The Iowa-Indiana women's basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 26 has been sold out since February 3, but it looks like Iowa found room for a few more attendees — and a desk.
ESPN announced on Thursday morning that it was sending its College GameDay pregame show to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 26, ahead of No. 7 Iowa women's basketball's regular season finale against No. 2 Indiana.
“Our program is thrilled to be one of three schools selected this season to have College GameDay on our campus,” said Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder. “It’s a huge honor and we are looking forward to showcasing our program on one of the best stages in sports.”
It is the first time ever that ESPN has sent its College GameDay crew to Iowa City for a basketball game — men's or women's — and the first time GameDay has been at Iowa at all since 2006, for the Ohio State-Iowa football game.
Additionally, it is the fifth time College GameDay has ever broadcast from a women's basketball game, and the second of three planned appearances at women's games this season.
Elle Duncan will host the show, with ESPN analysts Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo, Carolyn Peck and Holly Rowe also at Carver.
“We’ve had our eye on this Indiana-Iowa matchup all season for women’s College GameDay as an opportunity to showcase these outstanding programs and top players like Caitlin Clark and MacKenzie Holmes,” said Patricia Lowry, ESPN vice president of production. “We’re thrilled to travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time and we expect a great atmosphere with the way students and fans at Iowa support this program and this rivalry.”
The game looks to have significant Big Ten championship implications, as Indiana is 14-1 in conference play and Iowa is 13-2, both with three games left to play. Indiana beat Iowa in Bloomington on February 9, and the Hawkeyes' only path to a share of the Big Ten title involves winning this game.
The game is also Iowa's regular-season finale at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, although Iowa is all but certain to play on its home floor at least once more this season, as an on-campus NCAA tournament host for the first two rounds.
Still, the Hawkeyes will be looking to repeat the magic of last year's regular season finale at Carver, when a victory over No. 6 Michigan in front of a sold-out crowd secured a share of the Big Ten championship. Will GameDay's inaugural visit lead to a second straight year of cutting down the nets at Carver?
Tipoff will be at 1 p.m. CT, moved up from 3 p.m. to accommodate television scheduling.
