The third ranked Iowa State men are 15-0 for the first time in school history and return to action Saturday by hosting Oklahoma State. The Cyclones are 2-0 in the Big 12. The Cowboys are 13-2 overall and are 1-1 in conference play after a win over Central Florida.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger, who says transition defense and defending the rim will be important factors in the game.

Dominating the early stages of second halves have been a big part of ISU’s unbeaten start. It allowed them to overcome a sluggish first half in a Wednesday night 70-60 win at Baylor.

Iowa will need to overcome a lack of size in most of their games in Big Ten play and that will be on display Sunday when the 19th ranked Hawkeyes host 16th ranked Illinois. The Illini are 3-1 in the Big Ten and Iowa coach Ben McCollum says they are one of the biggest teams in the country.

McCollum says the Illini are a well rounded team.

Attendance is on the rise at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in McCollum’s first season and Sunday’s crowd could be the biggest in several years.

LOS ANGELES – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the 2025-26 John R. Wooden Award Top 25 Midseason Watch List, it was announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

It is the 50th anniversary season of college basketball’s most prestigious individual honor.

Selected by a midseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team™ and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.

Stirtz has been in double figures in 13 games with a team-high seven 20-point contests this season. He has scored 20+ in three straight games against UMass Lowell, UCLA and Minnesota.

The Liberty, Missouri, native is averaging 18 points, five assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in leading the Hawkeyes to a 12-3 start – the best for the program since the 2020-21 season.  He ranks in the top six in the Big Ten in points, assists and steals, while posting .500/.407/.819 shooting splits in 35.4 minutes per game.

Stirtz is the only Big Ten player to have 245+ points and 70+ assists this season and he’s one of five players nationally with 245+ points, 25+ steals, 70+ assists and 35+ rebounds.

Stirtz is one of six Big Ten Conference players on the list, along with Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, Indiana’s Tucker Devries, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton.

The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.  Winners and All-Americans will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 10, 2026.

The Hawkeyes return to action Sunday, hosting No. 16 Illinois at 11 a.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com.

TRIANGULAR AT EAST MILS

East Mills – 29 vs Griswold – 12

Southwest Iowa – 24 vs Griswold – 18

Individual 

Griswold – Alexis Dofner (2), Addalyn Phelps (2), Zoey Baker

QUAD AT TRI-CENTER

Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine – 54 vs Harlan – 12

Ridge View – 54 vs Harlan – 12

ATU – 36 vs Harlan – 18

Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine – 54 vs ATU – 24

Ridge View – 58 vs ATU – 18

TRIANGULAR AT DENISON-SCHLESWIG

Atlantic – 58 vs Denison-Schleswig – 24

Atlantic – 65 vs Harlan – 6

Harlan – 42 vs Denison-Schleswig – 39

Individual

Atlantic – Dayton Van Horn (2), Keaton Schroeder (2), Collin Harris (2), Braxton Hass (2), Landon Hagen (2), Kalvin Hayes (2), Jayden Harter (2), Dreven Smith (2), Donovan Hedrington (2), Travin Thomas (2), Cooper Woosley

QUAD AT ACGC

ACGC – 48 vs East Union – 30

ACGC – 42 vs Van Meter – 35

Southwest Valley – 42 vs ACGC – 36

Southwest Valley – 36 vs East Union – 30

Southwest Valley – 40 vs Van Meter – 32

Individual 

ACGC – Brandon Carlson (3), Charlie Christensen (3), Ryder Cline (3), Carter Richter (3), Jack Sheeder (3), Chase Slaybaugh (3), Angel Martinez, Blake Ganzer, Gavin Pederson

Southwest Valley – Gavin Wetzel (3), Krew Schafer (2), Degan Farwell (2), Wyatt Shires (2), Brody Sparks (2), Brylan Marks (2), Griffin Wetzel (2), Ben Waddell (2), Lucas James, Carson Cooper, Erik West

TRIANGULAR AT NODAWAY VALLEY

Nodaway Valley – 42 vs Central Decatur – 40

Nodaway Valley – 51 vs Lenox – 21

Nodaway Valley – 43 vs Woodward-Granger – 34

Individual

Nodaway Valley – Josh Nelson (3), Ty Strode (3), Kevin Steele (3), Matthew Nelson (3), Caleb Christensen (3), Ahston Honnold (3), Thomas Herrick (2), Jett Christensen (2), Derek Raasch

GIRLS

Non-Conference 

CAM – 59 vs Southwest Valley – 44

Griswold – 42 vs Iowa School for the Deaf – 13

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 52 vs AHSTW – 44

Creston – 68 vs Panorama – 45

Bishop Heelan Catholic – 77 vs Kuemper Catholic – 28

St. Albert – 66 vs West Monona – 33

Shenandoah – 52 vs Fremont-Mills – 40

Woodbury Central – 49 vs Boyer Valley – 38

BOYS

Non-Conference 

Southwest Valley – 70 vs CAM – 52

Shenandoah – 59 vs Fremont-Mills – 32

St. Albert – 76 vs West Monona – 61

Boyer Valley – 47 vs Woodbury Central – 43

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 79 vs Earlham – 41

The Northern Iowa women will look to stay unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play on Friday night when they visit Murray State. The Panthers are 4-0 in conference play.

That’s Panther coach Tanya Warren, who says her team has become more efficient on offense since the start of Valley play.

Murray State has a veteran team that is 3-0 in the league race.

Warren says it will take a complete effort to get a big road win.

The 14th ranked Iowa Hawkeye women open the second half of the regular season on Sunday with a visit to Indiana. The Hawkeyes are 13-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten.

That’s Iowa coach Jan Jensen, who feels balance is one of their biggest strengths.

Under veteran coach Teri Moren the Hoosiers are off to an injury plagued, disappointing start to Big Ten play. They take an 0-4 league record into tonight’s game at 25th ranked Nebraska.

Jensen says the series with Indiana has been very competitive and she expects nothing different on Sunday.

Injuries and poor shooting were too much to overcome as the 11th ranked Iowa State women were stunned at Cincinnati 71-63. The Cyclones shot less than 36 percent, were without junior forward Addy Brown due to a back injury and junior guard Arianna Jackson was helped off the court in the fourth with an apparent leg injury.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly. It was the Cyclones second straight loss and Cincinnati’s first Big 12 win.

The Cyclones return to action Sunday by hosting West Virginia.

Northern Iowa suffered its first Missouri Valley Conference loss, Wednesday. Belmont raced out to a 14-point first half lead and beat the Panthers 78-65 in the McLeod Center. The Bruins shot 60 percent for the game, including 10-of-21 from three point range.

That’s UNI coach Ben Jacobson, who says the Panthers were not good enough on the defensive end.

UNI got to within three midway through the second half but Belmont followed with a 15-2 run to put the game away.