As No. 25 Iowa basketball (18-6, 8-5 Big Ten) prepares for its clash against Purdue (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) from a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, head coach Ben McCollum attributed the Hawkeyes’ first home sell-out crowd since the 2024 campaign to the program’s outreach within the state and local community.
“I think that we’ve worked really hard on making sure that we connect with the community, the state of Iowa, the University of Iowa, and Iowa City. I think people are noticing that, regardless of wins or losses or how the season’s going one way or the other.”
“We want to connect and we want to build this thing, like I’ve said since day one, together,” McCollum said.
When McCollum was asked whether the Hawkeyes’ 18-6 record helped the program achieve sellout status for Saturday’s matchup with the Boilermakers, the first-year coach said he wants fans to come to games regardless of Iowa’s record or the opponent.
“Yeah, I think so, but we don’t want it to be dependent upon us winning and losing games. I think that the best crowds in the country are the ones that come regardless. You see some institutions where they’re awful, and they sell out or (fans) are at the games, and they’re cheering, and maybe that was created through some type of brand loyalty.
That’s kind of what you’re looking for, and it doesn’t just happen. It takes years and years, and it can’t just be dependent upon winning. It has to be dependent upon the connection that you can create, because you can control that. I can control the kids that we bring into this program. I can control the connection with the community, and then the community can kind of connect with our program. That’s what makes it special: the winning is a byproduct of that, or vice versa. Maybe that’s a byproduct of winning too,” McCollum said.
With the atmosphere of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena behind them, McCollum hopes the Hawkeyes’ defensive style of play can thwart a talented Boilermakers squad and reward the over 15,000 fans with a high-quality Quad 1 victory.
The tipoff time between Iowa and Purdue is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, with the game broadcast on Fox.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball lauds community outreach for sellout crowd vs. Purdue
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
