Iowa women’s, men’s basketball to host doubleheader in Des Moines

Iowa men to play Florida A&M, women to play Cleveland State

May. 10, 2023 10:25 am, Updated: May. 10, 2023 4:55 pm

Herky the Hawk greets fans during an end-of-season celebration event on the Pentacrest in Iowa City on Friday, April 14. Fans and community members gathered to honor the national runners-up and Big Ten champion Iowa women’s basketball team. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Iowa men’s and women’s basketball will hold a nonconference doubleheader in Des Moines on Dec. 16, the programs said Wednesday in a news release.

The Iowa men will play Florida A&M, and the women will play Cleveland State at the 17,000-seat Wells Fargo Arena.

“It will be another great opportunity for both the men’s and women's programs at Iowa to play in front of Hawkeye fans in Des Moines,” women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said in the release.

It will be the first time the Iowa women have played at Wells Fargo Arena and the ninth time for the Iowa men.

“We look forward to returning to Des Moines for this unique event at Wells Fargo Arena,” men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery said in the release. “This men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader gives Hawkeye fans in central Iowa the opportunity to see both programs play close to home.”

Cleveland State women’s basketball is coming off a 30-5 season that ended with a Horizon League tournament title. The Vikings lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to fourth-seeded Villanova.

Florida A&M men’s basketball was 7-22 last season. KenPom, a prominent college basketball analytics site, ranked the Rattlers as 359th out of 363 Division I teams.

Start times have not been announced. Tickets will go on sale May 24 at 10 a.m. at hyveetix.com.