Big Four Classic extended through 2017

DES MOINES (AP) — The annual basketball doubleheader featuring Iowa’s four Division I teams has been extended through 2017.

The athletic directors at Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake announced Wednesday that the Big Four Classic will be held in Iowa’s capital of Des Moines for two more years.

The Big Four Classic replaced the home-and-home series that Iowa and Iowa State had with their Missouri Valley Conference counterparts in 2012.

This year’s doubleheader, which will feature No. 13 Iowa State against Drake and Northern Iowa against the Hawkeyes, is set for Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

This year’s event is a sellout, with a crowd of just more than 15,000 expected.

The Cyclones and Bulldogs will play first at 4 p.m., while the Hawkeyes and Panthers are expected to tip off their game around 6 p.m.