As Iowa basketball gears up for its final non-conference game of the regular season - a Dec. 29 home matchup against UMass Lowell - the conversation around the Hawkeyes’ scheduling choices is starting to heat up. And for good reason.
Through 11 non-conference games, only three have come against power conference opponents. That number could’ve been four, but Grand Canyon knocked off Utah in the Acrisure Classic semifinals, setting up a championship matchup with Iowa instead. It’s a small twist in a broader narrative: the Hawkeyes’ non-conference slate this season has been, by most metrics, on the lighter side.
As of Dec. 27, Iowa’s non-conference strength of schedule ranks 309th in Division I, according to KenPom. That’s a number that jumps off the page - and not in a good way - especially for a program looking to build a résumé worthy of March.
But not all of this falls on first-year head coach Ben McCollum. While he did make some tweaks - swapping out Saint Louis for Bucknell, for instance - much of the current schedule was already locked in during Fran McCaffery’s tenure. That’s the nature of college basketball scheduling: it’s a long game, often set years in advance.
Still, McCollum isn’t shying away from the conversation. In fact, he’s leaning into it.
The plan moving forward? More power conference matchups.
A lot more.
“You probably want to play enough of the buy games to build your confidence and to get more bodies in,” McCollum said on Dec. 27.
“So, you don't want to eliminate those because you can play your depth. But we want to play more power conference teams next year than we did this year - (that's) our goal.
It doesn't always happen that way, but that would be the objective.”
That’s a clear shift in philosophy - one that aligns with the broader trend in college hoops. With the NCAA Tournament selection committee placing more and more emphasis on quality wins and strength of schedule, padding the non-conference slate with mid-majors just doesn’t carry the same weight it once did.
McCollum is already in the thick of building next year’s non-conference schedule. And while the process is still unfolding, he has a vision: more regional matchups, more neutral-site games, and ideally, more high-profile opponents.
“It’s been good,” McCollum said. “The timing of everything - we kind of have a plan for it. We’d like to stay fairly local with some cool neutral floors, but we’re still a work in progress there, as well.”
That “cool neutral floor” concept isn’t new for Iowa. Under McCaffery, the Hawkeyes played Washington State in Moline, Illinois, and Utah at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls - both games that drew lively, engaged crowds. They also faced Utah State in Kansas City, though that one didn’t quite bring the same buzz.
This season, Iowa played Bucknell at Casey’s Center in Des Moines - another local neutral site aimed at expanding the program’s reach while keeping fans engaged outside of Iowa City.
So while the current non-conference slate may not have turned heads nationally, the groundwork is being laid for a more ambitious approach moving forward. McCollum wants Iowa to be tested early and often - not just to impress the selection committee, but to prepare his team for the grind of Big Ten play.
And with the coach already thinking ahead, fans can expect a non-conference schedule that packs a bit more punch in the seasons to come.