Iowa

Drake Ayala Increases Weight, Point-Scoring Emphasis For Iowa Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2024

Drake Ayala Increases Weight, Point-Scoring Emphasis For Iowa Wrestling – FloWrestling

It’s all about the points, Iowa’s Drake Ayala said.

The returning NCAA finalist, who moved up to 133 pounds for this season, opened the season last Saturday at Oregon State with a 26-10 technical fall over Damion Elliot. Ayala gave up an early takedown, then took control of the match.

“My mentality was just to keep scoring,” Ayala said Wednesday. “Even though I get taken down once here or there, that’s fine, but if I keep scoring, that’s when good things happen.”

It was a good start to the season for Ayala, an NCAA runner-up at 125 last season who moved up a weight class. And it was an example of what he says is “wrestling like Drake Ayala.”

“Scoring a lot of points,” he said. “I mean, just pouring it on our opponent, and just having fun doing that. I’ve done that ever since I was a little kid, so there’s no need to stop now that I get to college and we have better competition.”

Iowa coach Tom Brands said he enjoys Ayala’s relentlessness on the mat.

“He just kept going,” Brands said. “Right now, in my mind, I see the Energizer Bunny, something like that. You know, keep it going. Just keep wrestling that way.”

Brands said he saw that aggressiveness as Ayala rallied from the early takedown.

“Something did go against him, he got taken down, and he got back in the match and got the tech fall,” Brands said. “Good for him. Let’s keep it going. Keep that pace.”

Ayala went 27-5 last season, getting through to the national championship match before losing 7-2 to Arizona State’s Richard Figueroa.

“I think what you saw at Oregon State, it doesn’t matter how good the guy is, it doesn’t matter how bad the guy is,” Brands said. “All that matters is Drake Ayala. Goes out and wrestles like he’s capable of doing. And when that happens, he is explosive, he is dynamic, he’s a throttler, he’s a hammer. And those are all good synonyms for dominant wrestlers.”

The aggressiveness, Ayala said, comes from having worked with three-time national champion and Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee in practice.

“I think any time you wrestle Spencer Lee into practice, you elevate your level,” Ayala said. “So I think it’s good for me to wrestle him just to feel that. I mean, he was an Olympic silver medalist this year, so get to feel that level, you continue to improve.”

The move to 133 hasn’t affected Ayala.

“It’s still wrestling,” he said. “I can’t even really tell the difference in the weight class. I can tell in my workouts and my practices, I’m having a lot more fun and I’m focusing on the right things. So that’s a good thing for me.”

Ayala, ranked third at 133, gets #20 Tyler Knox (2-0) in Saturday’s dual against Stanford at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“There’s nothing to take lightly,” Ayala said. “They’re a talented team, and we got to go in there. That’s the next day down on our calendar. That’s the next big thing. So we’ve got to be ready to go.”

Bonding Time

The trip to Oregon State for the 30-7 dual win featured some “goofy flights,” Ayala said, but it was a good bonding experience for the team.

Ayala told about the early wake-up call the team had on Sunday morning to head back to Iowa City.

“We had a time change (for Daylight Savings Time),” Ayala said. “So we had a time change, and then we left for the airport from the hotel at, like, 2 a.m. They knocked on our doors at 2 a.m., we left at 2:30 and then it was just all of us hanging out in the airport at 4 a.m. with each other. It was a little goofy. It was fun though.”

Tunnel Walk

Saturday’s dual will be the first at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since the construction of the new tunnel between the arena and the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center.

The Hawkeyes will come out of the tunnel located at the south end of the arena, instead of the usual tunnel entrance at the northwest corner.

“We had media day in there, so I got to see it and stuff,” Ayala said. “And there’s lights in there. It’s cool. It’s different. It’s on the other side of the arena. So that’ll be different too.”

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Iowa

Where Iowa State basketball stands in NCAA Tournament bracketology

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Where Iowa State basketball stands in NCAA Tournament bracketology

We’re heading down the homestretch.

Iowa State men’s basketball has two regular-season games left, followed by the Big 12 Tournament.

Iowa State enters the final week of the regular season with a 24-5 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Big 12 action.

The Cyclones have a NCAA Tournament resume-bolstering opportunity on Monday, March 2 with a road game against Arizona, before wrapping up the regular-season on Saturday, March 7 against Arizona State.

Plenty can still change with bracketology from now until Selection Sunday on March 15, but here is where experts are projecting Iowa State to land in the NCAA Tournament entering the final week of the regular season:

Iowa State basketball’s computer metrics as of Tuesday

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5

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Iowa Lottery Pick 3 Midday, Pick 3 Evening results for March 1, 2026

Published

17 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball.

Don’t miss out on the winnings. Here’s a look at Sunday, March 1, 2026, winning numbers for each game:

Winning Pick-3 numbers from March 1 drawing

Midday: 6-9-4

Evening: 4-2-5

Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick-4 numbers from March 1 drawing

Midday: 1-7-4-8

Evening: 7-6-9-1

Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 1 drawing

10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s Week Ahead: Crucial Games at UCLA and Home vs. Iowa

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s Week Ahead: Crucial Games at UCLA and Home vs. Iowa

Nebraska men’s basketball faces a critical week that will determine its Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament seeding.

The Huskers play at UCLA on Tuesday night and finish the regular season next Sunday at home vs. Iowa.

The Huskers are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten with Michigan State. Both teams have four conference losses. They are one game in the loss column ahead of Illinois and Purdue, with five losses. Wisconsin has six losses.

The top four teams earn the coveted triple bye for the Big Ten Tournament. Regular-season champion Michigan has one spot locked up.

Here are the remaining schedules of the contenders for the triple bye, with conference record in parentheses:

Nebraska (14-4)
* Tuesday: at UCLA
* Sunday: vs. Iowa

Michigan State (13-4)
* Sunday: at Indiana
* Thursday: vs. Rutgers
* Sunday, March 8: at Michigan

Illinois (13-5)
* Tuesday: vs. Oregon
* Sunday, March 8: at Maryland

Purdue (12-5)
* Sunday: at Ohio State
* Wednesday: at Northwestern
* Saturday: vs. Wisconsin

Wisconsin (12-6)
* Wednesday: vs. Maryland
* Saturday: at Purdue

Maintaining an NCAA seed no worse than 3 should benefit the Huskers, who wouldn’t have to play, theoretically, the No. 1 seed until the Elite Eight game.

It’s a ton to play for in the final week of a historic regular season for Nebraska. But that’s what March is all about.

Nebraska at UCLA

When: Tuesday, 10 p.m. CT
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; UCLA, 19-10, 11-7 in Big Ten
TV: FS1

Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.

UCLA rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 40
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 41
* ESPN Power Index: 34
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 41

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, UCLA is a 9-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament. The next Bracketology will be released Tuesday.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska-UCLA analysis

The Bruins are coming off a strange week. They crushed visiting rival USC, 81-62, on Tuesday, then lost at Minnesota, 78-73, on Saturday.

UCLA is 16-1 at home, its only loss to Indiana, 98-97, in double overtime on Jan. 31.

The game will be a homecoming for Huskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who played at UCLA in 2023-24, his freshman season. Buyuktuncel has started 27 games and averages 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season for the Huskers and frequently earns praise from coach Fred Hoiberg.

Nebraska thoroughly dispatched USC on Saturday, 82-67, an impressive performance on the road against a Trojans team desperate for a statement win to help — or save — their NCAA hopes.

Pryce Sandfort scored 32 points — one short of his career high — as the Huskers won their 14th conference game, a school record. Nebraska is 7-2 on the road in conference games.

This should be a great matchup — UCLA a strong team playing at home vs. a Nebraska team playing well and full of confidence. This feels like a one-possession game.

Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg goes to the basket as Iowa forward Cooper Koch defends during the first meeting in Iowa City. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa at Nebraska

When: Sunday, March 8, 4 p.m. CT
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; Iowa, 20-9, 10-8 in Big Ten
TV: Fox

Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.

Iowa rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 33
* NCAA Net Ratings: 28
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 30
* Kenpom.com: 24
* ESPN Power Index: 35
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 31

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Iowa is an 8-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska forward Braden Frager defends a fast-break layup attempt by Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz in the teams’ first meeting on Feb. 17. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nebraska-Iowa analysis

The Hawkeyes are coming off a puzzling, 71-69 loss at Penn State on Saturday. Iowa led 67-62 with 3:49 to play, and then scored only one more basket. Iowa plays host to Michigan on Thursday.

Nebraska will get a final curtain call at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where the Huskers are 15-2.

Nebraska should have revenge on its mind after losing at Iowa, 57-52, on Feb. 17, in Sandfort’s return to Iowa City, where he played for two seasons.

Whatever Nebraska nerves were a factor at Iowa shouldn’t be in play at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska shot only 21 percent from distance in Iowa City. Sandfort scored 13 points, his lowest total since Jan. 10, when he scored 12 at Indiana.

Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points. That won’t happen in this game. Neither will Nebraska’s ice-cold shooting from distance, especially if the game could determine the triple bye for the Huskers.

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