The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Fighting Irish to take on Hawkeyes basketball in 2013

Notre Dame will travel to Iowa City next winter to take on Iowa in a basketball game as part of the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The 2013-14 season will be Notre Dame’s first as a part of the ACC conference.

The last time Notre Dame played the Hawkeyes in Iowa City was on Dec. 18, 1950; the Irish fell to Iowa, coached by Frank “Bucky” O’Connor, 63-60. In last year’s installment of the tournament, Iowa lost to Virginia Tech in the first round, 95-79, in Blacksburg.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this year’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge in a first season as a member of the ACC,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said in a release. “This is a great nonconference game for us in a very tough environment. Fran McCaffery has done a fabulous job with the program there and returns all five starters from last season. It will be a very good test for our team and players.”

Going 25-10 last year, the Irish are coming off their seventh-consecutive 20-win season and fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Notre Dame got knocked out of the tournament early, losing to Iowa State, 76-58.

Iowa is coming off a season in which it tied for the second-most wins in school history, going 25-13 and earning a berth in the NIT championship game, where it fell to Baylor, 74-54. The Hawkeyes return all five starters and its top-five scorers from a year ago.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame for 11 years from 1988-99, coaching on the staff Digger Phelps and John MacLeod.

“It’s going to be exciting hosting Notre Dame, a successful program that is rich in tradition, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said in a release. “Notre Dame is an extremely well-coached team that has advanced to the last four NCAA tournaments. This will be another good test for our basketball team early in the season.”

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