The third ranked Iowa State men visit Iowa Thursday night in the 78th meeting in the series. One of the biggest questions is will this game even be close? The winning margin in the last six games has been 14 points or more, including last year when the Cyclones posted their most lopsided win in the series 90-65 in Ames.

That’s Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger. Two years ago in Iowa City the Hawkeyes ambushed the Cyclones at the start and led by as many as 29 points en-route to a 75-56 win. Otzelberger says a better start is a must in this game.

Otzelberger says the keys remain the same in every road game.

Iowa State is 7-1 and a number three ranking in the AP Poll is the highest since 1957. Hawkeye coach Fran McCaffery says a strength of the Cyclones is depth.

The Cyclones win with defense and toughness and they have already played two teams ranked in the top five.

McCaffery says the Hawkeyes must prevent the Iowa State guards from dominating the game.

Iowa has won four of the last six games and leads the al-time series 48-29. Tip off is 6-30 in Carver-Hawkeye and the game will be televised by Fox Sports One.

The Iowa Hawkeye men will be looking to post an upset when they host third ranked Iowa State Thursday night in the 78th meeting in the series. The Hawkeyes are 7-2 after an 85-83 loss at 14th ranked Michigan. Senior forward Payton Sandfort.

For a team hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament it is a chance for an early resume building win.

To have a chance the Hawkeyes must handle Iowa State’s toughness and relentless defense.

At Atlantic: 

SWAT 54, Atlantic 6

SWAT 51, Southwest Valley 6

Atlantic 21, Southwest Valley 18

SWAT Winners: Jazz Christensen (2), Nadia South (2), Destiny Fry (2), Addi Glade, Bailey Lillard (2), Lilly Barber (2), Stella Beattie (2), Megan Gerlock (2), Adalynn Erlandson (2), Ellen Gerlock

Atlantic Winners: Haley Armstrong (2), Cadence Kinzie, Lilly Johnson, Leah Thomas

Southwest Valley Winners: Kacy LaMasters (2), Peyton Briggs, Kenzie Maeder

AT GRISWOLD 

Shenandoah 54, CAM 10

Shenandoah 58, Griswold 12

Shenandoah 53, Kuemper Catholic 24

Kuemper Catholic 66, CAM 12

Kuemper Catholic 53, Griswold 18

Griswold 48, CAM 18

Shenandoah Winners — Lukus Major (3), Jacob McGargill (3), Nick Berrier (3), Jayden Dickerson (3), Landon Fuller (2), Steven Perkins (2), Davin Holste (2), Hayden Roush (3), Cole Scamman (3), Tyler Babe (2), Lane Riggins (2)

Kuemper Catholic Winners — Will Atherton (3), Caleb Hoffman (3), Owen Nepple (3), Caden Handlos, Jake Smith (2), Case Kock (2), Austin Heinrichs (2), Mason Vonnahme (2), Sam Rotert (2), Colby Pierce (3), Ried Steger

Griswold Winners — Holden Jensen (2), Nollan Smith, Ethan Baxter (2), Hudson Perkins, Quentyn Ruchti-Wilson, Dane Casey, Wyatt Peterson, RJ Dishong (3), Wyatt Silk

CAM Winners — Reilly Becker (3), Kegan Croghan (2), Landon Calhoun, Parker Wilson

AT ST. ALBERT

Glenwood 57, Harlan 30 

Glenwood 45, St. Albert 24

Glenwood 72, Southwest Iowa 12

Harlan 52, St. Albert 30 

Harlan 65, Southwest Iowa 12 

St. Albert 66, Southwest Iowa 15

Glenwood winners — Brody Black (3), Benn Christensen (3), Connor Wear (3), Jaxon Erickson (2), Nile Lundvall (2), Jacob Aust (3), Mason Koehler (3), Brody Black, Carson Blakely (2), Pauley Simonetti, Drake Buthe (2), Christian Lopez, Mark Reed, Brandt Mower, Landon Lechtenberg, Nile Lundvall

St. Albert winners — Aiden Gaul (2), Bennett Johnsen (2), Sam Raymond (2), Judah York (3), Cohen Hamilton (2), Brody Pellett, Joey Mazzella (2), Ryan McColloch, Andrew Beckman, Myles LeBaugh, Andrew Tamayo, Jayden Beckman, Micah Hutchison

Southwest Iowa winners — Evan Lang (3), Max Mount, Blake Schaaf (3)

Harlan winners — Jaysin Ludwig (2), Spencer Fink (3), Jesse Jens (3), Jamison Clark (2), Chayton Snethen (3), Jaden Stephens, Reese Koch (2), Nick Gubbels (2), Austin Spray (2), Brody McKinley (2), Coy Obrecht, Shane Cooper

AT AUDUBON

Riverside 65, Audubon 15

Riverside 62, Southwest Valley 13

Riverside 65, Treynor 10 

Southwest Valley 40, Treynor 36 

Southwest Valley 42, Audubon 30 

Treynor 45, Audubon 30

Riverside winners — Colton Hering (2), Davis Bramman (3), Drew Anderson (3), Jack Branan (3), Jaxon Gordon (3), Rex Shanno, Jett Rose (3), AC Roller (2), Gaven Hackett, Caden Forristall (3), Jackson Allen (2), Grayson Carrigan (2), Kingston Carrigan (2), Taven Moore, Kellen Oliver

Audubon winners — Leyton Elmquist (2), Lane Elmquist (3), Jack Stanerson (2), Braxton Witt, Kayden Otten, Keaton Reis, Alex Henkle 

Southwest Valley winners — Ben Waddell (2), Degan Farwell (2), Gavin Wetzel, Wyatt Shires (2), Carson Cooper (2), Brody Crozier (2), Brody Sparks, Gavin Wetzel (2), Hayden Buffington, Ian Forsythe, Wyatt Konecne 

Treynor winners — Zack Robbins (3), Austin Moss (3), Maverrick Kalb (3), Cael Walton (2), Rylan Sengmeny, Bradley Kenealy, Noah Jedlicka (2), Lowell Knott (2) 

AT LOGAN-MAGNOLIA

Logan-Magnolia 75, Thomas Jefferson 6

Logan-Magnolia 51, Missouri Valley 24

Logan-Magnolia 71, Woodbine 12

Missouri Valley 53, Thomas Jefferson 21

Missouri Valley 53, Woodbine 24 

Thomas Jefferson 48, Woodbine 33 

Lo-Ma winners — Zach Diggins (2), Crosby Yoder (3), Noah Archibald (2), Max Wingert (2), Kalab Kuhl (3), Wyatt Hawkins (3), Wayden Hawkins (3), Corbin Reisz (3), Macklin Loftus (3), Tyson Jenkins (2), Aaron Cordell (3), Carson Edney (3), Grady Brix (2), Liam Jenkins

TJ winners — Jacob Acosta (2), Dylan Janik (2), Mayson Kramer, Darreck Roche (2), Brycen Liddick (2), Jeremiah Brooks, Coleton Townsend, Jacob Snipes, Kaeleb Myers

Missouri Valley winners — Owen Becerra (3), Luke Schroeder (3), Vinny Zappia (3), Matthew Cliffe (3), Luke Cleaver (2), Owen Gute (2), Colton Beckner (2), Aidan Vergamini (2), Louis Waite (2), James Wendt

Woodbine winners — Tony Kuker (2), Cameron Flaherty (2), Brenner Sullivan (2), Lucas Olson, Jacob Cogdill (2), Lawson Bendgen (2), Justice Garvis

AT UNDERWOOD

Underwood 58, Tri-Center 21

Underwood 60, AHSTW 18 

Tri-Center 35, AHSTW 30 

Underwood winners — Avery Vacek (2), Landon Leaders (2), Ryan Fletcher (2), Dane DeVault, Lucas Bose (2), Coltin Johnson (2), Will Buckholdt (2), Sam Hulsing (2), Hayden Heun (2), Grady Joens (2), Dane Meyerpeter

AHSTW winners — Tucker Osbahr (2), Kayden Baxter (2), Henry Lund (2), Chris Holmes, Roman Scheffler

Tri-Center winners — Tucker Olsen, Christopher Rock (2), Brant Freeberg (2), Noah Goodwin, Titus Humbert, Charlie Morse, Braiden Pace, Athan Chessmore

The Atlantic Trojans girls basketball team put forth a phenomenal start-to-finish effort on Tuesday night as they defeated the Clarinda Cardinals on the road for their third conference win of the season. Atlantic did just about everything well. They played good defense, limited turnovers, moved the ball extremely well, were able to cash in on their opportunities, and arguably most importantly, kept their foot on the gas for the full 32 minutes. As a result, they controlled the game from start to finish in their 55-44 victory over the Cardinals.

Strong Starts have not been a problem for the Trojans this season and Tuesday was no different. Although the teams traded points for the first 3:30 minutes, a Katrina Williams field goal from the foul line gave Atlantic a lead they would never relinquish. This kickstarted a 10-0 run for Atlantic that saw them take an 11-point lead into the break. Lila Wiederstein and Zoey Kirchhoff led the way for the Trojans, finishing the opening quarter with 6 points.

Throughout much of the game, but especially in the first half, Atlantic moved the ball with both precision and speed. The Trojan’s quick and decisive passes not only around the perimeter but up the court caused fits for Clarinda’s defense. This not only opened up lanes to the basket but also the long ball. Kirchhoff was able to knock down two 3-pointers in the first half which helped her lead the team with 9 points. This, in combination with the Trojans’ stingy defense, ensured Atlantic would lead by 10 or more at the end of every quarter, as they allowed just 14 points in the first two quarters.

Coming out of the half with a 26-14 lead, there was little that changed throughout the rest of the game. The Trojans continued to distribute the basketball at a high level which resulted in balanced scoring. In the third quarter, it was Mackenna Schroeder’s turn. She knocked two 3-pointers, including a thrilling buzzer-beater to end her eight-point quarter. Although turnovers crept their way into Atlantic’s game late in the fourth, it was too late to make a difference. At the final buzzer, three Trojans (Williams, Schroeder, and Payton Harder) finished with eight points, while Kirchhoff and Wiederstein led the way with 13.

It was arguably Atlantic’s most complete effort of the season. Although the Trojans have been no strangers to fast starts,  Tuesday was a complete effort, and head coach Dan Varagason said the victory was a big step in teaching his group how to win ball games.

Ball movement, rebounding, and team contributions were all key and Vargason was proud of the effort his team put forth.

Vargason on Kirchhoff and Wiedersteins performance.

The Atlantic Trojans will be back in action this Friday when they visit Creston. Pregame coverage of the doubleheader on KJAN begins at 5:50 pm.

The Northern Iowa women raced out to a 20-point halftime lead and beat South Dakota 78-59 in the McLeod Center. The Panthers scored 29 points in the opening quarter to improve to 5-4 on the season.

That’s UNI coach Tanya Warren. The Panthers visit South Dakota State on Saturday.

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Clarinda 49, Atlantic 28

St. Albert 59, Creston 56

Glenwood 75, Denison Schleswig 39

Kuemper Catholic 90, Harlan 61

Red Oak 72 Shenandoah, 70

Corner Conference

East Mills 70, Griswold 49

Bedford 93 Essex, 22

Fremont Mills 58 Hamburg, 49

Sidney 52 Stanton, 47

Pride of Iowa Conference

Lenox 60 Nodaway Valley, 27

Wayne 45, East Union 33

Southeast Warren 73, Central Decatur 43

Rolling Valley Conference

Woodbine 84 CAM, 36

Glidden Ralston 61, Exira EHK 52

Ar-We-Va 71, Paton Churdan 39

Coon Rapids Bayard 59, West Harrison 22

West Central Conference

AC/GC 68, Van Meter 57

Earlham 59, Panorama 17

Des Moines Christian 58, West Central Valley 37

I-35 51, Ogden 44

Madrid 82, Pleasantville 39

Western Iowa Conference

Tri Center 70, AHSTW 58

Treynor 60, Underwood 33

IKM Manning 62, Logan Magnolia 59

Audubon 59 Missouri Valley, 50

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Atlantic 55, Clarinda 44

St. Albert 66, Creston 28

Glenwood 56, Denison Schleswig 28

Harlan 76, Kuemper Catholic 54, Molly Swenson had 30 points

Shenandoah 81 Red Oak, 33

Corner Conference

East Mills 42, Griswold 32

Bedford 49, Essex 25

Fremont Mills 68, Hamburg 8

Stanton 56, Sidney 29

Pride of Iowa Conference

Lenox 64, Nodaway Valley 53

Wayne 59, East Union 16

Central Decatur 46, Southeast Warren 19

Rolling Valley Conference

Woodbine 64, CAM 43

Exira-EHK 57 Glidden-Ralston, 35

Ar-We-Va 43, Paton Churdan 28

West Central Conference

AC/GC 50, Van Meter 42

Earlham 46, Panorama 40

Des Moines Christian 56, West Central Valley 40

I-35 55, Ogden 31

Pleasantville @ Madrid (G/B DH)

Western Iowa Conference

AHSTW 40, Tri Center 37

Treynor 59, Underwood 34

IKM Manning 62, Logan Magnolia 60

The Atlantic Trojans boys basketball team had a tough 49-28 loss Tuesday night to the Clarinda Cardinals due to a large amount of turnovers and cold shooting. The first quarter got off to a slow start for both sides as the first basket wasn’t scored til around three minutes into the matchup. Atlantic was first to get on the board leading 2-0. Each team would then trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter with Clarinda leading 7-4 by the end of the first.

The second quarter saw a stronger push by Clarinda as they pushed themselves down the court with Kyle Wagoner and Cooper Phillips hitting layups and mid range shots. Atlantic tried to fight their way back in, but continued to turn the ball over which would lead to them only scoring five points in the second, and being down 21-12 at the half.

At the start of the third quarter Clarinda picked up right where they left off going on a 7-0 run which pushed their lead to 28-12 and committed to a man defense which seemed to stagger the Trojans and limit their ability to score inside the paint. By the time the third quarter ended, Atlantic saw themselves down 15 points with a score of 32-17.

The fourth quarter saw Atlantic’s best offensive performance with bench players like Conner Johnson and Gage Gross both making a splash. Johnson had five points in the fourth and hit the Trojans only three pointer in the game. Gross was the teams leading scorer at nine. Still, the efforts of Gross and Johnsen would not be enough to stop Clarinda from scoring 15 points ion the fourth and taking the win.

The Cardinals leading scorer from Tuesday was Sam Kline who had a 15 point night.

When discussing the loss, Atlantic head coach Dalton Franken was impressed with the way his bench attacked their minutes out on the court Tuesday night.

Coach Franken noted that one of the reasons for Atlantic’s loss to the Cardinals was the cold shooting and missed easy shots.

The Trojans will have time to plan and improve as their next matchup is on Friday against the Creston Panthers. In order for Atlantic to get the victory on Friday, coach Franken hopes to see improved defense and rebounding.

Atlantic’s loss puts them at 0-3 on the year.

The 21st ranked Iowa Hawkeye women host 18th ranked Iowa State in the 50th meeting in the 50th meeting in the series Wednesday night in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes are 8-1 and coming off their first loss of the season to Tennessee in New York City. The Hawkeyes committed 30 turnovers against the Tennessee press.

That’s Hawkeye coach Jan Jensen. The key against Iowa State will be containing sophomore center Audi Crooks. She averages nearly 20 points and more than eight rebounds per game.

Jensen says the Cyclones have been tested. There losses were to South Carolina and at Northern Iowa.

Iowa State is looking to get the series turned around after dropping seven of the last eight to the Hawkeyes.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly. The Cyclones will be in search of their first victory in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since 2006.

Fennelly says the transition to Jan Jensen at Iowa has been seamless and while the Hawkeyes lost a lot of firepower from last season they have as lot of players who have big game experience.