Northwestern Men's Basketball Announces Iowa State Exhibition Series
Northwestern University men’s basketball has announced a historic "home-and-home" exhibition series with Iowa State that will be played over the next two years.
The series begins Sunday, October 26, 2025, when Northwestern travels to Ames to face the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State will return the favor during the 2026 preseason, visiting Welsh-Ryan Arena on either Saturday, October 24, or Sunday, October 25, 2026:
The matchup represents significant firsts for both programs. Northwestern will break new ground by playing its first preseason exhibition against a Division I opponent in program history. For Iowa State, the October contest will mark their first exhibition game at Hilton Coliseum since 2017, when they defeated Emporia State 77-68.
The Cyclones will enter the Northwestern exhibition having already completed their preseason opener at Creighton on October 17. The 2025 schedule marks the first time Iowa State has played two exhibition games in a single season since 2009, when they defeated Black Hills State 96-47 and UNC Pembroke 106-54
Both teams enter the series following contrasting 2024-25 campaigns. Iowa State posted a 25-10 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning the 13th spot in ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25 rankings. Northwestern finished 17-16 in their third consecutive winning season.
Specific tipoff times and television broadcast schedules will be announced at a later date. Northwestern’s full 2025-26 schedule has yet to be released, but tickets are currently available for purchase.
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Chris Wilson covers the NFL, MLB, NBA and college sports, originally starting his career focusing on the San Francisco 49ers. With awards including FanSided's 2019 NFL Contributor of the Year, Chris specializes in sports news and analysis, game theory, data analytics, and film breakdowns. His work has appeared at Locked On Podcast Network, FanSided, ClutchPoints, Niner Noise and many others, and continues to be featured on 49ers Webzone, InsideThe49, and numerous media outlets. You can find Chris across social media @cgawilson.