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Looking forward to the Iowa basketball team get back in action tonight against Indiana? About that...
Indiana-Iowa game tonight canceled after piece of roof at Assembly Hall fell into seats at 2:31 pm.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) February 18, 2014
Here's the press release from Iowa:
TONIGHT'S IOWA VS. INDIANA MEN'S BAKSETBALL GAME POSTPONED
Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass has announced that tonight's Big Ten men's basketball game between Iowa and Indiana will be postponed as a result of a piece of metal falling from the ceiling into seats in the lower bowl.
Roughly 6 1/2 hours before gametime, a metal facing (roughly eight feet long by 14 inches wide), fell and damaged seats in the lower part of Section F, which is located in the northwest corner of the building.
"Safety is our No.1 priority," noted Glass. Our University engineers have advised us to postpone events in Assembly Hall until it can be determined what caused the facing to fall and ensure the safety of everyone attending an event in the facility."
The rescheduling of the Iowa contest and the status of tomorrow night's women's game with Michigan will be determined as soon as possible.
Here's an image of the damaged seats:
PHOTO: A view of the damaged seats at Assembly Hall. Can confirm game is postponed. #iubb pic.twitter.com/HgajY8Bhac
— Jordan Littman (@JordanLittman) February 18, 2014
And here's some video footage of the debris falling (via @HasselESPN):
Yeah... it would have been very, very, very bad if that had happened during a game and fallen on someone. Thank goodness that didn't happen here.
As far as when (and where) the game might be played... TBD.
Moving the game to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianpolis (where the Pacers play and, coincidentally, where this year's Big Ten Tournament will be held) might be one option:
According 2 Indiana official, athletic dept negotiating with #BankersLife Fieldhouse in Indianapolis about moving Iowa game there 2 Wed
— mike mahon (@mahonsports) February 18, 2014
The larger problem is probably one of timing. The end of the regular season is fast approaching (March 9, to be precise) and neither Indiana nor Iowa really have an open week on the schedule. If they're not able to re-schedule the game for this week, one of the few options available might be to play the game next Thursday evening (2/27). Either way, Iowa is likely looking at a scenario now where they'll play several games in quick succession, with no more than a day or two between games. Mind you, that's also the scenario they'll face in the Big Ten Tournament (as well as the NCAA Tournament, to an extent), so perhaps it will be good practice for them. And thank goodness for depth, eh?
We'll update this story when more information becomes available.
