Hawkeyes' hoop schedule nearly complete

IOWA CITY — Iowa will play host to Seton Hall on Nov. 17 as part of the second edition of the Gavitt Games, a series of men's basketball challenges between the Big Ten and Big East conferences.

Both teams both qualified for the NCAA tournament this year. Iowa (22-12) beat Temple before falling to eventual national champion Villanova. Seton Hall (25-9) dropped its NCAA tournament opener against Gonzaga. It's the teams' second meeting. Iowa topped Seton Hall, 85-63, on Dec. 29, 1982, in the Rochester (N.Y.) Classic.

Either ESPN or BTN will televise the game. Iowa beat Marquette 89-61 in Milwaukee last year in the inaugural Gavitt Games.

'The Gavitt Games is a special event that helps spark college basketball interest in early November,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said in a statement. 'Games of this magnitude are helpful in a number of ways and we're excited to be included in the event again this year. We played a very good Marquette team on the road last year in this event and look forward to hosting a talented Seton Hall team in November.'

Much of Iowa's 2016-17 schedule has been constructed, as previously reported by The Gazette. The Hawkeyes open against Kennesaw State on Friday, Nov. 11 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa also plays Nebraska-Omaha (Dec. 3), Iowa State (Dec. 8) and North Dakota (Dec. 20) at home. As part of the Emerald Coast Classic, Iowa will play two games against either Texas-Rio Grande Valley, St. Francis-Brooklyn, Savannah State and Grambling State between Nov. 12 and Nov. 22 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In the tournament's final two games in Niceville, Fa., the Hawkeyes will play Virginia on Nov. 25 and either Memphis or Providence on Nov. 26.

In other games away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa meets Northern Iowa on Dec. 17 at Des Moines' Wells Fargo Arena as part of the fifth annual Big Four Classic. The Hawkeyes are likely to travel as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge this year. Iowa should play one or two more games at home to fill out its non-conference slate.

Iowa's Big Ten schedule will be announced in August or early September.

GAVITT GAMES SCHEDULE

(Times TBA; Big East home games on FS1, Big Ten home games on BTN or ESPN networks)

Monday, Nov. 14

Villanova at Purdue

Tuesday, Nov. 15

Maryland at Georgetown

Wisconsin at Creighton

Wednesday, Nov. 16

Northwestern at Butler

Thursday, Nov. 17

Seton Hall at Iowa

Providence at Ohio State

Rutgers at DePaul

Friday, Nov. 18

St. John's at Minnesota

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