In the return of conference play the #23 Iowa Hawkeyes (10-3, 1-1) will face off against the #21 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2, 1-1) in front of a capacity crowd (8,900 people) at The Palestra in Philadelphia. There’s plenty of history being renewed here: game notes share that it’s Iowa’s first time at the historic venue since 1961, Fran McCaffery’s return to his old stomping grounds where he played a couple dozen games (and watched countless more), and the first ranked matchup between the two teams since 1997.
Penn State’s 2019 is highlighted by an upset win over Maryland, 76-69, as well as victories over Syracuse, Georgetown, Alabama, and Yale - all ranked 48 to 68 according to KenPom.