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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa defensive tackle Jack Heflin is right where he always wanted to be. The Prophetstown, Illinois, native has turned his childhood aspirations into reality, suiting up this season for the No. 17 Hawkeys after four years at Northern Illinois. The 22-year-old Heflin has 21 tackles and a sack playing a key role in anchoring one of the nation’s top defenses, which takes on Missouri in the Music City Bowl next week.

UNDATED (AP) — Quarterback Justin Fields repeated as offensive player of the year and is joined by three of his teammates on the Associated Press All-Big Ten football team. Lineman Daviyon Nixon of Iowa is the defensive player of the year and is among six Hawkeyes players on the first team in voting by 24 media members. Northwestern redshirt freshman safety Brandon Joseph is newcomer of the year and Indiana’s Tom Allen is coach of the year. Fields is a repeat first-team selection along with Buckeyes offensive lineman Wyatt Davis.

UNDATED (AP) — Many of college basketball’s top teams have one thing in common: They are led by veteran players, which has given them an early edge by providing continuity amid the uncertainty around the game amid the coronavirus pandemic. All teams are coping with constant starts, stops and schedule changes. And those that have the most success, like No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Baylor and No. 4 Iowa, have multiple upperclassmen playing prominent roles in their rotations. Teams led by younger players like unranked Kentucky and No. 20 Duke have had bumpier starts. Wildcats coach John Calipari says veteran teams “have a huge advantage this season.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Brad Davison had 15 points and a career-high seven assists, and No. 9 Wisconsin overcame a dreadful start to beat Nebraska 67-53 Tuesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Micah Potter added 10 points and 11 rebounds and sparked a key 14-0 run late in the first half. Fifth-year senior Aleem Ford celebrated his 24th birthday with 13 points and eight rebounds to help the Badgers earn their ninth straight conference victory and 15th straight home win. The Badgers closed the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season by winning eight straight conference games to share the Big Ten regular-season title with Maryland and Michigan State.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Sonya Morris scored 22 points and Dee Bekelja scored 16 to lead 18th-ranked DePaul past Creighton 90-81. The Blue Demons used a 10-0 run to start the last quarter and turned a 63-60 deficit into a seven-point lead in a less than three-minute span. Despite the fact Creighton made half its 14 field goals in the fourth quarter, DePaul went 14-for-16 shooting. The Blue Demons shot 38 for 63 (60.3%) including 12 of 25 from 3-point range. Creighton true freshman Emma Ronsiek registered career highs with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Ronsiek missed just two of 15 attempts.