The John Deere Quad Cities Showdown between Iowa men’s basketball and Washington State is set for Friday, November 15 at Vibrant Arena with tip-off at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the event are on sale now at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/06006132D4FE5660
The two programs have met just one time previously on Dec. 30, 1963, a game Iowa won, 74-66.
Last year, Washington State recorded its best season in more than 15 years when the program posted a 25-10 record, tied a school-record with 14 conference wins and earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are under the direction of first-year coach David Riley, who spent the last 13 seasons at Eastern Washington, including the last three as head coach. He led the team to two Big Sky Conference titles and was the league’s Coach of the Year the last two seasons.
Iowa returns major performers from last year’s team that saw them finish with 19 wins and earn a second-round appearance in the NIT. Notably, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman and teammate Brock Harding attended Moline High School, where they led the program to a state championship in 2023. Additionally, third-team All-Conference performer Payton Sandfort returns for his senior season under head coach Fran McCaffery, who in 14 years owns the program’s all-time wins record (280) and will become Iowa’s longest tenured head coach in 2024-25.