Iowa
Iowa TE Could Replace Chiefs’ Travis Kelce
The Iowa Hawkeyes are known as “Tight End U” for a reason.
Dallas Clark. Noah Fant. George Kittle. T.J. Hockenson Sam LaPorta. There is a long list of Iowa tight ends who have become NFL stars, so you couldn’t blame NFL teams for scouting any Hawkeyes tight ends.
Could Luke Lachey be the latest stud to emerge from Iowa City, and could he ultimately serve as Travis Kelce’s replacement with the Kansas City Chiefs?
Chiefs Wire postulates that Kansas City may end up selecting Lachey in the 2025 NFL Draft with Kelce’s career winding down and with the Chiefs needing another blocker at the position.
“The Kansas City Chiefs could be in the market for a blocking tight end as Noah Gray steps into a larger role as a pass catcher,” Chiefs Wire wrote. “Adding more depth and talent to the tight end room is a reasonable next step for the Chiefs as Travis Kelce enters the twilight of his career.”
Lachey has hauled in 24 receptions for 209 yards this season.
The 23-year-old arrived at Iowa in 2020, but did not begin earning playing time until 2021. That season, he logged eight catches for 133 yards. He then caught 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns in 2022 before injuries limited him to just three contests last year.
Lachey hasn’t posted big numbers at Iowa, but neither did Kittle.
Plus, the Columbus, Oh. native appears to be on track to have the most productive year of his collegiate career in 2024.
With Kelce being 35 years old, it may be time for the Chiefs to look to the future, and what better mentor for Lachey than Kelce himself?
Iowa
Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament Fields Set In 5A, 4A
While defending champion Johnston secured a return trip to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Basketball Tournament, Cedar Rapids Xavier did not.
The Dragons claimed another regional title in Class 5A Tuesday night with a dominating 91-53 victory over Indianola. Johnston, led by Notre Dame signee Jenica Lewis, will open its quest for a three-peat on Monday, March 2 vs. Ankeny Centennial in Des Moines, Iowa from the Casey’s Center.
Joining the Dragons and Jaguars in 5A will be Cedar Rapids Washington, Ankeny, Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines Valley, Waukee Northwest and Iowa City West.
Johnston bested Dowling Catholic last year in the finals.
The defending 4A state champions were forced to go on the road in the regional final, as Cedar Rapids Xavier lost to Waverly-Shell Rock, 63-45.
With the win, the Go-Hawks advance and will play Dallas Center-Grimes in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 3. The remaining 2A quarterfinal games feature Norwalk vs. Central DeWitt, Sioux City Bishop Heelan vs. North Polk and Clear Creek-Amana vs. Carlisle.
Here are the fields for the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Basketball Tournament. The 3A field has also been set while the 1A and 2A regional finals take place Wednesday night.
Quarterfinals
Monday, March 2
Semifinals
Thursday, March 5
Championship
Friday, March 6
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, March 3
Semifinals
Thursday, March 5
Championship
Saturday, March 7
Iowa
AP College Basketball Players of the Week: Arkansas’ Acuff, Iowa’s Heiden
The Associated Press announced its national players of the week in men’s and women’s basketball for Week 16 of the season. On the men’s basketball side:
The 6-foot-3 freshman guard and high-end NBA prospect had an all-timer of a performance in a 117-115 double-overtime loss at then-No. 25 Alabama, scoring 49 points to set an Arkansas single-game freshman record as well as the No. 2 total in program history by any player.
Acuff made 16 of 27 shots, 6 of 10 3-pointers and 11 of 12 free throws to go with five rebounds and five assists. He also committed just one turnover while playing all 50 minutes. The 49 points were the No. 2 output in Division I all year and broke Todd Day’s 1992 program record for most points in a Southeastern Conference game, as well as standing as the most points by a John Calipari-coached player.
Acuff followed with 20 points, four rebounds and five assists in a win against Missouri.
Runner-up
AJ Dybantsa, No. 19 BYU. The 6-9 freshman swept the Big 12 player of the week and rookie of the week honors after two big outings against top-flight opponents. First he had 35 points and seven rebounds in a loss at then-No. 4 Arizona. Then he had a near triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists with a block and a steal in a home win against then-No. 6 Iowa State. The nation’s scoring leader (24.9) made 23 of 45 shots (.511), 4 of 10 3-pointers (.400) and 14 of 17 free throws (.824) in the two games.
Honorable mention
Cameron Boozer, No. 1 Duke; Donovan Dent, UCLA.
Keep an eye on
Moustapha Thiam, Cincinnati. The 7-2 sophomore had a huge game in the Bearcats’ surprise 16-point win at then-No. 8 Kansas, scoring a career-high 28 points to go with eight rebounds and two assists. He went 11 for 17 from the field and had two 3-pointers while committing zero turnovers in 30 minutes. That win marked Cincinnati’s first on the road against a top-10 opponent since beating Louisville in January 1990. Thiam is averaging 19.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on 59% shooting in his last three games.
And for women’s basketball:
The sophomore center led No. 9 Iowa to wins over Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan last week, recording a double-double in each of the games. She had 24 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a win over then-No. 6 Michigan. She shot 75% from the field in the three games while averaging 24 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Runner-up
Madina Okot, No. 3 South Carolina. The senior center averaged 16.5 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks while helping the Gamecocks to a pair of Top 25 wins over Alabama and Ole Miss. She also hit five 3-pointers, hitting all of her attempts from behind the arc. In the win over Alabama, Okot had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes.
Honorable mention
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Olivia Miles, No. 11 TCU; Sarah Strong, No. 1 UConn.
Keep an eye on
Rice redshirt junior guard Hailey Adams averaged 12 points, 16 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 60% from the field to help the Owls beat East Carolina and South Florida last week. The Owls have won 19 straight games and are one victory away from the top seed in the American Conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iowa
Iowa High School Girls Basketball Player Of The Year Finalists
The regular season for Iowa high school girls basketball is in the books, and with it a historic chapter in the history of the sport.
Several players in each of the five classifications of Iowa high school girls basketball were worthy nominees for the player of the year award from High School on SI, but we have cut the list down to five in each class.
The High School on SI Iowa Girls Basketball Player of the Year in Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A will be announced in March alongside all-state teams in each class.
Here are the nominees for the player of the year award in Iowa high school girls basketball for the 2025-26 season. Stats are based off those uploaded to the Bound website by Monday, February 23, 2026.
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