Outdoor games are a polarizing college basketball topic that never seems to fully disappear. While the Carrier Classic series played on aircraft carriers between 2011 and 2022 stands out as a prime example of an outdoor showcase, a more-recent precedent of playing in a football stadium was established in 2023.
The Iowa women’s basketball team hosted DePaul inside the Hawkeyes’ football stadium in an October 2023 exhibition dubbed the “Crossover at Kinnick.” A whopping 55,646 fans turned out for the contest, which raised money for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.
Some fans surely needed binoculars to follow the basketball, but the game nonetheless made for quite a spectacle. It was enough of a success that the idea of basketball being played inside of a football stadium has generated some buzz on the men’s side.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart swirled some speculation this week when he didn’t exactly shoot down the possibility of the Wildcats utilizing Kroger Field for a basketball game. “Why not?” he said while adding that “you’ve got to be open to about anything.”
If any basketball fanbase could fill up a football stadium, it’s Big Blue Nation. But football stadiums are just one potential option for unique college basketball venues. For this week’s Dribble Handoff, our writers are picking the off-the-wall outdoor venues where they’d like to see a college basketball game.
Iowa vs. Iowa State (Field of Dreams)
The NBA has reportedly looked into hosting a game at what is commonly known as “Field of Dreams,” the baseball field built in Dyersville, Iowa that was made famous by the Kevin Costner film of the same name.
Logistically, the NBA concluded, it would be tough.
But it’s not impossible! So let’s figure it out!
The University of Iowa is 80 miles away. Iowa State University is a further but still less than a three-hour drive. Keeping the court free of condensation might be a…
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