U.S. presidential candidates are crossing paths again in Iowa just days after a fractious debate and with the leadoff Republican caucuses about a month away.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are aiming to make their respective campaign cases Saturday — this time without the others interrupting — in northwest Iowa, a more rural, conservative corner of the state.
Each is getting time onstage at Dordt University in Sioux Center with U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and his wife, Lynette, to discuss faith, family and politics. Hundreds of people, including many students at the small Christian college, filled the auditorium.
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The three candidates made stops across Iowa on Friday as pressure mounts for an attention-grabbing performance in the January 15 contest that kicks off the GOP nominating calendar.
Former President Donald Trump, who was not at Saturday’s event, sits comfortably atop the field in polls of Republicans in Iowa and nationwide.
DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy last appeared together in Iowa before Thanksgiving, at the Family Leader’s roundtable discussion, which was an uncommonly friendly gathering.
They next look to take the stage at Drake University in Des Moines for a Republican debate five days before the caucuses.
Utah and Iowa will face off in a compelling rematch just nine months after their battle in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), where the Utes secured a 91-82 victory. This non-conference clash marks an important point in the season for both programs, as Utah (8-2) hits the road following a six-game homestand, while Iowa (8-3) looks to build on their recent momentum. The game will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a neutral site far from Iowa’s usual home at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Both teams enter this matchup in solid form. Utah has won two straight, including a dominant 89-59 win over Florida A&M, where they saw significant contributions from their bench. Mason Madsen and Mike Sharavjamts each posted 15 points in that contest, demonstrating the Utes’ depth. Meanwhile, Iowa comes off their most commanding performance of the season, a 104-57 rout of New Orleans. Five Hawkeyes scored in double figures, with Owen Freeman tying his career high of 22 points. This sets the stage for what promises to be a competitive showdown between two high-scoring teams, both eager to build their résumés before entering conference play.
Battle of the Floor Generals
One of the most intriguing storylines heading into the game is the point guard duel between Utah’s Miro Little and Iowa’s Brock Harding. Both sophomores have been instrumental in orchestrating their respective offenses. Harding, averaging 9.8 points and 6.2 assists per game, ranks 16th nationally in assists. His ability to control the tempo and facilitate scoring opportunities has been vital to Iowa’s success, as they rank third in the nation with 20 assists per game.
On the other side, Utah leads the country in assists, with 21 per contest, thanks in large part to Little’s contributions (5.4 assists per game). His size advantage over Harding—nearly 30 pounds—could be a key factor. Little’s physicality and ability to drive the lane will test Harding’s defensive abilities. For Iowa, limiting Little’s impact will be essential, as Utah’s offense flows through him. Conversely, Utah’s defense will need to focus on containing Harding’s playmaking to disrupt Iowa’s offensive rhythm. With both teams ranking in the top 10 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio, the game may ultimately hinge on which point guard takes better care of the ball.
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Slowing Down Iowa’s Twin Towers
Iowa’s offense is powered by forwards Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort, who form a formidable frontcourt duo. Freeman, a dominant presence in the paint at 6’10, leads the team with 17.2 points per game and shoots an impressive 66% from the field. Sandfort, standing at 6’8, complements Freeman’s inside game with perimeter shooting, having already knocked down 29 three-pointers this season. Their contrasting styles make them difficult to defend, contributing to Iowa’s status as the 11th-highest scoring team in the country, averaging 87.2 points per game.
Utah’s defense will have to rise to the occasion, with Lawson Lovering tasked with handling Freeman inside. Sharavjamts’ size and versatility should allow him to match up with Sandfort, but Utah will likely need to employ frequent defensive switches to counter Iowa’s efforts to create mismatches. Rotational defense and contesting shots at the perimeter will be crucial for the Utes.
Building Momentum
Utah’s leading scorer, Gabe Madsen, continues to be a focal point for the Utes, averaging 19.8 points per game, good for 19th in the nation. His scoring versatility mirrors Sandfort’s, making him a potential game-changer in this matchup. Utah’s ability to score from both inside and beyond the arc has propelled them to 14th in the nation in scoring at 86.6 points per game.
A victory over Iowa would give Utah their first marquee win of the season, providing a significant confidence boost as they head into Big 12 play. With a tough matchup against Baylor looming on New Year’s Eve, this game represents a pivotal opportunity for the Utes to establish momentum and strengthen their standing in the national landscape.
On Saturday, Iowa will face its final non-conference test of the season (though there’s still one more cupcake on the menu — a visit from New Hampshire on December 30), and play the third of its three neutral-site games in the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Hawkeyes prevailed over Washington State in Moline, but fell to Utah State in Kansas City; now they’ll try to take down Utah in the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Thelwell has started the last two games for Iowa and could be in line for a third-straight start, given the generally strong returns that have resulted from adding Thelwell to the starting lineup. It also wouldn’t be a shock to see Ladji Dembele return to the starting lineup, though, as the Utes boast some significant size in the front court (three likely starters 6’8″ or taller).
Otherwise, Iowa should have the full roster available for this game, aside from possibly Seydou Traore. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery indicated during his Thursday media availability that he was “not too optimistic” about Traore being available for this game
PROJECTED UTAH STARTING LINEUP
G Miro Little (6’3″, 194 lbs; 8.4 ppg; 5.6 rpg; 5.4 apg; 37.5 FG%; 29.4 3FG%)
G Gabe Madsen (6’6″, 200 lbs; 19.8 ppg; 2.4 rpg; 2.4 apg; 45.8 FG%; 40.2 3FG%)
It’s rare that Iowa sees the same non-conference opponent in consecutive seasons (outside of the annual date with Iowa State), but the Hawkeyes have some recent history with the Utes — Utah knocked Iowa out of the NIT in the second round last year, 91-82. Both teams have turned over the roster a bit since that game — Iowa returns three starters from that game, while the Utes have two returning starters from last year — but some of the most important faces should be familiar.
For the Utes, that starts with wing Gabe Madsen, who absolutely torched Iowa with 31 points in that NIT win last March, thanks to some blistering shooting from beyond the arc in that game (7-of-15). Madsen has been Utah’s top long-range shooter this season as well, as he leads the team in makes (39) and attempts (97) from three-point range and ranks second (40.2%) in percentage. He’s made at least two triples in every game this season, except for Utah’s 89-59 win over Florida A&M last week.
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This year, Madsen has been joined at Utah by his twin brother, Mason, a transfer from Boston College. Mason Madsen has yet to start this season, but he’s still played heavy minutes (20.7 mpg) and been one of Utah’s top scorers (11.1 ppg). Like his brother, he’s also a crack shot from long range, making 31-of-68 (45.6%) attempts from outside the 3-point arc.
Three-point shooting is, unsurprisingly, a pretty big part of Utah’s offense. The Utes are shooting 38.2% from deep (38th nationally) and they get a lot of points from the three-point shot (39.1%, 30th) and take a lot of three-point attempts (47.4% of their field goals, 35th in three-point rate nationally). One interesting thing to watch: how Utah adjusts to the rims and the sight-lines at the Sanford Pentagon — we’ve seen teams struggle to shoot well from outside in past games in that arena.
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Shooting is a strength of Utah’s offense overall. The Utes have an effective FG% of 57.7%, which ranks 16th nationally. In addition to shooting 38.2% from 3-point range, Utah is also converting 58.1% of 2-point attempts (32nd). They only place on the floor where the Utes aren’t shooting well this year is the free throw line; the Utes are making just 64.2% of their attempts at the free throw line.
Otherwise, Utah doesn’t turn the ball over often (15.2%, 52nd) and they hit the offensive glass well (34.7%, 52nd). The biggest weakness of the Utah offense (outside of the poor free throw shooting) is their propensity to have shots blocked; the Utes have had 11.9% of their shots blocked by opponents this season.
Big men Lawson Lovering (7’1″, 245 lbs) and Ezra Aurar (6’8″, 238 lbs) are the other two Utes scoring in double figures this season. Lovering is averaging 11.4 ppg this season and does his damage near the rim (65.8% on shots inside the 3-point arc). He had six points and 10 rebounds against Iowa last year. Aurar, an East Carolina transfer, also does his damage in the painted area: he’s 35-of-50 (58.3%) on 2-point tries and 0-for-1 (0.0%) on three-point attempts
Utah has been generally sold on the defensive end this year as well, rating 58th in defensive efficiency this season. The Utes have been solid but not great at forcing turnovers (19.3% of opponent possessions, 108th nationally) or keeping teams off the free throw line (130th in opponent free throw rate). Their strengths on defense have been defending the glass and contesting shots.
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The Utes rank 49th in keeping opponents away from the offensive glass (opponents have gotten offensive boards on just 25.9% of their possessions), but they’ve been especially good at contesting shots. Opponents have an effective field goal percentage of just 43.4% from the floor, which is the 10th best defensive effort nationally. Utah has been particularly good at contesting two-point attempts; opponents are converting those shots at 41.2% of 2-point shots this week.
Last year’s Iowa-Utah game was a high-tempo affair — 76 possessions — and this year’s game could be more of the same. Both Iowa and Utah like to push the pace and try to get out and run — the Hawkeyes rank 39th in tempo this season, while the Utes rank 46th.
In addition to holding court on several big picture issues like the transfer portal, Iowa’s NIL positioning, and the 105-man roster limit at Friday’s media availability, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz also spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Hawkeye quarterback situation.
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First, he talked about the process of adding Auburn transfer Hank Brown, the newest member of Iowa’s quarterback room. “It’s like anything you do in the portal. If you go to the portal, you’re trying to improve your depth, trying to improve the level of competition at any given position,” Ferentz said. “Obviously, we’re a little thin at that spot right now body-wise. [We] need some guys that we think have a chance to really develop and grow.”
READ MORE: COMMIT: Portal Quarterback Hank Brown Chooses Iowa
“I know [offensive coordinator] Tim Lester has been really thorough with his evaluations on everybody, including high school film,” noted Ferentz. “That was a big part of the evaluation, going back and watching all the prospects that we look at in high school, following it to whatever college tape may be there.”
“I think the things that Tim is looking for, he found that with Hank,” said Ferentz. “The other key component is what is it going to be like when we meet the prospect, his family, how we feel they’re going to fit in the program. Vice versa, it has to be a mutual deal. [We] felt really good about it. We’re excited about it.”
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READ MORE: Three Thoughts on Hank Brown’s Commitment to Iowa
Ferentz also noted that both Brown and incoming true freshman Jimmy Sullivan were joining the program shorly and would be available to practice with Iowa in the lead-up to the Music City Bowl against #19 Missouri (December 30, 1:30 PM CT).
It’s new for us,” Ferentz said. “At least we’ll get eyes on these guys, get them out there. Tim will have them totally confused by Monday. They can travel with us to the bowl game but they can’t play. We’re going to add to the competition here in the spring and see how it goes. Both [Brown] and Jimmy Sullivan will be a part of that.”
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Ferentz was also asked if he was comfortable with where Iowa was at in terms of adding players out of the transfer portal. “It’s a process, as you know,” he explained. “A lot of people are out traveling around. I guess it all comes to an end Sunday, I think. Seems like it’s been a long journey.”
“I think we’re in a good position,” Ferentz added. “We’ll do our due diligence. If it works, it works with players we’re involved with. If not, so be it. We have a couple more visitors coming here I guess before Sunday. As far as I know, we’re done Sunday. That could change. I think we’re comfortable right now.”
Finally, Ferentz also addressed the condition of Brendan Sullivan, who missed the last two games of the regular season, but was back atop the new depth chart released on Friday.
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“[Sullivan looks] really good,” Ferentz said. “I’m going back to the end of the season. Friday and Monday, we were off that weekend. That Friday and Monday we worked. Just shorts, not contact. I don’t think he did anything or didn’t do much. Since that time he’s been great. He feels fully confident. The injury is in the history now.”
“[He’s] just getting caught up because he missed a couple weeks there. This has been a good period where he’s getting some work,” Ferentz explained.
“Tim even had like a little quarterback school going a couple days where we weren’t work, just working those guys mentally, going out in the field walking through some things, letting them throw the ball, stationary, things like that, things you can’t do in the spring because of all the stupid rules we have. That goes back to we need to change our approach to January to August. We really need to change that. But that’s a discussion for a different day.”
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