Iowa’s metrics look good when it comes to an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament but there is still work to be done in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Hawkeyes host Ohio State Wednesday night and both teams are 9-7 in the Big Ten.

That’s Iowa coach Ben McCollum, who says he does not follow the daily updates on projected brackets. McCollum says he likes the late in the season pressure but it is much different at Iowa than it was at Drake, where winning the Missouri Valley Tournament was the only way to get in the field.

Wednesday night’s game will have a potential impact on seeding for the conference tournament but McCollum says it is important to not place too much emphasis on this game.

A concern for the Hawkeyes is Buckeye senior guard Bruce Thorton, who averages nearly 20 and-a-half points per game.

The Iowa State women will be out for revenge on Wednesday night when they close the home schedule against Oklahoma State. A injury riddled Cyclone team lost by 28-points in Stillwater back in mid-January and coach Bill Fennelly called it the low point of the season.

Being back to full strength should help ISU in the rematch.

The Cyclones are tied for seventh in the Big 12 race with Arizona State at 9-7 with two games remaining. Oklahoma State is one of three conference rivals the Cyclones play twice.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson is preparing to face a different looking Illinois State lineup when the teams collide in Cedar Falls Wednesday night. Redbird center and leading scorer Chase Walker has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury early in a February 12th win over Valparaiso. UNI and Illinois State are both 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

With Walker out, Illinois State has at times feature a five guard lineup.

Illinois State beat the Panthers in the first meeting 59-54 a little more than a month ago.

The Atlantic Trojans lost their postseason opener 91-42 to the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors Monday night. From start to finish, the Warriors were the better team. They moved the ball well and were incredibly efficient on offense. Working inside out, they found success in the paint, which in turn opened up their three-point shooting. When they got an open look, they didn’t miss and hit 13 from downtown. Four Warriors finished the game with double-digit points in what was a balanced offensive effort. Unfortunately for the Trojans, their offense could not keep up as their season came to an end.

The opening frame belonged to the Warriors. Sergeant Bluff-Luton opened the game on a 15-2 run over the first four minutes. They were quick, precise, and took advantage of everything they were given. This included their perimeter shooting, as they hit four three-pointers in the opening frame. Body Van Kalsbeek hit a pair while Jacobi Cofield and Dylan Janzen each hit one. In addition to the ball movement, their work on the inside paid dividends, opening up the perimeter. They were excellent at driving the lane throughout the night and also rebounded very well. Meanwhile, the Trojans struggled to establish a consistent offensive rhythm. In addition to struggling with turnovers, the Warriors did a solid job of making life difficult for Atlantic in the paint, which in turn, did not help Atlantic’s outside shooting. The Trojans were held to just 7 points in the first quarter as Sergeant Bluff-Luton headed to the second up by 19.

The second frame was by far Atlantic’s best of the evening. Pushing back, they defended and rebounded much better.  Although they still were outscored, it was only by two as the Trojans held the Warriors to the lowest total in any of the first quarter. Offensively, Kale Jensen, James Brauer, and Hunter Nelson all chipped in three points, while Gavin and Hudson McLaren each added field goals. Altough the second quarter did not help the Trojans close the gap. It felt like a step in a positive direction.

Coming out of the half, it was apparent early that the third would look more like the first. Within the opening minute, the Warriors had drained another three, and by the halfway mark were on a 15-3 run. This was in large part due to Rylen Vander Schaaf. Held to 7 points in the first half, he hit a trio of long balls on his way to 13 third-quarter points and would finish as the game’s leading scorer with 22. Although Gavin Mclaren had his most productive quarter scoring six of his eight points, the Trojan offense could not keep pace with the extreme efficiency of Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

Although the scoring from the Warriors slowed down, the Trojans fate was decided. Jensen added five points in the quarter to tie the team lead in scoring, while Brauer and Benton McLaren both had strong efforts. Brauer was particularly adept and earning his way to foul line and went 5-for-6 while McLaren added five points included a three pointer. However, the outcome was already determined as the Trojan basketball season came to end.

The Trojans finish the season with a 6-16 record and will say goodbye to seven seniors including both of leading scorers in Kale Jensen and Gavin McLaren. However, throughout out the course of the year young talent such as Benton McLaren and Bauer both show lots of playing time which will serve as a foundation for years to come. Although the number in the win column might not have been what they wanted, the effort of his group was never questionable.

Substate 1 – 

Sioux City East – 89 vs Des Moines North – 44

Six City West – 92 vs Sioux City North – 67

Substate 2 – 

Mason City – 66 vs Waterloo West – 61

Ankeny Centennial – 56 vs Fort Dodge – 27

Substate 3 –

Iowa City Liberty – 72 vs Indiana – 67

Valley – 62 vs Iowa City West – 59

Substate 4 –

Iowa City High – 51 vs Marshalltown – 45

Davenport North – 73 vs Dubuque Hempstead – 56

Substate 5 – 

Pleasant Valley – 76 vs Cedar Rapids Washington – 70

Cedar Rapids Kennedy – 83 vs Cedar Rapids Johnson – 28

Substate 6 –

Davenport Central – 67 vs Clinton – 59

North Scott – 72 vs Davenport West – 52

Substate 7 – 

Des Moines East – 88 vs Waterloo East – 82

Dallas Center-Grimes – 91 vs Ottumwa – 48

Substate 8 –

Lewis Central – 59 vs Des Moines Lincoln – 39

Southeast Polk – 84 vs Council Bluffs Jefferson – 37

Substate 8 –

Sergeant Bluff-Luton-91 vs Atlantic-42

Storm Lake – 73 vs Denison-Schleswig – 30

Algona – 61 vs Humboldt – 54

Bishop Heelan – 83 vs Harlan – 48

Substate 7 –

Ballard – 79 vs Webster City – 40

Des Moines Christian – 65 vs Newton – 61

Oskaloosa – 73 vs Williamsburg – 46

Winterset – 58 vs Carlisle – 37

Substate 6 –

ADM – 97 vs Clarke Community – 26

Benton – 62 vs Clear Creek Amana – 59

Nevada – 76 vs Des Moines Hoover – 40

Bondurant-Farrar – 54 vs Mount Vernon – 48

Substate 5-

Pella – 81 vs Fairfield – 41

Washington – 53 vs Burlington – 50

Center Point-Urbana – 64 vs Grinnell – 35

Keokuk – 73 vs Fort Madison – 33

Substate 4 – 

Solon – 74 vs South Tama County – 43

Assumption – 61 vs Mount Pleasant – 42

Central Dewitt – 77 vs West Liberty – 34

Marlon 62 – Western Dubuque – 39

Substate 3 –

Wahlert Catholic – 83 vs Independence – 40

Decorah – 68 vs West Delaware – 48

Xavier – 64 vs Maquoketa – 40

Waverly-Shell Rock – 42 vs Vinton-Shellsburg – 40

Substate 2 – 

Clear Lake – 82 vs Charles City – 45

North Polk – 78 vs Hampton-Dumont-CAL – 50

Knoxville – 59 vs Creston – 35

Gilbert – 79 vs Boone – 49

Substate 1 – 

Carroll – 77 vs Perry – 43

Saydel – 65 vs Glenwood – 64

MOC-Floyd Valley – 63 vs Spencer – 41

Sioux Center – 63 vs Le Mars – 59

The Riverside Bulldogs Girls Basketball team find themselves one win from the state tournament as they take on West Lyon in the regional final. Riverside finished the regular season with an 18-3 record and won their first two regional tournament games by an average margin of victory of 20.5 points. Sydney Somers has led in scoring so far and nearly finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 9 rebounds against AHSTW. Coach Mark Jeppesen credits his team’s focus to their successful so far in the playoffs.

Riverside has not played West Lyon yet this season, but Coach Jeppesen is confident that the team will be prepared:

Coach Jeppesen doesn’t see a neutral court game as a disadvantage, despite the Bulldogs playing 8 of their last 9 games at home:

The pressure can mount the later a team gets in the postseason, but Riverside feels ready for the challenge:

The Riverside Bulldogs Girls take on the West Lyon Wildcats with a trip to state on the line on Wednesday, February 25th at Sioux City East High School. Tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa sophomore Ava Heiden was named the Jersey Mike’s Naismith National Player of the Week on Monday.

Heiden led the Hawkeyes with three double-doubles and wins at Nebraska, at Purdue, and No. 6 Michigan this past week. She averaged 24.0 points per game, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.6 blocks and was 33-of-44 from the field.

Against the Huskers, Heiden tied her career-high with 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. She also went 10-of-12 from the field and added 21 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Purdue.

Against No. 6 Michigan on Sunday, Heiden led the Hawkeyes to their seventh ranked win of the season with her fourth 20-point double-double of her career and third of the week.

The Sherwood, Oregon, native is currently fourth nationally in field goal percentage (64) and is averaging 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She is the second Hawkeye to be named the Naismith National Player of the Week this season. (Hannah Stuelke)

Heiden and the Hawkeyes are set to host their regular season home finale on Thursday, Feb. 26 against Illinois at 8 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will air on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Cuts with Panther coach Ben Jacobson

The Northern Iowa men could finish anywhere from a three seed to an eight seed in next weeks Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis. The Panthers are 10-8 in the Valley and open the final week of the regular at home on Wednesday night against Illinois State. The Panthers are two of the three teams tied for fifth in the standings.

That’s UNI coach Ben Jacobson. The top five seeds avoid the play-in round at the tournament.

After winning five of six games the Panthers stubbed their toe at home against Southern Illinois over the weekend.

Up to fourth in the latest AP Top 25, the Iowa State men close out a road trip Tuesday night with a visit to Utah. The Cyclones are 10-4 in the Big 12 and 23-4 overall after a 79-69 loss at BYU. ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger will be looking for a better start against the Utes.

Otzelberger says bouncing back begins on defense.

Otzelberger felt offensive struggles led to defensive breakdowns at BYU.

Freshman guard Jamarion (juh-mar-ee-on) Batemon continues to build a larger role for the Cyclones. He had 14 points in 19 minutes of action at BYU.

Batemon on where his game has improved the most.

Senior guard Tamin Lipsey says the Cyclones need to set the tone ealry at Utah.

The Utes are in the Big 12 basement with a record of 2-12.