By SCOTT DOCHTERMAN From Land Of 10 Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Most of the Iowa men’s basketball nonconference schedule is set for the 2017-18 season, according to contracts obtained by Land of 10 through state open-records laws.

Nine of the Hawkeyes’ usual 13 nonconference dates are filled with one other game — in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge — to be determined by the league office in the next few weeks.

Scheduling was different this year with the Big Ten Tournament being staged one week earlier than usual at Madison Square Garden in New York. All Big Ten schools kept Dec. 1-4 open for two league games. Traditionally, the Big Ten does not schedule league games before Dec. 26.

Iowa’s schedule will feature five games at neutral sites. The Hawkeyes will compete in the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic from Nov. 20-22, playing three games in three days. Other teams participating include Cincinnati, UAB, Wyoming, Buffalo, South Dakota State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Richmond. Iowa also will pay one undetermined first-round opponent $85,000 to play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena between Nov. 12-18 as part of the event.

As first reported by Land of 10, Iowa will play Colorado at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Dec. 22. The Hawkeyes will receive $150,000 for the game. That game replaces the annual Gavitt Tipoff Games between the Big Ten and Big East. Iowa will not participate in the series this year.

The sixth installment of the Big Four Classic in Des Moines, which features the state’s four Division I basketball programs, is set for Dec. 16 at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa plays Drake this year, while Iowa State faces Northern Iowa.

The annual Cy-Hawk rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State will be held Dec. 7 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. The Hawkeyes won last year’s edition at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but the Cyclones won the three previous encounters and have taken six of the last eight.

Iowa has contracts for two other single games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes play host to Chicago State on either Nov. 10 or Nov. 11 with a $97,500 guarantee. Iowa will pay Southern Utah $100,000 for their game on Dec. 19.

IOWA’S MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (PARTIAL)

Nov. 10 or 11 — Chicago State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Nov. 12-18 — First-round Cayman Islands Classic opponent at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (date, opponent TBA)

Nov. 20-22 — Three games at Cayman Islands Classic; possible opponents include Cincinnati, UAB, Wyoming, Buffalo, South Dakota State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Richmond

Nov. 26-28 — Big Ten-ACC Challenge opponent at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (date, opponent TBA)

Dec. 7 — at Iowa State

Dec. 16 — Big Four Classic vs. Drake at Des Moines

Dec. 19 — Southern Utah at Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Dec. 22 — vs. Colorado at Sioux Falls, S.D.

IMAGE: Stacy Revere/Getty Images Iowa freshman guard Jordan Bohannon drills a game-winning shot against Wisconsin.

For more on this story go to: https://www.landof10.com/iowa/iowa-mens-basketball-non-conference-schedule-nearly-complete