One week before the 2020-21 men’s college basketball season tips off, the Hawkeyes finally have their schedule.

The Big Ten Conferenced released its full men’s basketball schedule for this season on Wednesday afternoon, and Iowa announced all of the nonconference opponents it will face to round out the schedule.

Iowa, ranked fifth nationally in The Associated Press Preseason Poll, plays six of its seven nonconference games on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including the first six of the season. Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, there will be no men’s and women’s basketball general admission single game or season ticket sales to Iowa home games at this time. Cardboard cutouts of fans will fill the seats at Carver instead, as they do at Kinnick Stadium for home Iowa football games.

The Hawkeyes host North Carolina Central on Nov. 25 to open the season. Two days later, Iowa will compete against Southern University on Nov. 27 at 4 p.m. as part of its multi-team event.

Both Iowa games will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.

Iowa and North Carolina face off in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 8 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa plays Northern Illinois on Dec. 13. The home dates for Iowa’s contests against Western Illinois and the Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State are being finalized and will be announced later.

Iowa closes its nonconference slate versus top-ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Iowa’s first of 20 conference games is scheduled for Dec. 22 in Iowa City against Purdue. The Hawkeyes will play the Boilermakers, Nebraska, and Penn State once at home, while playing Illinois, Michigan and Maryland once on the road. Iowa will play the other seven league teams twice.

Iowa’s second conference game will be played on Christmas Day at Minnesota. It marks just the third time in program history that the Hawkeyes will play on Christmas. The previous two times were in holiday tournaments in Hawaii in 1984 and 1988.

Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza returns to lead this year’s Iowa team. Six other players with starting experience also joins Garza in this year’s lineup, including Joe Wieskamp, Jordan Bohannon, and C.J. Fredrick.

 Game times and television information for each game will be announced at a later date.

Below is Iowa’s complete schedule:

Nov. 25 — N.C. Central
Nov. 27 — Southern
TBD — Western Illinois
Dec. 8 — North Carolina
TBD —Iowa State
Dec. 13 — Northern Illinois
Dec. 19 — Gonzaga  (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Dec. 22 — Purdue
Dec. 25 at Minnesota
Dec. 29 Northwestern
Jan. 2 — at Rutgers
Jan. 7 — at Maryland
Jan. 10/Jan. 11 — Minnesota
Jan. 14 — Michigan State
Jan. 17/Jan. 18 — at Northwestern
Jan. 21 — Indiana
Jan. 24 — Nebraska
Jan. 29 — at Illinois
Feb. 4 — Ohio State
Feb. 7 — at Indiana
Feb. 10 — Rutgers
Feb. 13 — at Michigan State
Feb. 18 — at Wisconsin
Feb. 21 — Penn State
Feb. 28 — at Ohio State
March 4 — at Michigan
March 7 — Wisconsin
March 10-14 at Big Ten Tournament in Chicago