Iowa MBB and WBB Playing Double-Header in Des Moines
Schedule details for Iowa men's and women's basketball in 2023-24 continue to trickle out and Wednesday we learned a bit more about the non-conference portion of those schedules. Iowa announced a double-header for men's and women's basketball in Des Moines to take place on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The Iowa men will be facing Florida A&M, while the Iowa women will take on Cleveland State.
Both games will be hosted in Wells Fargo Arena. Start times are not yet set, but tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, May 24 at 10 AM CT at hyveetix.com.
It's a particularly notable game for the Iowa women, who have never played a game in Wells Fargo Arena before. The Iowa men were regular visitors to Wells Fargo Arena when the Big Four Classic was a going concern, but that event was last played in 2018. Caitlin Clark, a West Des Moines native, is especially excited to be playing a game in front of her hometown fans.
Clark, the consensus National Player of the Year in 2022-23, who averaged 27.8 points per game, 8.6 assists per game and 7.1 rebounds per game per game last season, figures to be one of the biggest attractions next season in college basketball -- men's or women's. Iowa experienced booming home attendance in 2022-23 and was also part of attendance records at several away games. Iowa's Final Four run helped attract record-shattering TV viewership to the women's NCAA Tournament. And demand for season tickets in 2023-24 is so high that Iowa has currently paused ticket sales. Tickets to this game in Des Moines -- and every game Clark plays in the state of Iowa next season -- figure to be hot commodities.
The Iowa women went 31-7 last season en route to a first-ever National Championship Game appearance. In addition to Clark, several key figures from that successful squad will return next season, including senior guards Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall. Key bigs Hannah Stuelke, the reigning Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, and Addison O'Grady also return and will look to go from being reserves to productive starters.
While Cleveland State does not bring much name brand status to this matchup, the Vikings were a strong team in 2022-23. Cleveland State went 30-4 during the regular season last year, earning a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to 4-seed Villanova in the first round. The Vikings were led by 5'10" junior guard Destiny Leo (17.9 ppg, 2.0 apg, 38.6% 3FG), 5'10" senior forward Brittni Moore (11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg), and 6'0" senior forward Amele Ngwafang (9.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg).
The Iowa men made the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons seasons in 2022-23 (and the other season was the COVID-canceled NCAA Tournament in 2020), and finished 19-14 after a first-round loss to 9-seed Auburn. The Hawkeyes are set to lose potential first-round NBA Draft pick Kris Murray and key senior leaders Filip Rebraca and Connor McCaffery from that team, as well as reserves Ahron Ulis and Josh Ogundele (transfer portal). However, they do return key contributors Tony Perkins, Payton Sandfort, and Patrick McCaffery.
Iowa also adds 4-star recruits Ladji Dembele and Pryce Sandfort as part of a solid 2023 recruiting class, and has also been active in the transfer portal. Iowa added 6'9" Valparaiso big man Ben Krikke last month; Krikke averaged a Missouri Valley Conference-best 19.4 ppg last season, while also chipping in 5.9 rpg and 2.1 apg. This week Iowa also officially added 6'9" Belmont big man Even Brauns; he averaged 7.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 1.4 bpg for the Bruins last season.
Florida A&M finished 7-22 last season, including a 5-13 mark in the SWAC. The Rattlers finished 359th (out of 363 teams) in the KenPom rankings. The main reason to go see the men's portion of this doubleheader will unquestionably be to see the new-look Hawkeye team in action.
As more details about the games become available (including tip-off times) we'll provide updated information about this double-header. In the meantime, it promises to be an exciting opportunity for central Iowa fans to see a Hawkeye legend in action on the women's side, as well as get a glimpse of several new faces on the men's side.