Basketball fans across the state are rejoicing today, as one of the major power programs in the state has finally decided to take on a smaller in-state opponent.
For the first time since 2018, Iowa State will take on Drake, when head coach Ben McCollum brings his Bulldog squad to Hilton Coliseum tonight for a 7 PM tip.
The issue of not playing Drake or the University of Iowa in Cedar Falls has been a contentious one, as both big-time programs have been accused of dodging their in-state rivals. Iowa has not played Drake since 2017, and Iowa State has not played them since 2018, a wrong Drake was determined to set right.
Drake Athletic Director Brian Hardin addressed this earlier in the week, saying “it’s long been a frustration that the big programs won’t play us. Athletically, we have a lot in common with each program, as Iowa State and Drake claim to be the DSM metro hometown team. With Iowa, we share a love of not winning games in the NCAA tournament. We knew they would never schedule us, so we decided to take matters into our own hands”
Clearly, Drake has done just that.
First they decided to, in the name of renewing the series, ship off head coach Ben McCollum to Iowa. Smartly, they followed that move up by sending their entire roster into the transfer portal for Ben to bring to Iowa City.
“When faced with a road block, you can either go through it or go around it. We decided to send our entire program to Iowa City just to have a shot to take on Iowa State, which is clearly the best program in the state. It was an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up”.
Iowa, for their part, worked hard to make this happen as well. To make up for killing the Big 4 Classic, Iowa and coach Fran McCaffery had been maneuvering into position for this move for years.
“We are grateful to him for bringing Iowa basketball to a place where they were desperate enough to take our coach roster and get us in this position”, Hardin said when asked about Iowa’s contribution in renewing the series.
It will remain to be seen if this rivalry is renewed long-term, as Northern Iowa is still left out of the mix. If Drake continues to draw small crowds in Iowa City, it’s possible that the Panthers turn to a similar avenue to renew their series with the state’s basketball power in Ames.