It’s a special weekend for basketball in the state of Iowa.

The Hy-Vee Big Four Classic, consisting of Iowa vs. Drake and Iowa State vs. Northern Iowa, is set to take place for the sixth year at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

The Hawkeyes have fared well in their trip to the state’s Capital City; they boast a 4-1 record at the event. Iowa has beaten Drake and Northern Iowa twice but suffered a loss to the Panthers in 2014.

Head coach Fran McCaffery said he looks at the big picture of the games but said he’s still a fan of the event.

“Sort of what we just come to expect, sort of what the kids sign up for when they come here; they know we’re going to play these kind of games,” he said. “They know that this game is always going to be a tough game. We’ve lost up there, we’ve won up there. They’ve all been really good games. It’s a good atmosphere. I think it’s a first-class event.”

Despite sporting a 5-5 record, Drake has the potential to do some damage.

Led by senior guard Reed Timmer, the Bulldogs are a dangerous mid-major team with plenty of experience.

They proved that on Dec. 11 by taking 9-3 Minnesota down to the wire before losing a heartbreaker by 1 point, 68-67.

RELATED: Garza, Hawkeyes bounce back against Southern

What’s even more impressive is that the game came on an off night for Timmer, who scored just 8 points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Timmer, who averages 20.7 points a game to go along with 4.2 rebounds, has the opportunity to take advantage of an Iowa defense that has been inconsistent throughout the season.

The Hawkeyes do have a significant advantage over the Bulldogs, though: size. Four of Drake’s five starters are 6-2 or shorter, meaning Iowa can have its way inside.

The Bulldogs are a good 3-point shooting team; they shoot 42.3 percent from deep as a unit, with Timmer shooting better than 53 percent and guard Graham Woodward shooting nearly 45 percent.

So Iowa is planning to use its size and length to its advantage.

“I think that’s something that we’ve really been trying to get better at for the whole year, working down in the post,” freshman Jack Nunge said. “We have a height advantage over pretty much every team we play and strength, too, and I think that’s going to be a major aspect for us going forward.”

Point guard Jordan Bohannon has had some experience in this tournament before he put on the Black and Gold. Brother Matt played at Northern Iowa from 2012-16.

Now with some experience in the Classic under his belt, whether it’s watching his brother or playing, Bohannon knows what to experience.