Oct. 3, 2012

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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa men's and women's basketball teams will make their first public appearance of 2012-13 on Friday, Oct. 19, in the Black & Gold Blowout presented by Herky's Locker Room. The re-engineered event will take place in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, starting at 8 p.m. with the doors opening at 7 p.m.

Tickets are on sale at the UI Ticket Office for $5 for adults and free for UI students and youth 18-and-under. All seating is general admission. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as there will be a number of prizes awarded to fans on a first-come-first-serve basis.

• FREE glow necklaces for the first 5,000 fans.
• One lucky fan will have the opportunity to shoot a series of shots on the court for the chance to win $50,000! Fans must arrive before 7:30 p.m. to register as a potential contestant.
• One lucky fan will have the opportunity to compete for round trip airfare for two, courtesy of Allegiant Airlines! Fans must arrive before 7:30 p.m. to register as an eligible contestant.
• Fans who arrive early can register to win men's basketball season tickets, women's basketball season tickets, tour of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a Fran McCaffery autographed basketball, a Lisa Bluder autographed basketball, a chance to sit on team bench during a men's or women's basketball scrimmage, and a chance to attend to a closed-weekend practice for men's or women's basketball.

The Black & Gold Blowout will be emceed by KCRG's Bruce Aune and will include team introductions, special effects and pyrotechnics. Other performances include:

• The women's basketball team will participate in a 3-point contest, giving fans the opportunity to win free t-shirts.
• The men's basketball team will participate in a dunk contest, judged by former Iowa basketball players Roy Marble, Greg Stokes, Luke Recker and Adam Haluska.
• Both the women's and men's basketball teams will hold a scrimmage.
• Performances by Iowa Pep Band, Spirit Squads and Golden Girl.
• Both teams will sign autographs at the end of the event for 30 minutes.

The men's team returns eight lettermen, including three starters, from a team that won 18 games and advanced to the second round of the NIT. The Hawkeyes also are excited to welcome a nationally-ranked recruiting class of five talented freshmen.

The women's team returns eight letterwinners from last year's NCAA Tournament squad, including All-Big Ten performers Jaime Printy, Morgan Johnson and Samantha Logic. The Hawkeyes are looking for their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

This year's presenting sponsor for the Black & Gold Blowout, Herky's Locker Room, carries all of your favorite Hawkeye gear. Herky's Locker Room is the official store of the University of Iowa Athletic Department. Visit them online at HerkysLockerRoom.com or in-store at one of their two locations, near campus in Coralville on 2nd Street or at the Valley West Mall in Des Moines. All sales at Herky's Locker Room Benefit athletics programs at The University of Iowa.