Iowa
FDU women relishing underdog role vs. Iowa in NCAA Tournament
Fairleigh Dickinson coach Stephanie Gaitley is headed back to where it began.
Three years ago, Gaitley’s first game on the sidelines for FDU was at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Caitlin Clark’s team torched the Knights by nearly 60 points.
“Our kids, kind of their eyes were in the headlights, so to speak,” Gaitley told The Post. “And they just kind of weren’t sure what was going to hit them with that sellout crowd.”
Gaitley doesn’t anticipate the same lopsided outcome Saturday when 15th-seeded FDU takes on second-seeded Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Sportsbooks favor the Hawkeyes by more than 30 points. But Gaitley views Saturday’s game as an opportunity to measure FDU’s monstrous growth over the past three seasons.
“Three years ago … we were a completely different team,” Gaitley said. “We’re going in with a different type of mentality right now because of the fact that we built what we built this year and I think the kids are going in with a lot of confidence. They know the task at hand is a difficult one, but they’re welcoming the opportunity and they have, as always, played with that chip on the shoulder.”
FDU experienced a lot of turnover from last year’s team, which went dancing for the first time in program history. Three of the Knights’ starters were seniors; another, Lilly Parke, suffered a torn ACL over the summer.
Sophomore Ava Renninger is the lone starter to return this season.
The Knights stumbled out of the gates, suffering back-to-back losses to Purdue and Notre Dame. Those defeats, while disappointing in the moment, ultimately helped FDU grow together.
Once NEC play came around, the Knights seemingly picked up where they left off.
FDU is starting to build a reputation as the NEC’s undisputed heavyweight champ. They haven’t lost a conference game in more than two years. They joined UConn in being the only Division I program to go undefeated in league play in back-to-back seasons.
Rennington, now a leader on the team, said this season “was even harder” than the last.
“Obviously, the 18-0 looks easy to everyone,” Rennington said. “It was a dogfight.”
There’s a mentality switch for teams such as FDU heading into March Madness. For the majority of the season, the Knights shouldered the pressure of being the team to beat in their conference. They were the vanquishers, the ones expected to win every game.
Come Saturday, FDU is freed of those expectations.
“It’s kind of a pressure cooker when you’re building up from winning 18-0 and then you got to win three more against three teams that you’ve already beaten twice,” Gaitley said. “And so I think this is kind of a relief, switching that role of being the Goliath to being the David.”
This is the second consecutive season FDU is headed to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Knights, then a 15 seed, were blown out by second-seeded TCU in the Round of 64.
Rennington remembered being “shell-shocked” last year. FDU was just happy to be included in the NCAA Tournament.
The excitement is still there this time around, but there’s also an eagerness to surprise some people.
Iowa enters March Madness coming off a 51-point loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament’s championship game.
The Hawkeyes’ size could be a problem for FDU.
Iowa boasts a dominant frontcourt, anchored by sophomore center Ava Heiden (17.4 points and 7.3 rebounds) and senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds). They’re surrounded by steady shooters, including Chazadi Wright, who’s converting on 45.2 percent of attempts from deep.
But FDU is scrappy, confident and playing freely — a dangerous combination in March.
“We want to show them how good we are,” Rennington said. “A lot of people obviously are going to see us as an underdog, as a 15 seed, and I prefer that perspective than a Goliath because they’re not expecting you to come out. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re a good team,’ but, like, as an underdog, you can come out and shock a lot of people by coming out and playing Iowa really well.”
“Our kids, they’re fighters,” Gaitley said. “I don’t think these kids are afraid at all. I think they’re just excited about the opportunity.”
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – With some schools already on summer break, programs are helping make sure Iowa kids don’t go hungry.
The state’s Seamless Summer Option program provides free meals to children and teens 18 and younger during summer break.
Those meals are served at schools, parks and community centers. Children are served on first come, first served basis.
You can find a full list of those on the USDA’s Summer Meal Finder.
This year, the state has returned to the federal SUN Bucks program.
Eligible families can get up to $120 per child. That is then divided up to $40 a month to help pay for healthy food purchases.
The Des Moines Area Religious Council told KCRG after the state announced its return to the program that area businesses, as well as those in need, would benefit.
“Those dollars are going to go back into local grocery stores. It’s an investment in our community. When we look at feeding programs like SNAP, we know that it has that multiplier effect every time a dollar is spent, you’re getting more out of it,” said Blake Wiladsen, the council’s communication manager.
The state will regulate the program similarly to the state’s SNAP program. Things like candy, soda, vitamins, minerals, pre-made foods, and juice made with less than 50% fruit or vegetables cannot be purchased with Iowa SUN Bucks.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa State basketball’s TJ Otzelberger on Milan Momcilovic departure
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on the conversations leading up to Milan Momcilovic’s departure for the NBA Draft process and portal.
Former Iowa State basketball star Milan Momcilovic is not going to the NBA just yet.
Anticipation was building ahead for fans to see what the former Cyclone would do leading into the May 27 deadline, which gave players one final opportunity to decide whether or not they were continuing with the NBA Draft process or maintaining NCAA eligibility for another season of college basketball.
After plenty of debate among college basketball fans regarding whether he would or wouldn’t continue, Momcilovic officially made his decision, electing to withdraw from the NBA Draft pool and return to college basketball on Wednesday night, according to multiple reports.
He and the rest of the NBA Draft candidates with remaining eligibility had until May 27 at 10:59 p.m. CT to decide whether or not they were committing to the NBA Draft process or return to college.
The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter had simultaneously entered the transfer portal when first declaring for the NBA Draft back in April. He will be a highly sought-after player. According to ESPN’s transfer rankings, he is the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal. In the mock drafts that Momcilovic was included in, he was mostly projected to be a second-round pick.
He has reported interest from Kentucky, Louisville, St. John’s and Arizona.
Momcilovic is coming off a career-best year as a junior. The All-Big 12 second-team selection led the Cyclones with 16.9 points per game, while shooting 50.6% overall and 48.6% from deep. He led the country in 3-point shooting percentage and total 3-point makes, with 136. That mark is also an Iowa State single-season record, surpassing the previous mark set by Dedric Willoughby’s 102 3-pointers in the 1996-97 season.
He also had the fifth-highest true shooting percentage (69.3%) in the country and an effective field-goal percentage of 67.2%, which was good for 13th in the nation.
“I love Milan, he’s my guy. Obviously, I had a couple-year relationship prior to him even coming to Iowa State,” said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger at the Cyclone Tailgate Tour opener in Des Moines on May 18. “What you want for everybody in your program is for their dreams to become a reality and obviously, with the season he had and how he’s continued to develop, he put himself in a great position for the draft. Yet, at the same time in the climate and landscape of college athletics, it’s important to keep your options open and leave that available at the end if it isn’t to go your way.
“All the conversations were great, really respect how he went through and made his decisions. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s a loser in this situation, right? We had a great experience with him for three seasons, he’s put himself in a great position to go get drafted. If that’s not able to happen for him, it’s important that he’s able to find a landing spot at college that fits what he’s looking for.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Over the last few weeks, there has been some speculation that former Iowa State Cyclone star Milan Momcilovic may return to college, and potentially find himself in a great situation that can not only build his draft stock, but get him paid as well.
Most people are expecting Momcilovic to head to the Kentucky Wildcats, a school that has been struggling to find talent over the offseason. In a desperate manner, head coach Mark Pope hopes that Momcilovic will undeclare from the draft and head to Kentucky. He also could head to the Arizona Wildcats, who have recently gained interest. But it’s not confirmed, and people do believe that Momcilovic could stay in Ames, IA next season.
Momcilovic has been a three-year player under T.J. Otzelberger at Iowa State. As a freshman, he averaged 10.9 points per game, bringing it up to 11.5 points as a sophomore. He was a solid three-point shooter as well, shooting at 35.9% and 39.6%, respectively.
But it was in his junior season that he broke out, proving himself to the entire nation. He averaged 16.9 points per game, shooting an unbelievable 48.7% from beyond the arc. It was a historical season from the big man, who showcased everything throughout the season. His shooting was there, he proved himself in the post, and found ways to create open shots all around the court.
But after the season, he announced that he would be declaring for the NBA Draft, as well as the transfer portal. If he returns to college, it’s going to be a three-horse race between Kentucky, Arizona, and his former squad, Iowa State.
Why Momcilovic Should Come Back
Momcilovic needs to return to the Cyclones. Over the last few years, he has showcased that he perfectly works in Otzelberger’s system, and is becoming a better defender over time. In addition, Iowa State is a better team than the Wildcats, and that was showcased in the second round of the March Madness, where the Cyclones dominated by 19 points.
In addition, while Arizona beat Iowa State twice, their frontcourt depth may cause Momcilovic to get limited minutes. If Momcilovic wants to compete for a national championship, continue to play in a place that has worked out great, be the star, and wants to overall increase his draft stock, he has to come back to Ames.
All three are great options, and Momcilovic, being such an impressive player, will certainly perform well wherever he decides to go. However, Iowa State is definitely the right option for him next season if he wants to get the absolute best out of his unique and incredible game.
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