will be televised nationally, and all three are set to tip off at 8 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game against Seton Hall is part of the second annual Gavitt Games.

Iowa's 2016-17 Men's Basketball Schedule

Fri., Nov. 4 — Regis University &

Fri., Nov. 11 — Kennesaw State

Sun., Nov. 13 — Savannah State

Thurs., Nov. 17 — Seton Hall #, 8 p.m. on BTN

Sun., Nov. 20 — UT Rio Grande Valley

Fri., Nov. 25 — vs. Virginia + in Destin, Fla., 6 p.m. on CBSSN

Sat., Nov. 26 — vs. Providence or Memphis + in Destin, Fla., 3 or 6 p.m. on CBSSN

Tues., Nov. 29 — at Notre Dame %, 8 p.m. on ESPN2

Sat., Dec. 3 — Omaha

Mon, Dec. 5 — Stetson

Thurs., Dec. 8 — Iowa State *, 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Sat., Dec. 17 — vs. Northern Iowa ^ in Des Moines

Tues., Dec. 20 — North Dakota, 8 p.m. on BTN

Thurs., Dec. 22 — Delaware State, 8 p.m. on BTN

Wed., Dec. 28 — at Purdue

Sun., Jan. 1 — Michigan

Thurs., Jan. 5 — at Nebraska

Sun., Jan. 8 — Rutgers

Thurs., Jan. 12 — Purdue

Sun., Jan. 15 — at Northwestern

Thurs., Jan. 19 — Maryland

Wed., Jan. 25 — at Illinois

Sat., Jan. 28 — Ohio State

Tues., Jan. 31 — at Rutgers

Sun., Feb. 5 — Nebraska

Wed., Feb. 8 — at Minnesota

Sat., Feb. 11 — at Michigan State

Sat., Feb. 18 — Illinois

Tues., Feb. 21 — Indiana

Sat., Feb. 25 — at Maryland

Thurs., March 2 — at Wisconsin

Sun., March 5 — Penn State

Wed.-Sun., Mar. 8-12 — at Big Ten Tournament, Washington, D.C.

& = exhibition

# = Gavitt Games

+ = Emerald Classic

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com