The frenzy for Iowa men's basketball continues to increase by the day. 

Head coach Ben McCollum has made a major goal of connecting his program with the student body, and the students have responded to that connection with open arms. The Hawkeyes' run to the Elite Eight certainly helped engage UI students, but McCollum and Co. aren't stopping there. 

Four days after the Iowa Hawks Nest (Iowa's student section) announced its men's basketball student ticket packages were sold out, Iowa has responded by creating another fun event for students to interact with their 2026-27 squad. 

The Hawkeyes were already planning an exhibition match to allow fans to get an early sneak-peek at their team, but no one anticipated it would be played anywhere but Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Think again. Iowa announced on Tuesday that it would play an exhibition game against Illinois-Springfield on Oct. 27 at Xtream Arena in nearby Coralville. The arena has a capacity of 5,100 fans - far below Carver-Hawkeye's capacity of nearly 15,000 - but that's just fine for this particular game. 

Why? Because this game is dedicated to making Hawkeye students engage with men's basketball and have a good time doing it.

UI students will receive free admission to the contest on a first-come, first-serve basis by claiming a ticket through their UI portals. If a student is lucky enough to secure a ticket, they'll get exclusive food and drink deals at participating restaurants on the Iowa River Landing along with a special t-shirt to wear at the game. Students who arrive early will also be able to participate in giveaways, games, and opportunities to win prizes. 

The game is scheduled to tip at 6:30 p.m. local time with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Though this event is heavily catered towards students, the general public can also purchase tickets in the arena's premium sections. More information about that can be found by emailing [email protected].

For Iowa, the news is perfect timing. McCollum was asked about the massive surge of interest in his basketball team during his press conference at media day on Oct. 12, and while he acknowledged the crowds were improving, he said he and his team need to continue showing their faces in the passionate Iowa City community to bring the consistent energy. 

"We still have to be better. We still have to be out in the community. We still need to be outing interacting with students to continue to grow the fan base even more for men's basketball, which so far we've done. We're going to continue down that path," McCollum said. 

Needless to say, it's safe to say this exhibition game will do exactly that. The Hawkeyes will tip off their regular season in just 21 days from now for a matchup against Lipscomb on Nov. 3. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]