Iowa men’s basketball team reportedly adds North Carolina to nonconference schedule

The Tar Heels will travel to Iowa City as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Iowa+head+coach+Fran+McCaffery+draws+up+plays+during+a+timeout+during+a+men%E2%80%99s+basketball+game+between+Iowa+and+Penn+State+on+Saturday%2C+Feb.+29+at+Carver-Hawkeye+Arena.+The+Hawkeyes+defeated+the+Nittany+Lions+77-68.+

Nichole Harris

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery draws up plays during a timeout during a men’s basketball game between Iowa and Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 29 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 77-68.

Robert Read, Pregame Editor


The Iowa men’s basketball team added another high-profile opponent to its nonconference schedule on Thursday.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that North Carolina will travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on Iowa in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in December. The Big Ten has not officially announced the pairings for this year’s edition of the challenge.

A likely top-five team in the country heading into the season, the Hawkeyes already had a marquee matchup on their nonconference schedule. Iowa is scheduled to play Gonzaga, a team that could be No. 1 in the nation to start the season, on Dec. 19 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The 2020-21 season can start no earlier than Nov. 25. Iowa has not released an official schedule for this season.

Iowa defeated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on its way to going 20-11 last season. North Carolina is coming off a disappointing 14-19 season. Roy Williams and the Tar Heels are expected to bounce back, however, and are projected to be ranked to start the season.

It is not clear if fans will be in attendance when the two teams meet this season. Iowa is not selling season tickets for this season because of the pandemic. A limited amount of single-game tickets may be sold.