Iowa-Iowa State ink four-year Cy-Hawk basketball extension

IOWA CITY — Iowa and Iowa State's men's basketball teams have extended their Cy-Hawk Series through 2019 with all games played on a Thursday, according to contracts obtained by The Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act.

The teams moved their annual rivalry game last fall from a regularly scheduled Friday (Dec. 11) to a Thursday (Dec. 10) to attract national television coverage. The decision helped bump the game to ESPN2.

The in-state rivals will play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 8, 2016 and Dec. 6, 2018. Games at Hilton Coliseum are scheduled for Dec. 7, 2017 and Dec. 12, 2019.

Iowa's non-conference schedule is nearly complete for the upcoming season with 11 games already decided. The Hawkeyes open against Kennesaw State on Friday, Nov. 11 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa also plays Nebraska-Omaha (Dec. 3) and North Dakota (Dec. 20) as stand-alone games at home, along with Iowa State.

Iowa meets Northern Iowa on Dec. 17 at Des Moines' Wells Fargo Arena as part of the fifth annual Big Four Classic.

In their exempt tournament, the Hawkeyes compete in the Emerald Coast Classic, which consists of four games. Iowa will play two games against teams consisting of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, St. Francis-Brooklyn, Savannah State and Grambling State between Nov. 12 and Nov. 22 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In Niceville, Fla., Iowa then will play Virginia on Nov. 25 and either Memphis or Providence on Nov. 26.

'We knew who the four teams were,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said about Virginia, Memphis and Providence. 'Now we know who we're going to play.'

CBS Sports reported Iowa will play host to Seton Hall in the Gavitt Games, an annual challenge between the Big Ten and Big East. McCaffery declined to comment about that report. Iowa likely will travel as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge in late November or early December. The leagues will unveil that slate within the next month.

The Hawkeyes played 12 non-conference games last year and usually play 13.

Unlike the previous two years, Big Ten officials have chosen not to reveal next year's opponents until the league schedule is introduced in late summer, senior associate commissioner for television administration Mark Rudner confirmed to The Gazette. Last year, Iowa played Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana and Penn State twice, traveled to Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland and Rutgers for single-play games and faced Wisconsin, Northwestern, Minnesota and Nebraska only at home. The Big Ten Tournament is held in Washington, D.C.

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