Iowa
Iowa State basketball rolls into Big 12 Tournament semifinals with win over Kansas State
KANSAS CITY – Iowa State left its game on Saturday knowing it played one of its poorer games of the season.
Just over a hundred miles away and against the same team, the Cyclones looked markedly better.
No. 8 Iowa State men’s basketball advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament with a 76-57 victory over Kansas State on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center.
The win avenged Saturday’s 65-58 loss to the Wildcats (19-14) in which the Cyclones (25-7) coughed up an early lead and saw lingering offensive issues reach a nadir.
It was a much different story Thursday as the Cyclones shot 46.3 percent from the field and committed just six turnovers.
Robert Jones had 18 points and Tamin Lipsey added 16 for the Cyclones. Keshon Gilbert tied an Iowa State conference tournament record with six steals. Tre King had 16 points and nine boards.
The performance certainly will put aside some anxiety of a late-season swoon for the Cyclones, who, despite winning five of its last six, showed signs of wear down the stretch. It wasn’t a cure-all (Iowa State was 1-of-14 from 3-point range), certainly, but a step in the right direction.
It also gives Iowa State the season series win against Kansas State after the two teams split their two regular-season games. There may be an extra dose of sweetness in the victory for the Cyclones after Kansas State made controversial spying accusations in their January loss at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones will now try to reach their first Big 12 Tournament championship game since 2019, when they won the event for the fourth time in six seasons.
Demarion Watson out with injury
Iowa State was without key reserve Demarion Watson, who missed the game while in the concussion protocol.
Watson did not play during the second half of Saturday’s game at Kansas State after taking a blow to the head. He was in uniform Thursday night, but was not available to play.
It is unclear if Watson could be cleared in time for Friday’s semifinal matchup.
In Watson’s absence, rarely used McDonald’s All-American Omaha Biliew played for the first time since Jan. 24. The Waukee product had two points and a rebound in seven minutes.
Up next
The Cyclones will play in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals for the second straight year, and they will face either Baylor or Cincinnati.
The Bears and Bearcats were scheduled to play at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Iowa State, the 2 seed, lost its lone matchup with 3-seeded Baylor. The Cyclones nearly won that game in Waco, however, with Milan Momcilovic’s half-court shot being waved off after he banked it in. Video review showed he did not release the shot before the clock expired.
The Cyclones won in Cincinnati in February, the only matchup between the two schools. Four Iowa State players scored in double figures that night.
Tipoff for the semifinals Friday will come at approximately 8:30 for Iowa State after Houston and Texas Tech play in the first semifinal matchup at 6 p.m.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
Iowa
Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on offense, defense development
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on how the Cyclones offense and defense is developing.
After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.
Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.
He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.
According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.
Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.
Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments
As of April 21
- Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
- Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
- Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
- Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
- Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
- Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Iowa
Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster
Avoiding common car crashes
Discover the common causes of car crashes and learn how to avoid them.
Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.
Here’s what to know.
When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?
The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.
What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?
During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.
Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
Iowa
Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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