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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake basketball coach Darian DeVries has agreed to an eight-year contract extension through 2028-29, athletic director Brian Hardin announced Wednesday night. DeVries has led the Bulldogs to 20-win seasons each of his first three years at the school. Drake’s 25 wins this season are third-most in the nation. The Bulldogs play Wichita State in an NCAA First Four game on Thursday. Terms of the extension weren’t announced. DeVries has twice been named the Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year.

UNDATED (AP) — It has been more than a decade since Iowa showed the kind of dominance at the NCAA championships that it takes to win a team title. The drought likely will end this weekend. Beginning with 125-pound Spencer Lee, the two-time and defending champion, the Hawkeyes will bring the deepest team to St. Louis. They qualified an All-American candidate at every weight and will have four No. 1 seeds when the tournament begins.

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a $5 million contract for next season with three-time Pro Bowler Kyle Long, who will come out of retirement to help their rebuilt offensive line, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The Chiefs also agreed to one-year deals to keep running back Darrel Williams, linebacker Ben Niemann and defensive end Taco Charlton, sources told The AP. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals have not been announced.

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten in the habit the past couple years of plugging their biggest holes by trading for big-name bats that just happen to have had a whole lot of success against them. Two years ago it was Paul Goldschmidt, and this past offseason it was Nolen Arenado. Now, those two sluggers are set to anchor a much more dangerous lineup and support a strong cast of starters and one of the best bullpens in baseball as the Cardinals seek take aim at the Chicago Cubs and the rest of the NL Central.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — After four consecutive losing seasons, the Kansas City Royals are done with rebuilding. The team has signed veteran first baseman Carlos Santana and traded for Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Those moves should help fill their two biggest offensive holes. It should help veterans such as Whit Merrifield and the rest of the Royals feel they can compete for a division title again.

UNDATED (AP) — Eastern Washington coach Shantay Legans borrows offensive and defensive schemes straight from the coach his team is about to face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The imitation is purely a show of respect toward longtime Kansas coach Bill Self. Legans has never had a sit-down conversation with Self but feels like he knows Self given how much time he’s studied Self’s teams and style. Legans and Self also have in common the experience of dealing with their seasons being disrupted due to coronavirus protocols. The third-seeded Jayhawks will be without two of their players due to the protocols when they play No. 14 seed Eastern Washington.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — For a team that’s been a NCAA Tournament regular much of the past decade, Wichita State is still a bit taken aback by its latest appearance. The Shockers seemed an unlikely participant following a tumultuous offseason featuring players exits and the resignation of longtime coach Gregg Marshall amid misconduct allegations. Isaac Brown took over on an interim basis but is now the Shockers’ permanent coach after guiding them to their first AAC regular season title. They enter the tournament as a No. 11 seed and will face Drake in a First Four play-in game.