Iowa draws Virginia Tech for Big Ten/ACC Challenge

IOWA CITY — For the second straight year, the Iowa men's basketball team will go on the road for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Iowa will play at Virginia Tech as part of the 2017 edition of the conference matchups, it was announced Thursday. Game date, time and television details will be announced at a later date, according to a release from Iowa.

The game will be Iowa's fourth meeting all-time against Virginia Tech — all coming as part of the Challenge. The Hokies have won all three games — in Blacksburg, Va., in 2006, in Iowa City in 2009 and back at Virginia Tech in 2012.

The Hawkeyes are on the road for the second straight year, having lost at Notre Dame last season as part of the Challenge. It's the first time in Iowa's 17 appearances that it will have played back-to-back road games for the event.

'With the nature of this event, there comes a time in the rotation when teams are to play consecutive road games,' Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said in a news release. 'It is our turn to do so this season. We have a great deal of respect for Virginia Tech and look forward to the challenge. This game will no doubt strengthen our schedule and be another test for us away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena early in the season.'

Iowa finished last season 19-15 and 10-8 in the Big Ten, ending its season with a second-round loss to TCU in the NIT. Virginia Tech was 22-11 last season with a 10-8 ACC record and lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The matchup gives Iowa 10 of its usual 13 non-conference games. The Hawkeyes will play in the Cayman Islands Classic from Nov. 20-22, playing three games in three days and will be joined there by Cincinnati, UAB, Wyoming, Buffalo, South Dakota State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Richmond. Iowa also will play one yet-to-be-determined first-round opponent at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as part of that tournament.

The Hawkeyes have an early-season matchup set with Chicago State, head to Hilton Coliseum to play Iowa State on Dec. 7, will play Drake as part of the Big Four Classic in Des Moines on Dec. 16, have a home date on Dec. 16 with Southern Utah and, as first reported by Land of 10, also will go to Sioux Falls, S.D., to play Colorado on Dec. 22.

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