MOLINE, Ill. — Hawkeye fans will have something to look forward to when the Iowa men's basketball team comes to Vibrant Arena this November for the John Deere Quad Cities Showdown.
“We are looking forward to playing in the Quad Cities in November,” Fran McCaffery, Iowa's head coach said in a press release. “It will be a great opportunity for our Quad Cities supporters to support our team and watch two of their own compete in a college basketball game at the Vibrant Arena.”
The matchup will bring Iowa sophomores Brock Harding and Owen Freeman back to their hometown crowd. The Moline High School graduates led the Maroons to the 2023 IHSA 4A Championship before heading off to Iowa City. The Hawks are also returning with some of their top starters, including Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix.
Their opponent, Washington State, is facing the Hawkeyes for the first time as an affiliate member of the West Coast Conference, and are coming off one of their best seasons in more than 15 years.
“This game has been a long time coming and we are so grateful to the folks at Intersport and of course Coach McCaffrey for bringing it to fruition,” Scott Mullen, Vibrant Arena Executive Director, said in a press release.
Tickets will be available for presale on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at noon and then will be available to the entire public on Thursday, Sept. 26 at noon. They can be purchased through Vibrant Arena's website.