Iowa State is the two seed in the Midwest Region and will open the NCAA Tournament Friday in St. Louis against Tennessee State. The Cyclones are 27-7.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger. It s the third straight year the Cyclones have been a top three seed in the tournament.

Otzelberger says the dedication of the players has made the Cyclones a consistent national contender.

The Cyclones lost to Arizona at the buzzer in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament and felt at the time it was a game featuring two Final Four quality teams.

Senior guard Tamin Lipsey tweaked a groin in the game against Arizona but Otzelberger expects him to be ready for Friday.

Junior forward Milan Momcilovic feels the Cyclones take a lot of momentum into the tournament.

Senior forward Joshua Jefferson says while the expectations are high the Cyclones are not worried about the pressure.

Girls 1A:

10: CAM Anita – 24

2nd: Ada Hanson 6om Hurdles – 9.32 secs

14: Riverside – 15

3rd: Sophia Fenner 4kg Shot Put – 37′ 3.25″

T – 32: Griswold – 3

T – 32: ACGC – 3

40: Logan – Magnolia – 1

Girls 2A:

3. Treynor – 49.5

8. Underwood – 21

11. Clarinda – 17.5

29. Tri-Center – 5

Girls 3A:

24: Atlantic – 5

Boys 1A:

1. Riverside – 63

1st: Sprint Medley Relay 1600m – 3:44.77 secs

1st: 4×800 meter relay – 8:23.52 secs

2nd: Eli Hundall 800m – 2:02.46 secs

3rd: Cole Jeppesen 60m – 7.16 secs

4. IKM-Manning – 34

8. ACGC – 28

2nd: Luke Brincks 200m – 23.40 secs

2nd: Brexton Schneider 60m Hurdles – 8.43 secs

24. AHSTW – 8

25. Southwest Valley – 7.5

30. Logan-Magnolia – 4

33. CAM-Anita – 2

Boys 2A:

1. Treynor – 53

12. Red Oak – 18

15. Clarinda – 16

16. Tri – Center – 15

1st: Haven Weers 1600m – 4:26.35 min

19. Underwood – 11

36 – Nodaway Valley – 1

1A:

#1 St. Edmond – 54 vs #6 Marquette Catholic – 42

2A:

#2 Unity Christian – 67 vs #1 Kuemper Catholic – 64

3A:

#1 Ballard – 43 vs #2 ADM – 39 (OT)

4A:

#1 Cedar Falls – 56 vs #6 Johnston – 48

The 2026 AHSTW Girls Basketball season was a vast improvement from 2025. They finished with a 13-10 record, a 5-win improvement from 2025. The Vikings entered the regional tournament heading on the road to Underwood, which they won 49-37. AHSTW was led in scoring and rebounding by Addison Carroll, who averaged 11 points and 7.8 rebounds throughout the season. Bella Lamp was named 2nd Team All-WIC, while Ava Paulsen and Clara Pace were named honorable mentions for the conference. Head Coach Jason McCall is proud of the effort and improvement that the girls showed all season.

Heading to Underwood, this team was excited to get one more shot at a team they had already fallen to multiple times during the regular season:

Coach McCall praised Bella Lamp, Ava Paulsen and Clara Pace for their effort and ability to earn such great individual honors:

Halle Goodman, Ava Paulsen and Makenna Paulsen were the seniors for this team. They exemplified the leadership that this team needed to push through a difficult schedule:

For next season, Coach McCall is excited to get back a group of girls who know what it’s like to succeed and want to get better:

AHSTW finished much improved from 2025, placing third in the Western Iowa Conference, going 8-6 in conference play and 13-10 overall. They capped it off with a great 49-37 road playoff victory at Underwood High School.

First Team
Ben Ramsey (IKM – Manning)
AJ Harder (Tri – Center)
Alec Lovely (Treenor)
Garrett Luett (Underwood)
Tyler Baatz (Tri – Center)
Layton Maasen (Missouri Valley)
Payton Amdor (Riverside)

Second Team
Collin Harder (AHSTW)
Landon Wiggington (Underwood)
Corbin Thien (Treynor)
Austin Christensen (Audubon)
Nolan Baker (Underwood)
Brody Schultes (Audubon)
Cael Witt (Tri – Center)

Honorable Mention
Aiden Kjegaard (Audubon)
Cale Cunard (Loma)
Cole Jeppesen (Riverside)
Ethan Hill (Treynor)
Jaden Hill (Missouri Valley)
Dawson Henderson (Riverside)
Wyatt Danner (IKM – Manning)
Jorgen Nowatzke (Audubon)
Drew Lee (AHSTW)
Connor Brummett (Underwood)

Player of the Year
Ben Ramsey

Unanimous Selections
Ben Ramsey
AJ Harder
Alec Lovely

Iowa’s metrics look good but the Hawkeyes will be forced to sweat out Selection Sunday after being eliminated at the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday by Ohio State. The Hawkeyes are 21-12.

That’s Iowa coach Ben McCollum who feels the Hawkeyes have not come close to reaching their potential.

The Hawkeyes missed the NCAA Tournament the past two years.

Drake outscored Valparaiso 27-12 in the second quarter and cruised to an 81-55 win Thursday, at the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Tournament in Coralville.

That’s Drake coach Allison Pohlman. Abbie Aalsma led the Bulldogs with 16 points and Drake closed the first half with an 11-2 run to build a 16 point lead at the break.

The Bulldogs will play Illinois State in the late game this evening.

4A:

#1 Cedar Falls – 59 vs #4 Dowling Catholic – 46

#6 Johnston – 57 vs #2 Waukee – 49

2A:

#1 Kuemper Catholic –  58 vs #4 Treynor – 57

#2 Unity Christian – 72 vs #3 Regina Catholic – 46

1A:

#1 St. Edmond – 74 vs #4 Notre Dame – 55

#6 Marquette Catholic – 65 vs #2 MMCRU – 56