The Iowa men’s basketball team announced Thursday that it will return to South Dakota for a nonconference game against Oregon State on Dec. 22. The Hawkeyes and Beavers will meet at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The contest will be Iowa’s second trip to the Pentagon, which has hosted 28 NCAA Division I men’s college basketball games since opening in 2013. The Hawkeyes defeated Colorado, 80-73, on Dec. 22, 2017. This will be Oregon State’s first visit to the Pentagon.

“We’re excited to have a basketball game to talk about, and we hope it will be played in front of a full house on national television, but if that may not be the case, adjustments will be made,” president of Sanford Sports Steve Young said in a release.” It’s a thrill to welcome Iowa and their fans back to the Pentagon, and we know the Beavers and their fans will have a memorable experience as well.”

Major Division I games take many months to negotiate and finalize, and according to a release this matchup was in the works well before COVID-19 concerns developed. The Sanford Pentagon will work closely with the schools and individual states and be ready to adjust based on guidelines and safety measures for all involved.

Iowa is coming off a 20-11 season and a fifth place conference finish with a mark of 11-9. The Hawkeyes were scheduled to play Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament before the game and tournament were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Iowa is among the favorites in the Big Ten and the country heading into the 2020-21 season. All-American center Luka Garza has declared for the NBA Draft, but has left open the possibility of returning to school for his senior season. According to 247 Sports, Garza will announce if he is coming back for his senior year on Aug. 2.

Joe Wieskamp, Jordan Bohannon, Connor McCaffery, and several other key returners make up a deep Hawkeye team.

“We are thrilled to return to Sioux Falls and play another game at the Sanford Pentagon,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said in a release. “The community response to our last visit three years ago was overwhelming. We look forward to the opportunity to play against a well-coached Oregon State team.”

Oregon State, a member of the Pac-12 Conference, finished the 2019-20 season with an 18-13 record. The Beavers were scheduled to play the Oregon Ducks before the game and tournament were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

“We’re really looking forward to being a part of such an incredible event,” Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle said in a release. “We’ve heard nothing but great things about the Sanford Pentagon and the atmosphere around the game. We know we’re facing a very tough opponent in Iowa, but it should be a terrific experience for our team.”

The last time these two teams faced off on the basketball court was 37 years ago. The Beavers beat the Hawkeyes, 53-48, on Dec. 10, 1983, in Corvallis, Oregon.

Tickets will go on sale on sale at a later date. Television coverage will determine a start time.