Imagine how many people could fit into a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch an Iowa basketball game? Easily several thousand, but would it be more than 10,000? Maybe even 15,000? How about 22,157?
In a venue designed to accommodate around 15,000 fans and spectators, 22,157 people packed in the Hawkeye women take on Ohio State in a women’s basketball record-setting attendance on Feb. 3, 1985.
Even though it wasn’t a flashy exhibition game or Caitlin Clark three-point contest; even though Iowa, then coached by C. Vivian Stringer, lost in a 56-47 Buckeye victory, this spectacle was a giant leap in marking Carver-Hawkeye Arena, then only two years old, a place where history happens.
When it was announced that Clark and the Indiana Fever would play an exhibition game against the Brazilian National Team there on May 4, fan excitement went through the roof. General admission tickets sold out in 37 minutes. But this excitement was far from the only time Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been given the opportunity to display history.
The monumental space opened on Jan. 3, 1983, and not even two years later found itself hosting the 1984 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team in one of its eight exhibition games against the NBA All-Stars.
Despite their status as college kids going up against league greats such as Magic Johnson, the Olympians won all eight exhibition games, including the contest played at Carver. Team USA came out on top, 92-79, in front of a sold-out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
A 16-point effort in the Iowa City game came from a 21-year-old guard who played at North Carolina, already on the verge of superstardom. He was also the leading scorer through Team USA’s 8-0 run to the gold medal at the Summer Games themselves. His name? Michael Jordan.
While not every exhibition at Carver has been an Olympic contest featuring one of the greatest athletes of all time, these events have drawn large crowds in their own right.
To start the 2023-24 season, Clark’s final campaign as a Hawkeye, the Iowa women’s team played an exhibition game against Clarke University on Oct. 22, one week after their 94-72 victory over DePaul at the Oct. 15 Crossover at Kinnick.
The Hawkeyes bested the Pride in a dominating 122-49 triumph, with No. 22 putting up 24 points and second-year Hannah Stuelke contributing 27 points.
When Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever as the first overall pick in the WNBA draft in 2024, uncertainty in Iowa’s program loomed going into the 2024-25 season. Even with tickets sold out for the second year in a row, a team without Clark and Lisa Bluder promised some growing pains.
Despite this, the Hawkeyes kicked off the 2024-25 warpath at Carver with another triple-digit win, this time a 110-55 victory over Missouri Western on Oct. 30.
Under the leadership of first-year head coach Jan Jensen, a longtime assistant to and friend of Bluder, Stuelke and first-year Teagan Mallegni each put up 18 points, while every eligible Iowa player contributed points of their own, including fourth-year newcomer guard Lucy Olsen with 14 points.
The men’s basketball team has seen its fair share of success in exhibition games, too. To showcase the start of the 2023-24 season, the Hawkeyes nabbed a 103-76 win over a visiting Quincy squad on Oct. 30. This past season, a 23-point effort by fourth-year Payton Sandfort led Iowa to a 102-81 victory over Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 25.
From showcases of NBA players to college stars, from Team USA to international players, Carver-Hawkeye Arena has established a history of showcasing talent from everywhere in wrestling, concerts, public speaking, and of course, basketball — an Iowa staple.