Iowa Basketball vs. Texas A&M-Commerce: Watch + Game Thread

Oh hey, look at this, basketball season is here. No, really, it's like today here.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will open their 2024-2025 basketball season when they host the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game marks the start of the Kenny Arnold Classic as the Hawkeyes look to start their season strong.

The tournament honors former Hawkeye star Kenny Arnold, who died in 2019 at age 59 from seizures and a cancerous brain tumor. Arnold was a key contributor on Iowa's last Final Four team in 1980, particularly after the injury to star Ronnie Lester.

Iowa should be off to a solid start in 2024-2025. They have won their last 13 season opening games and have a record of 19-15 (10-10 in Big Ten play) in the 2023-2024 season. The big question, as always under head coach Fran McCaffery, will be whether Iowa can improve its defense this year. The Hawkeyes averaged 83.1 points per game a season ago but gave up 79.4 PPG.

They begin the new year against the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions, who, in their second season as a Division I (formerly D II) program, finished 13-20 overall and 6-12 in the Southland Conference (good for 7th) last season. place). .

The Lions are looking to build some momentum under eighth-year head coach Jaret Von Rosenburg. However, they will still have a lot of work to do after losing their top three scorers from last season. As is common in today's game, the Lions have looked to fill the void, bringing in six transfers this offseason.

While there is certainly some rust to shake off in the first game of the season, this game could be a track and field meet. We all know the Hawkeyes go up and down and want to play well over 80 points per game. The Lions averaged 71.5 points per game a season ago while allowing their opponents to score 74.6 points per game. With an over/under of 153.5 total points, you can expect the Hawkeyes to exceed both their average from last year and the average allowed by TAMC a season ago.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT. Unfortunately, you will need a subscription to watch this show as it streams on BTN+. Find the full details here.

Date: Monday, November 4th
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Matchup: Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (0-0, 0-0). Iowa Hawkeyes (0-0, 0-0)
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
TV: BTN+
DraftKings line: Iowa -30.5, O/U 153.5

Odds/lines are subject to change. Terms and conditions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Today the usual rules apply again. Play nice in the comments. No personal attacks, no politics, keep the language somewhat under control and please report any spam bots that happen to show their digital faces.

Come on, hawks!