Changes likely for instate basketball series

CEDAR FALLS - Instate basketball among Iowa's four Division I programs will see a dramatic change - or it won't continue at all.

Since 1988, each of the four schools have played one another home-and-away. But Iowa and Iowa State's four-year contracts with Northern Iowa have expired after their recent games, and trips to Cedar Falls are unlikely to continue.

“From my point of view as I look at college basketball and the scheduling of it, a lot has changed in the last 10 or 15 years,” Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said. “We're playing a Big Ten-ACC Challenge. We're playing 18 (Big Ten) games now instead of 16 games.

“So I've had conversations with the other three state schools to say that, number one, I've got to make sure I do what's best for the University of Iowa. Number two, I like playing the state schools, and I'd like to explore ways we can keep playing. We've had some great conversations about some different models where we could do that, but not assuming that it would be exactly the way it is.”

Iowa and Northern Iowa have rotated home sites since the series resumed annually in 1988. Likewise, Iowa and Drake have played every season but one since 1965. Except for a four-year stretch from 1978 through 1981, the teams also rotated sites each season.

Both series have been tangible results for Northern Iowa. Of the Panthers' top 10 attended basketball games, seven were against Iowa and two against Iowa State. Northern Iowa has beaten Iowa five of the last six trips to Cedar Falls and has topped Iowa State five of six overall.

“It's a great series for UNI,” UNI athletics director Troy Dannen said. “We get to play Big Ten/Big 12 opponents in our gym. We have a sold-out crowd. We'll sell out every year for Iowa and Iowa State. The community likes it. I'm sure it's good for Iowa and Iowa State to get into the Cedar Valley in front of their boosters, just like it's good for us to go to Drake in front of our boosters in Des Moines.”

There are several factors involved for Iowa and Iowa State to seek a different scheduling model against UNI or Drake. Both Iowa and Iowa State formerly played 16 conference games in the Big Ten and Big 12, respectively, two of the nation's toughest conferences. In 2007-08, the Big Ten moved to 18 games, as did the Big 12 this year. Northern Iowa has qualified for five NCAA tournaments since 2004. Neither Iowa nor Iowa State have played in an NCAA tournament since 2006.

There's been speculation that Iowa and Iowa State would like to play UNI and Drake in a neutral setting such as Des Moines' Wells Fargo Arena each year. Both Barta and Dannen declined to offer specifics about the negotiations.

“I'd rather not go into detail out of fairness of all four of us, the other three schools,” Barta said. “We have had some good conversations. Certainly something like that is a possibility. Again, I just want to wait until all four of us to sit down and really talk through all the details.

“The biggest thing is just not assuming that it would be exactly the way it is now in a new contract.”

“I'm not even going to speculate on what everybody might want to do,” Dannen said. “I just know what we want to do, which is continue the series we're in the middle of.”

The Cyclones have played UNI all but two years since 1980. Iowa State and Drake have the state's most-played series at 170 games, meeting every year since 1908. UNI and Drake play twice each year as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard was traveling and unavailable for comment. Drake athletics director Sandy Hatfield Clubb did not return phone calls seeking comment.

With football programs at Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa all competing in the postseason, Barta and Dannen said administrators are too busy to talk about the series.

“We need to wait,” Dannen said. “We've got some things going on here. Gary and Jamie have some things going on there. So I think when some of that slows up, everybody will sit down and take another look at it.”