1st round scores from Mon., 2/29/16

Top Bracket
5:00-p.m. – Western Christian, Hull 61, Central Decatur, Leon 50
6:45-p.m. – Pekin 48, Okoboji, Milford 44

Bottom Bracket
8:30-p.m. – Unity Christian, Orange City 52, West Branch 33

Today (Tuesday, March 1st)

Bottom Bracket
10:00-a.m. – Iowa City Regina (24-0) vs. Manson-NW Webster (20-4)

Class 2A Semifinals – Thursday, March 3rd

1:30-p.m. – Western Christian vs. Pekin
3:15-p.m. – Unity Christian vs. (winner of the IA City Regina vs. Manson-NW Webster game)

Monday, February 29 – Class 1A First Round

Top Bracket

10:00 a.m. — Turkey Valley 55, Mount Ayr 51
11:45 a.m. — Burlington Notre Dame 56, Kee 44

Bottom Bracket

1:30 p.m. – Springville 60, Kingsley-Pierson 53
3:15 p.m. – Newell-Fonda 53, Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 42

Thursday, March 3 – Class 1A Semifinals

10:00 a.m. – Turkey Valley (25-0) vs. Burlington Notre Dame (24-1)
11:45 a.m. –    Springville (24-1) vs. Newell-Fonda (19-6)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Big Ten has forwarded Iowa’s petition for a fifth year of eligibility for defensive end Drew Ott to the NCAA.

Iowa didn’t say if the NCAA has given the school a timetable on when it might rule on Ott’s situation.

Ott played in six games last season before tearing knee ligaments, ending his season.

Ott, who was a fourth-year senior in 2015, filed a medical hardship waiver request after the season.

Ott participated in last week’s NFL scouting combine in case the NCAA denies his appeal. But if he’s allowed to return for 2016, it’ll be a big boost for a defense that could be among the best in the Big Ten.

Kansas is back on top of the men’s college basketball poll by The Associated Press. Villanova had been No. 1 the past three weeks.

The Jayhawks are 25-4 and were No. 1 for two weeks in January. On Monday, they were a runaway choice, receiving 63 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

Michigan State is 24-5 and was No. 1 for a season-best four weeks. The Spartans drew the other two first-place votes.

Villanova lost to Xavier last week and fell two spots to third. The Wildcats were followed in the top 10 by Virginia, Xavier, Oklahoma, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon and West Virginia. This is Oregon’s first appearance in the top 10 this season.

California was ranked in three polls earlier this season and is the week’s only newcomer at No. 25. The Bears replace Notre Dame, which fell out from 23rd.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 28, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pts Prv
1. Kansas (63) 25-4 1,623 2
2. Michigan St. (2) 24-5 1,510 6
3. Villanova 25-4 1,479 1
4. Virginia 22-6 1,405 3
5. Xavier 25-4 1,356 5
6. Oklahoma 22-6 1,297 3
7. Miami 23-5 1,211 12
8. North Carolina 23-6 1,205 7
9. Oregon 23-6 1,065 13
10. West Virginia 22-7 1,056 14
11. Louisville 22-7 822 11
12. Indiana 23-6 819 18
13. Utah 23-7 751 22
14. Maryland 23-6 733 10
15. Purdue 22-7 613 20
16. Iowa 20-8 572 8
17. Duke 21-8 495 15
18. Arizona 22-7 450 9
19. Baylor 21-8 447 19
20. Texas A&M 22-7 419 21
21. Iowa St. 20-9 413 17
22. Kentucky 21-8 405 16
23. Texas 19-10 338 25
24. SMU 24-4 196 24
25. California 21-8 178 –
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 93, Seton Hall 60, Wichita St. 43, Saint Joseph’s 29, Notre Dame 14, Texas Tech 12, Cincinnati 4, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 3, Vanderbilt 3, UALR 2, Valparaiso 2, Dayton 1, Stephen F. Austin 1.

The Exira-EHK Spartans Girls Basketball team heads to Des Moines and Wells Fargo Arena today to participate in the State Tournament.  The Spartans first task will be to try and take down the defending state champion Newell-Fonda Mustangs.  The Spartans come into the game undefeated at 23-0 while the Mustangs are 18-6.

On paper the two teams are very similar with rosters built on quickness and speed with not a lot of height.  The Spartans are averaging 61.3 points per game offensively while allowing opponents just 32.1 ppg.  The Mustangs are putting up a 60.5 ppg average and have allowed opponents to score just 45.8 points per contest.

Players to watch for the Mustangs are Senior Maddi Morenz and Junior Erin Gerke.  Morenz is averaging a team high 13.3 points per game and shoots 42% from the field, she also leads the team in rebounds with 112 on the year.  Gerke is a versatile driving Guard that is averaging 12.7 points per game and has a team leading 77 assists on the year.  The Spartans will counter with Sophomore Sophia Peppers who primarily works in the paint for her team leading 16.3 points per game and leads the team wit 152 rebounds.  Three other players average in double figures for the Spartans Mara Burmeister with 13.1, Maggie Rassmussen with 11.9, and Kealey Nelson with 11.5 points per game. Burmeister and Rasmussen lead the team from outside both hitting 45 threes so far this season.

The quarterfinal round match-up is set for a 3:15pm Tip-off at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  We will have full coverage for you on KJAN on air at AM1220, FM101.1 and online at kjan.com or on the mobile app. Join Chris Parks for the call starting with the Pregame at 2:15pm.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Class 1-A Quarterfinals
10:00-a.m. Turkey Valley (24-0) vs. Mount Ayr (18-7)
11:45-a.m. Burlington Notre Dame (23-1) vs. Kee (22-2)
1:30-p.m. Springville (23-1) vs. Kingsley-Pierson (22-2)
3:15-p.m. Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton (23-0) vs. Newell-Fonda (18-6)

Class 2-A Quarterfinals
5:00-p.m. Western Christian (22-2) vs. Central Decatur (23-1)
6:45-p.m. Pekin (24-1) vs. Okoboji (23-1)
8:30-p.m. Unity Christian (22-1) vs. West Branch (21-13)

Class 3A – Substate 6
In Atlantic @ 7-p.m.: Perry (14-9) vs. Glenwood (19-4)

Class 3A – Substate 1
In Sioux City @ 7-p.m.: Carroll (9-14) vs. MOC-Floyd Valley (20-3)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Marc Loving scored 25 points, including both ends of a 1-and-1 with less than 2 seconds to go, and Ohio State rallied from a late deficit to stun No. 8 Iowa 68-64 on Sunday. Keita Bates-Diop added 19 points while Kam Williams added 11 for the Buckeyes, who ended the game on a 12-2 run.

After Bates-Diop preserved a two-point lead for Ohio State (19-11, 11-6 Big Ten) by blocking Mike Gesell’s layup with under 5 seconds to go, Loving made the free throws to ice the game. Williams gave the Buckeyes a 63-62 lead with a jumper with 2:04 left after Iowa led for most of the second half. He added a 3-pointer a little over a minute later to stretch Ohio State’s lead to four.

Gesell and Jarrod Uthoff led Iowa (20-8, 11-5) with 16 points apiece while Peter Jok had 12. Iowa led by as many as six points in the second half.

The University of Iowa women’s basketball team will enter the Big Ten Tournament with three wins in its last four games after downing Illinois, 61-56, in the regular season finale Saturday in front of 4,610 on Mediacom Court. HawkeyeSports.com reports Hawkeye freshman Megan Gustafson made the closing statement in a battle of the league’s elite post players when she sank a turn-around jump shot over Chatrice White to give Iowa a 59-56 lead with 48 seconds remaining. Both players finished with double-doubles in points and rebounds.

Iowa (18-12 overall, 8-10 Big Ten) finished the regular season 11-4 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena and have won 18-or-more games in nine consecutive seasons. Illinois falls to 9-20, 2-16.

Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures, led by Gustafson. Whitney Jennings, who made back-to-back 3-pointers to begin a 16-0 run at the end of the third quarter, scored 14, Ally Disterhoft had 13, and Chase Coley added 10. Iowa assisted on 20-of-24 made field goals; Alexa Kastanek had a career-high and game-high seven assists and Tania Davis added six.

The Hawkeyes return to action Thursday at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. As the No. 8 or No. 9 seed, Iowa will play either Michigan or Nebraska and tip off at 11 a.m. (CT) from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The winner takes on top-seeded Maryland on March 4 at 11 a.m.