Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Bucknell Bison

Men's College Basketball

On Sale Soon

Date
Dec 20, 2025
Event Starts
TBA
Venue
Wells Fargo Arena
On Sale
June 6 at 11:00 AM

Saturday | Dec. 20 TBA On Sale Soon

Event Details

“We are excited to bring our team to Wells Fargo Arena in December to showcase our players to our fan base in the Des Moines metro area,” said Iowa head coach Ben McCollum. “This is a great opportunity to play a strong Bucknell team on a neutral court and to continue to build excitement for our program.”

It will be a special return to Des Moines for five players on the Iowa team. Senior guard Bennett Stirtz is a first-year transfer from Drake where he led the Bulldogs to both the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and post-season tournament titles en route to being named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Guard Kael Combs, forward Tavion Banks, guard Isaia Howard, and forward Cam Manyawu also were key members of the Drake team last year.

Iowa freshman center Trevin Jirak was named 2025 Iowa Mr. Basketball after leading Valley High School of West Des Moines to its third straight Iowa Class 4A state championships.

Bucknell was co-regular season champions of the Patriot League in 2024-25, posting a 13-5 record along with an 18-15 overall mark. The Bison are led by third-year head coach John Griffin III, who is a 2008 Bucknell graduate and was a guard on Bucknell's 2005 and 2006 championship teams that won NCAA Tournament first-round games over Kansas and Arkansas.

Bucknell senior starting forward Ruot Bijiek earned second team Iowa Class 4A all-state honors at Valley High School in West Des Moines, setting a school single-game scoring record with 40 points.

Know Before You Go

Bag Policy

Wells Fargo Arena has a clear bag policy for all events. A maximum clear bag the size of 12"x6"x12" is permitted. Exceptions will be made for medical, family, or child care bags or small clutches no larger than 4.5"x6.5".

Cashless Facility

Wells Fargo Arena is a cashless facility, only accepting debit, credit, and gift cards. If you do not carry a debit or credit card, you can transfer cash onto a gift card at Overtime Tap (Section 108).

Mobile Ticketing

Tickets for all events at Wells Fargo Arena must be added to a digital wallet (Apple Wallet or Google Wallet) for entry. Barcodes will no longer display on tickets. Tickets will be scanned by tapping your phone on the scanner at the door. Learn more about Mobile Ticketing at Wells Fargo Arena.

Parking

Parking is available at the Iowa Events Center with entrances off 3rd Street and 5th Avenue.

If traveling from I-235 East, utilize Exit 8A to 3rd Street.
If traveling from I-235 West, utilize Exit 8A to 7th Street.

Meter parking is available throughout downtown Des Moines with the convenience of the ParkDSM app. Parking meters charge Monday through Saturday from 9am-9pm.

City parking garages are located throughout downtown with convenient skywalk access to the Iowa Events Center.

7th & Center - 9-minute walk
5th & Keo - 10-minute walk
4th & Grand - 9-minute walk
3rd & Court - 13-minute walk