ESPN group picks up 10 Iowa basketball games

IOWA CITY -- The Iowa men's basketball team will open its season Nov. 8 at home against North Carolina-Wilmington, and will open Big Ten play against Nebraska on New Year's Eve, according to a news release by the school and the Big Ten Conference.

On Jan. 12, the Hawkeyes will play Ohio State on CBS. The game time is either noon or 3 p.m., depending on the NFL playoff schedule. Iowa will play 10 games on ESPN's family of networks, including seven on either ESPN or ESPN2.

Iowa still needs to schedule one more non-conference home game on Nov. 17, 18 or 19.

Here's Iowa's full schedule:

Oct. 25 -- Black and Gold Blowout, TBA

Nov. 3 -- vs. Augustana (exhibition), 3/3:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 -- UNC-Wilmington, 8:30 p.m. (TV TBA)

Nov. 10 -- Nebraska-Omaha, 3:30 p.m. (TBA)

Nov. 14 -- Maryland-Eastern Shore, 6 p.m. (TBA)

Nov. 17/18/19 -- TBA (one game)

Nov. 22 -- Penn, 6 pm. (TBA)

Nov. 28 -- vs. Xavier at Bahamas, 6 p.m. (NBCSN)

Nov. 29 -- vs. Tennessee/UTEP at Bahamas, TBA (TBA)

Nov. 30 -- vs. TBA at Bahamas (TBA)

Dec. 3 -- Notre Dame, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN2)

Dec. 7 -- vs. Drake at Des Moines, TBA (TBA)

Dec. 9 -- Farleigh Dickinson, 6 p.m. (TBA)

Dec. 13 -- at Iowa State, 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Dec. 22 -- Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1 p.m. (TBA)

Dec. 31 -- Nebraska, 6 p.m. (TBA)

Jan. 5 -- at Wisconsin, 6:30 p.m. (TBA)

Jan. 9 -- Northwestern, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

Jan. 12 -- at Ohio State, noon or 3 p.m. (CBS)

Jan. 19 -- vs. Minnesota, noon (TBA)

Jan. 22 -- at Michigan, 6 p.m. ((TBA)

Jan. 25 -- at Northwestern, 11 a.m. (TBA)

Jan. 28 -- vs. Michigan State, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Feb. 1 -- at Illinois, 6:30 p.m. (TBA)

Feb. 4 -- vs. Ohio State, 6 p.m. (ESPN/2)

Feb. 8 -- vs. Michigan, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Feb. 15 -- at Penn State, noon (ESPNU)

Feb. 18 -- at Indiana, 8 p.m. (ESPN/2)

Feb. 22 -- vs. Wisconsin, 11 a.m. (ESPN/2)

Feb. 25 -- at Minnesota, 6 p.m. (TBA)

March 1/2 -- vs. Purdue, TBA (TBA)

March 8/9 -- vs. Illinois, TBA (TBA)

March 13-16 -- Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis (TBA)

Here are some scheduling notes from Iowa:

• Iowa's opener against UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 8, will be the program's 500th game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

• Iowa's two "byes" come on weekdays (Jan. 13-16 and Feb. 11-14). Furthermore, the Hawkeyes will only play on Wednesday only once during the Big Ten schedule, and twice on Thursdays.

• From Jan. 28 to Feb. 22, 6-of-7 Iowa basketball games will be broadcast on an ESPN network (ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU).

• Three of Iowa's four weekday Big Ten home games have 6 p.m. (CT) starts.

• Iowa will play Purdue and Nebraska once during the regular season, both at home; while playing Indiana and Penn State one time, both on the road.

• Iowa's first five nonconference contests will be played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including a contest against Penn on Nov. 22. Head coach Fran McCaffery is a graduate of Penn; also freshman Peter Jok's older brother, Dau, is a senior for the Quakers.

• Iowa's exhibition against Augustana (Ill.) on Nov. 3 will be played the afternoon after the Hawkeye football team's home game against Wisconsin. Also, Iowa's contest against Penn (Nov. 22) will be played the night before the Hawkeyes' football home finale against Michigan.

• Iowa's three games played at Atlantis in the Bahamas will be televised. The Hawkeyes' first game versus Xavier will air on NBC Sports Network, while its final two contests will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network or AXS TV, depending on results of first and second round games.

• There will be three women-men's basketball doubleheaders: Augustana (Nov. 3), UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 8), and Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 10).