Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa point guard Connor McCaffery’s hardship waiver has been approved by the Big Ten, leaving him with four seasons of eligibility remaining. The league announced it had approved McCaffery’s petition after he played just four games as a true freshman. McCaffery is the son of coach Fran McCaffery.

UNDATED (AP) — Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser will be the only coach in Saturday’s Final Four in San Antonio who has not previously taken his team to the NCAA Tournament’s national semifinals. He says he is reaching out to his friends and associates looking for any advice on how to handle the week ahead. Michigan coach John Beilein warned about the multitude of media obligations. Villanova coach Jay Wright says the “enormity” of the Final Four can “blow you away.”

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self admits he’s had more talented teams fail to reach the Final Four. And perhaps that’s why this season has been so gratifying. The Jayhawks’ victory over Duke in the regional finals means a spot in San Antonio and a date with Villanova _ and a chance to continue a season few saw coming.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. says he is declaring for the NBA draft. The 6-foot-10 forward made the announcement on Instagram “after talking it over with my coaches and my family.” Missouri was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Florida State in the opening round. The freshman scored 16 points in 28 minutes as a reserve, just his third appearance of the season due to a back injury.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Rick Barnes believes Loyola-Chicago has as good a chance as anybody to win the national championship. Barnes is all too familiar with Loyola after his third-seeded Volunteers lost 63-62 to the 11th-seeded Ramblers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Loyola (32-5) has continued its run into the Final Four in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State eclipsed all expectations by reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament this season. Now, the Wildcats head into next season with nearly their entire roster back for another run, and there’s little chance they will be sneaking up on anybody.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Final Four features favorites in Villanova, Kansas and Michigan along with an upstart in 11-seed Loyola-Chicago. The regional finals ended up providing a bit of stability to a wild and upset-filled NCAA Tournament with two 1-seeds headlining the teams in San Antonio. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Coast Conference missed on the Final Four for the first time since 2014 with Duke’s loss to Kansas.