a day ago
Iowa basketball draws early-season SEC test in Acrisure Series
Iowa basketball will get a tough non-conference matchup early in the 2025-26 season.
The Hawkeyes will travel over to Palm Springs, California, to compete in the 2025 Acrisure Classic on November 25. They're in a group with Utah, Ole Miss, and Grand Canyon, and they found out their matchup on Friday morning from longtime college basketball writer Jon Rothstein.
They'll match up with the Rebels of Ole Miss in the opening game of the tournament.
Ole Miss is coming off a successful NCAA Tournament run last season, where they beat North Carolina and Iowa State on their way to the Sweet 16, ultimately losing by three to Michigan State. They're coached by veteran winner Chris Beard, who's building quite the program down in Oxford.
The Rebels lost some really good players from last year's team in Sean Pedulla and Dre Davis, but Beard has reloaded extremely well entering the 2025-26 season. He's bringing in the 16th-best recruiting class according to 247Sports, which includes four-stars Niko Bundalo, Tylis Jordan, and Patton Pinkins. He's also brought in some talented transfers in Koren Johnson, AJ Storr, and Travis Perry.
This will be a good measuring stick opponent for the Hawkeyes early on this season. The Rebels are a good program in an elite basketball conference, and if Iowa hangs with them or even picks up a win, it'll say a lot about the direction of the program. All eyes will be on the Hawkeyes as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels at the Acrisure Classic. The winner of this game will face the winner of Utah and Grand Canyon on November 26 in the final.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
