The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team welcomes the Eastern Illinois Panthers to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
The Hawkeyes come in off a season-opening win over Lipscomb, while Eastern Illinois opened its season at Indiana on Nov. 2, according to FOX Sports. The matchup gives Iowa fans a first extended look at a frontcourt that could carry the team deep into the season.
How to watch Eastern Illinois vs. Iowa
- When: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)
- Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Stream: FOX One, which is offering a three-day free trial
Fans without cable can also catch the action through the Big Ten Network app, and the Hawkeye Radio Network will carry the call with Gary Dolphin on play-by-play, Sports Illustrated reported.
Eastern Illinois arrives with a rebuilt roster
The Panthers return only four players from last season's 13-20 team and restocked through the transfer portal, pulling players from Division II, NAIA and junior college programs. That rebuild faces an immediate test: Iowa is the second Big Ten opponent Eastern Illinois will face in its first week of the season.
The player to watch is the Panthers' new point guard, a 6-foot-1 senior who led Division II with 8.3 assists per game at East Central last season while adding 10.7 points per game. He has never played a Division I game before this season, and Eastern Illinois is counting on him to run a mostly new offense. His assist-to-turnover ratio against the Hawkeyes will tell the story early.
Devin Davenport is the other newcomer worth tracking. He averaged 20.3 points per game at NAIA Missouri Valley last season, scored 20 or more points in 19 games, and set a school record with a 50-point game against William Penn, according to Eastern Illinois. He shot 44.1 percent from the field and 89.7 percent from the free-throw line. The jump to Division I is steep, and Iowa has far more size than anything Davenport saw in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Whether he can draw fouls against Hawkeye defenders is the key question.
Iowa's size advantage inside
The Hawkeyes return a proven frontcourt, starting with their 6-foot-8 returning starter at forward. He started all 33 games last season, made 39.4 percent of his 3-point attempts, and averaged 7.7 points and 3.0 rebounds.
His shooting pulls defenders away from the basket and creates room for Iowa's big men, including 7-foot-3 Andrew McKeever. The veteran forward scored as many as 19 points in a game last season, played 27.5 minutes a night and shot 43.7 percent from the field overall. His 3-point volume in the first half will show how Iowa plans to spread the floor.
Cam Manyawu gives the Hawkeyes a physical presence down low. The 6-foot-9 forward shot 64.0 percent from the field while starting all 33 games last season, averaging 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes. Against an Eastern Illinois roster rebuilt with lower-division transfers, Manyawu should have a clear physical edge inside. He scored as many as 14 points in a game last season, and his first-half rebounding will signal how the Hawkeyes intend to use their size.
Iowa's length and experience should make this a comfortable home outing, but early-season games are where rotations take shape and freshmen earn minutes, so the final margin matters less than the patterns that emerge, Yahoo Sports noted.
What the game means for Iowa's season
Nonconference home games like this one are about building habits before Big Ten play. Iowa's coaching staff gets a low-pressure setting to evaluate how the frontcourt complements the returning shooters, and how the bench responds to extended minutes.
For Eastern Illinois, the trip to Iowa City is part of a brutal opening stretch that included Indiana and now the Hawkeyes. A competitive showing would signal that the roster rebuild is ahead of schedule.
FAQ
What time does Iowa basketball play Eastern Illinois?
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, which is 7:30 p.m. CT, on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
What channel is the Eastern Illinois vs. Iowa game on?
The game airs on the Big Ten Network. Streaming is available on FOX One, which offers a three-day free trial, FOX confirmed.
Who are the players to watch in the game?
For Iowa, watch forwards Cam Manyawu and the returning 6-foot-8 starter, plus 7-foot-3 Andrew McKeever. For Eastern Illinois, new point guard Miller and transfer guard Devin Davenport headline the rebuilt Panthers roster.