Black and Gold Blowout on hiatus

IOWA CITY — A quirky October football schedule has forced Iowa's Black and Gold Basketball Blowout to go on hiatus for a year, Iowa associate athletics director Rick Klatt confirmed Tuesday morning.

The event, which tipped off basketball season the last two seasons, served as an introduction to the teams and included scrimmages and on-court contests. It previously was held on a Friday night before a home football game to maximize attendance. But this year Iowa plays host to just one home football game in October, and the well-attended homecoming parade is held that Friday night. Another possibility was for Oct. 31, but Iowa has its first men's exhibition two days later.

'We simply couldn't arrive at a day and a time that everyone involved thought 'worked' for this year given this year's football schedule (away games and bye weeks), the schedule of our exhibition games, our team's practice schedules, the date for Homecoming and all the special activities on that day already planned,' Klatt wrote in an emailed response.

Iowa has two home October football games scheduled in 2015 — Oct. 10 (Illinois) and Oct. 31 (Maryland).

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