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Iowa basketball: Hawks get early test in B1G/ACC Challenge

By Ryan Sikes

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 21: Jarrod Uthoff #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives to the net against the Syracuse Orange at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 2014 in New York City. Syracuse Orange defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 66-63 (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 21: Jarrod Uthoff #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives to the net against the Syracuse Orange at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 2014 in New York City. Syracuse Orange defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 66-63 (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The Iowa basketball team will be heading to the Carrier Dome to face a solid Syracuse Orange team in the B1G/ACC Challenge.

Remember the last time a Hawkeyes team was in the Carrier Dome? The football team stopped Syracuse eight consecutive times at the goal line in double overtime to preserve a 20-13 win in September 2006.

The Iowa basketball time will try to repeat that performance in a sense when they square off against Jim Boeheim‘s Syracuse squad in early December.

It will mark the first time the two teams have met since Syracuse edged Iowa 66-63 in the 2014 2K Classic.

Last season, the Hawkeyes knocked off Pittsburgh at Carver-Hawkeye Arena 69-68 in the B1G/ACC Challenge. Syracuse beat a solid Ohio State team in Columbus 72-62. Syracuse will be returning four-star point guard Jalen Carey who played in 25 games last year (starting 2 of them). He averaged just 3.5 points-per-game last season but expects to be a full-time starter this year.

Syracuse will also be returning Elijah Hughes who averaged 13.7 points-per-game and started all 34 games. He is a terrific perimeter threat as he averaged nearly 7 three-pointers a game last year.

The Hawkeyes will potentially be without senior Jordan Bohannon who had hip surgery last month and is facing a recovery time of five-to-nine months. The team will be returning key contributors like Joe Wieskamp, Connor McCaffery, Luka Garza while welcoming in two new faces in Patrick McCaffery and Joe Toussaint.

Iowa will be fresh off playing in the Continental Tire Las Vegas International tournament with Creighton, San Diego State, and Texas Tech being the three other participants. As for Syracuse, they are slated to play in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament.

Next. Joe Wieskamp receiving deserved national recognition. dark

It will be a good measuring stick early on for the Hawkeyes, especially if they can beat Syracuse on the road. A victory in the Carrier Dome could propel the team right into conference play when they open up against Illinois at home. They will try to repeat last year’s performance of winning all of their out of conference games.

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