Iowa
Iowa State basketball vs. Houston prediction, game preview
Iowa State basketball wing Milan Momcilovic on preparing for Houston
Iowa State basketball wing Milan Momcilovic on turning the page after defeating Kansas and preparing for Houston.
The win over Kansas was an exciting one for Iowa State men’s basketball, but the Cyclones are already on to the next one.
There was hardly any time to soak in the Saturday, Feb. 14 victory over the ninth-ranked Jayhawks, as there will be a quick turnaround into another marquee matchup.
Iowa State will host No. 3 Houston on Monday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN as part of its “Big Monday” showcase.
The Cyclones (22-3, 9-3 Big 12 Conference) enjoyed a resounding 74-56 win over Kansas in a rematch, after dropping the earlier meeting against the Jayhawks on Jan. 13.
Reigning Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Houston (23-2, 11-1) enters with a six-game winning streak and is currently in first place within the conference standings. The Cougars defeated Kansas State in their previous game on Feb. 14. At one point, they had a 28-4 run to finish the first half and went on to win 78-64.
Here are three things to watch for in Monday’s game:
Houston freshman Kingston Flemings, one of the biggest stock risers
Kingston Flemings certainly wasn’t an unknown coming out of high school.
The top-ranked recruit from Texas in his class, Flemings entered college as a five-star guard and the No. 16 overall prospect, according to 247 Sports.
However, he wasn’t on any NBA mock drafts before the start of the 2025-26 college basketball campaign, or even in the early parts of the season.
All that has quickly changed over the course of his freshman year.
Flemings has turned plenty of heads with his play this season. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 16.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 50.7% overall and 36.5% from deep.
A shifty, speedy guard, Flemings is a weapon in transition, but he also has the quick burst to get past his defender in half-court sets. He is a crafty and smart guard who is calculated when it comes to pulling up in the mid-range or taking shots at the basket. He is a good facilitator and can occasionally take-and-make 3-pointers when left open.
His best showing came in a 42-point outing in a 90-86 loss at Texas Tech on Jan. 24. He also had six assists, two steals and two turnovers.
His speed and quickness seamlessly translate over to the defensive end. He is a perfect fit in Sampson’s scheme and he has the quick hands and physical tools to wreak havoc on that end of the court.
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on win over Kansas
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on the Cyclones’ win over Kansas in the Feb. 14 rematch.
Houston’s dominance on both sides of the ball
There might not be enough words to describe the continuity and success that Kelvin Sampson has been able to establish at Houston, especially since the start of the decade.
The Cougars were dominant in the tail end of their stay in the American Athletic Conference, and they never missed a beat since coming to the Big 12. They’ve reached at least the Sweet 16 in each of their last six NCAA Tournaments, with two Final Four appearances, including a national runner-up finish last year.
A large part of that success is attributed to its defensive style of play under Sampson. However, in each of the last six years, the Cougars have exceled on both ends of the court. According to KenPom, they’ve ranked in the top 20 for both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Houston ranks No. 12 in offensive efficiency and No. 6 for defensive efficiency.
Guards Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler are key returners from last year.
Tugler, a 6-foot-8 forward, is a defensive stalwart. The reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is contributing a tad more on the scoring end, but he remains a hard-working player on the court.
Sharp, a three-year starter at Houston, has built off of his postseason success last season – which included Big 12 Tournament MVP and NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Most Outstanding Player honors – with his best year yet. He is averaging 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Uzan remains a productive starter for the Cougars, but his shooting percentages have dropped since last season. He is averaging 11.2 points and 3.9 assists per game, but he is shooting 38.0% overall and 32.6% from deep.
Aside from Flemings, Chris Cenac Jr. has also carved out a starting role as a freshman. The 6-foot-11 New Orleans native is averaging 9.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Former five-star recruit Isiah Harwell is one of the Cyclones’ go-to players off the bench. He’s still raw, but the Cougars believe in the freshman guard’s upside.
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on Pleta, Buchanan
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger shared his thoughts on the play of big men Dominykas Pleta and Blake Buchanan against Kansas.
The turnover, rebounding battle
Houston and Iowa State are two defense-first teams that take great pride in their all-out effort and physical style of play. They both try to wear their opponents down, be disruptive, and generate turnovers.
Both teams have also exceled on the offensive glass this season. The Cyclones and Cougars are in the top 20 nationally for offensive rebounding rate. Iowa State secures 37.3% of offensive rebounding chances, while Houston is right behind at 37.0%. Tugler and Cenac are both strong rebounders for the Cougars. Cenac is tough on the glass on both ends, while Tugler is one of the top offensive rebounders in the country. He has the second-highest offensive rebounding rate in the Big 12.
The Cyclones rank No. 5 in defensive efficiency. In their recent win over Kansas, they returned to form on the defensive end by keeping Kansas to a season-low 56 points. They set the tone early with their ability to generate turnovers. Perhaps Hilton Magic played a role, but they were able to pressure the Jayhawks, make them uncomfortable and create scoring opportunities off turnovers.
Iowa State generates turnovers on 22.4% of opponents’ possessions, the eighth-highest rate in the country.
Houston is stingy across the board, holding opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 46.0% this year. Houston remains one of the most disruptive teams around, with a turnover rate of 22.6%, the fifth-best mark in the country. The Cougars also take great care of the ball, with the second-lowest turnover rate.
Iowa State basketball vs. Houston prediction
Home-court advantage will help the Cyclones, but they’ll need to execute against a team that prides itself on making opponents uncomfortable. The team that can get defensive stops and create more extra possessions will be in better shape to win this Big Monday marquee matchup. If you like grit and grind, there will be plenty of that when Iowa State-Houston squares off. Prediction: Iowa State 69, Houston 65
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Iowa
Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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Iowa
Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit
The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Iowa
GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.
One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.
“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”
Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.
“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”
Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.
Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.
“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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