Iowa’s first real test of the season arrives Tuesday night, and it comes with a little extra edge: the Hawkeyes are leaving Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a matchup with Virginia Tech in Sioux City.
Both teams enter at 2-0, but the step up in competition is obvious on both sides. Iowa has handled Lipscomb and Eastern Illinois so far, while Virginia Tech has beaten Coppin State and Mercer. Now the Hawkeyes get their first crack at a power-conference opponent, and the Hokies get one too.
The game also brings together two coaches who haven’t met at these schools before. Ben McCollum is in his second season at Iowa and is 26-13 with the Hawkeyes.
Mike Young is in his eighth season at Virginia Tech and has gone 126-98 with the Hokies. It’s the first matchup between McCollum and Young in their current jobs, but the fourth all-time meeting between Iowa and Virginia Tech.
The Hokies have won all four.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at the Tyson Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
The game will air on FS1, with Kevin Kugler handling play-by-play and Greg McDermott on color. Fans can also stream it on the FOX Sports App.
On the radio side, the Hawkeye Radio Network will carry the game with Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen.
Oddsmakers have Iowa as a slim favorite. The Hawkeyes are listed at -3.5, with Virginia Tech at +3.5.
Iowa is -192 on the money line, while Virginia Tech sits at +160. The total is 142.5.
It’s a matchup that should tell a lot more about both teams than the first two games did, and the early feel could be cautious as each side tries to figure out what the other has.
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There was also a welcome update on the defensive side, where Jaylen Watson reappeared on the depth chart after missing time in the previous game. The full release covered offense, defense and special teams, but those two changes stood out most for a Hawkeyes team still sorting through its weekly lineup and trying to settle into the right combinations before facing Purdue. [Read more 🡒]
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Virginia Tech's Fast Start Faces Its First Real Test Against Iowa
Virginia Techs opening-night win over Mercer offered an early glimpse of a team that can push the pace and protect the ball, with Amani Hansberry delivering a career-best 23 points and Ben Hammond and Jaylen Curry helping steady the offense. The Hokies looked sharp enough to make that first result feel convincing, but the next step comes quickly enough, and it comes against a Big Ten opponent that will be far less forgiving of mistakes.
Iowa enters the neutral-site matchup with a different kind of storyline, hoping to get center Andrew McKeever on the floor after he has been dealing with back issues. For the Hawkeyes, his availability matters not just for depth but for what it could mean inside against a Virginia Tech team that already showed it can score in bunches and keep turnovers down. [Read more 🡒]