Iowa

Iowa basketball has plenty of time to get back on track, or for season to get much worse

Published

1 year ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Iowa basketball has plenty of time to get back on track, or for season to get much worse

How much can the narrative surrounding a team change in less than one week?

Just last Saturday, Iowa basketball was riding high after a 25-point win over Indiana. This marked back-to-back home victories and inspired some optimism about what the Hawkeyes are capable of this season.

Two games later, those feelings have shifted dramatically.

Saying Iowa’s West Coast trip was a disappointment is an understatement. The Hawkeyes suffered a pair of double-digit losses, the latest of which was a 94-70 blowout to UCLA on Friday. Iowa never led for a single second throughout those two games.

Understandably, there is mounting frustration from the fan base.

But as ugly as these two games were, Iowa’s season does not end here. The Hawkeyes still have 13 regular season games remaining, plus at least one more in the Big Ten Tournament, assuming Iowa makes the 15-team field.

For better or worse, the season’s fate is still in the balance. With so many games remaining, there is plenty of time for the Hawkeyes to get back on track. But there is also plenty of time for it to get much worse.

“I think we have a really good group with guys with character,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said Friday. “We’ve got some veteran guys. We will try to move on from what has not been a good trip and learn from some of the mistakes we made. Will remain positive. I want them to remain positive with each other.”

Iowa (12-6, 3-4) got jumped on early in Friday’s contest and never recovered.

Remarkably, UCLA made its first nine shots from the field. To make matters worse, Payton Sandfort got banged up in the first half and sat out the majority of the game. The Bruins led by 33 points at halftime, making the rest of the game a mere formality.

In what has been a theme this season — and even more broadly, in McCaffery’s Hawkeye tenure — the Iowa defense folded. UCLA shot 62% from the field and 35% from deep. During the West Coast trip, Iowa allowed its opponents to shoot a combined 63% from the field.

“They were really aggressive and shot it well not only inside but from the perimeter,” McCaffery said of UCLA. “I thought we worked really hard in practice the last couple of days. I thought we would be better. Got to give them credit for it. We got better as the game went on. But we’ve got to be better at the start.”

Iowa is now 0-4 in true road games, with losses to Michigan, Wisconsin, USC and UCLA. Only one of those four came by single digits. The Hawkeyes have allowed an average of 98.5 points during that span.

Allowing 116 points in a road loss to Wisconsin should’ve been enough of a wake-up call. And to its credit, Iowa responded with consecutive wins following that loss. But then, a similar failure happened again. And again.

The Hawkeyes’ season is now on the verge of spiraling.

At the same time, a season is not supposed to be defined by adversity. But rather how one responds to it. If every team that dealt with challenges quit, no one would be left standing.

Take UCLA for example. The Bruins entered Friday having lost five of their last six games, including four straight. The sky was falling until Friday when suddenly it wasn’t anymore.

Rutgers was in a similar situation. The Scarlet Knights started 1-4 in Big Ten play but have now won their last two, including a road victory over Nebraska. Things are looking up for them.

There is nothing that says Iowa can’t do the same. The Hawkeyes will have plenty of opportunities.

At Carver-Hawkeye Arena alone, Iowa is still set to face Michigan State, Purdue, Oregon and Wisconsin, among others, all of which should present resume-building opportunities. The Hawkeyes have lost just one game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, against No. 2 Iowa State.

McCaffery’s team will have plenty of chances away from home too, though it will need to overcome its road woes to remain competitive.

“I didn’t see a lack of effort,” McCaffery said Friday. “I saw a lack of execution to some of the things that we prepared for and that’s disappointing because that leads to falling behind. Of all the teams that I’ve coached, it’s one that I’m really proud of, any team that I’ve ever had, even before I came here, our guys stay locked into the game plan and they compete. And they compete in terms of how they think.”

Clearly, Iowa needs to get better to make the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes’ performances in California were inexcusably poor.

But there is still so much season left to play. Which means the best could still be yet to come. And so could the worst.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

NCAA Wrestling Championships at-large bids announced

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

NCAA Wrestling Championships at-large bids announced

The 330 wrestlers competing in Cleveland at the NCAA Championships are now set.

After the conference tournaments established the lion’s share of wrestlers, the NCAA announced the at-large bids on Tuesday, March 10, completing the rest of the field.

Brackets and seeds will be announced on March 10, but here’s a look at the contingents each state of Iowa program will be sending after the at-large bids were announced.

Iowa wrestling NCAA qualifiers

For the third year in a row, Iowa wrestling will be sending nine to the NCAA Championships. Victor Voinovich did not earn an at-large bid at 157 pounds after finishing ninth at the Big Ten Championships, one place outside of NCAA automatic qualification. He concludes his season with a 12-6 record.

Voinovich narrowly earned the starting job over Jordan Williams at 157, with Iowa coach Tom Brands saying it was very close, but Voinovich had shown a little more “fight” this year. Now that Voinovich hasn’t qualified for NCAAs, it’s a decision that will go further under the microscope.

What’s done is done, however, for Iowa. They’ll take Dean Peterson (125), Drake Ayala (133), Nasir Bailey (141), Ryder Block (149), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), Angelo Ferrari (184), Gabe Arnold (197) and Ben Kueter (285) to Cleveland in hopes of salvaging what has been a tough season.

Iowa State wrestling NCAA qualifiers

For the first time since 2010, Iowa State will send all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Vinny Zerban earned an at-large bid at 157 pounds despite falling short of the automatic qualifying threshold at the Big 12 Championships. Zerban suffered a concussion and medically forfeited out of the tournament after his first match in Tulsa. His health status will be worth monitoring NCAAs inch closer, from March 19-22.

The Cyclones look poised for one of their best postseasons in recent memory with their 10 qualifiers ―Stevo Poulin (125), Garrett Grice (133), Anthony Echemendia (141), Jacob Frost (149), Zerban, Connor Euton (165), MJ Gaitan (174), Isaac Dean (184), Rocky Elam (197) and Yonger Bastida (285). The loss of Evan Frost hurts the Cyclones, considering his pedigree and season as a whole, but Grice’s has earned several ranked wins since entering the lineup in February and could still add some much-needed team points as the team chases a team trophy.

Behind title contenders Elam and Bastida, proven podium threats in Poulin, Echemnedia, Jacob Frost and Zerban (if healthy), Iowa State will be in the mix for a top-four finish in Cleveland.

UNI wrestling NCAA qualifiers

Northern Iowa will send five to the NCAA Championships. Automatic qualifiers Julian Farber (133), Caleb Rathjen (149) and Ryder Downey (165) will be joined by Jared Simma (174) and Nick Fox (184), who each earned at-large bids. The number of qualifiers could extend to six, with Trever Anderson (125) being the alternate at 125 pounds for NCAAs. However, he had to medically forfeit out of the Big 12 Championships, so his health status would be in question if he got called up.

With that, Max Brady (141), Cael Rahnavardi (157), John Gunderson (197) and Adam Ahrendsen (285) will have their seasons come to an end. Brady, a true freshman, will still have three NCAA chances in his career after showing promising moments in relief of Cory Land’s season-ending injury. Gunderson, a U23 World team member, will return for next season as well. Rahnavardi and Ahrendsen were both in their final seasons of eligibility.

Following injuries to Land and Wyatt Voelker, it’s been a hard year for the Panthers. This is half the number of NCAA qualifiers that UNI had last season when they qualified 10 for the first time since 1986. The last time UNI had five or fewer qualifiers was 2016.

However, all five of their wrestlers have each shown moments of brilliance, either this season or in prior NCAA Championships. They may be a smaller crew than normal, but Downey, Rathjen, Farber, Simma and Fox are all ones to watch in Cleveland.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

Source link

Iowa

DCI agent say he was fired for questioning Iowa college gambling probe

Published

22 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

DCI agent say he was fired for questioning Iowa college gambling probe

A former Iowa investigator is suing the state, claiming he was fired for criticizing a high-profile college sports gambling probe.
Mark Ludwick alleges his termination was retaliation for testifying that investigators conducted illegal searches and were told to mislead students.
The gambling investigation, which led to charges against dozens of student-athletes, has faced legal challenges over its methods.

A longtime investigator for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says he was forced out of the agency because he voiced reservations about a high-profile investigation into gambling in college athletics.

Mark Ludwick was hired by Iowa’s top investigative agency in 1997 and was terminated in November 2024, according to a lawsuit filed Feb. 20 in Polk County. According to his complaint, Ludwick was fired after two “frivolous” investigations, one claiming he’d exceeded the speed limit driving to a murder scene, and the other for assistance he provided to a domestic abuse victim.

The real reason, Ludwick alleges, is that officials were embarrassed after Ludwick testified under oath about what he regarded as weaknesses in their sports wagering investigation, which resulted in dozens of Iowa State University and University of Iowa student-athletes facing suspensions, 25 being criminally charged and 19 pleading guilty to underage gambling.

Ludwick testified in early 2024 he believed investigators had conducted illegal searches to identify the online gamblers and that he and other agents had been directed to lie to students about whether they were subjects of the investigation. He also alleged that stress about the case contributed to another agent’s fatal heart attack, although the agent’s relatives disputed the connection.

Now Ludwick is accusing the state of violating Iowa’s whistleblower protection statute. He declined through his attorney to comment. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office also declined to comment, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which includes the DCI, did not respond to an inquiry about the case.

Gambling investigation raised constitutional concerns

In the gambling investigation, DCI investigators used software tools provided by GeoComply, a Canadian company that contracts with online sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings, to look for evidence of illegal gambling activity. Using a GeoComply system, the investigators created a so-called “geofence” around college athletic facilities that allowed them to detect student athletes using wagering accounts registered to parents and friends to place bets ― sometimes on their own games.

Although the investigation resulted in numerous arrests and suspensions, it also drew controversy, in particular for agents’ failure to obtain warrants before conducting their location searches. GeoComply, which had encouraged Iowa to use its service, responded by cancelling the state’s access.

A large group of current and former students sued the state, accusing investigators of violating their constitutional rights. In November 2025, a federal judge ruled that the state’s investigation “does not comport with the Fourth Amendment,” which provides protection from illegal searches.

Nonetheless, the court dismissed the lawsuit, finding the officers involved were entitled to immunity. An appeal is pending.

Ludwick’s reservations emerge in depositions

Ludwick was an experienced investigator for the DCI, working on high-profile cases including the 2015 murder of Shirley Carter, whose son was tried and acquitted, and the 2017 deaths of two girls in a fire started by a relative.

While not the lead agent on the 2023 gambling investigation, Ludwick was tapped to assist by interviewing some of the student athletes. He later testified he grew concerned that the state’s geofence searches amounted to illegal, warrantless searches, and declined to participate in the case any further. He alleges that other DCI agents shared his concerns and also maneuvered to avoid being involved in the case.

Ludwick says he reported his concerns to his superiors. In January 2024, he was deposed by defense attorneys for four of the students, and “testified truthfully during his deposition that he believed an illegal search had been conducted.” Defense attorneys cited Ludwick’s remarks within days in filings covered by numerous media outlets, including the Des Moines Register, which “caused embarrassment and increased scrutiny for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Bayens, and other employees,” Ludwick’s suit states.

According to the complaint, officials launched an investigation into Ludwick for speeding on March 5, weeks after the embarrassing testimony was reported. On Aug. 8, officials initiated a second investigation after, Ludwick says, “he attempted to help a victim of domestic abuse flee her abuser.” He denies his actions violated Iowa law or department policy.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

Source link

Iowa

Official Site of The ECHL | ECHL announces Voluntary Suspension of Iowa Membership for 2026-27 Season

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

The ECHL announced today that the League’s Board of Governors has approved the request of the Iowa Heartlanders’ Membership for a Voluntary Suspension for the 2026-27 Season.

During the suspension period, the organization will evaluate strategic alternatives aimed at ensuring a sustainable long-term future for professional hockey in the Corridor, including potential investment or ownership partnerships that support the continued success of the Membership.

The ECHL will continue to work with the Heartlanders’ ownership group during the suspension period as the organization evaluates its future. The League remains committed to the continued growth and stability of its member teams and markets.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision that followed months of careful evaluation,” said Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin. “Despite significant efforts to stabilize and strengthen the organization, we concluded that stepping back for a season is the most responsible course while we review long-term solutions. As stewards of the team, we believe this step gives the organization the best opportunity to return on a stronger and more sustainable footing.”

“We worked through every potential path that might have allowed us to continue uninterrupted,” Heartlanders President Matt Getz said. “Ultimately, we believe this pause provides the organization the best opportunity to position the Membership for long-term success.”

The Iowa organization expresses deep gratitude to the fans, partners, players, staff and the City of Coralville who have supported the Heartlanders since the team’s founding.

The ECHL will play with 30 Members during the 2026-27 season.

About the ECHL

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province for its 38th season in 2025-26. There have been 778 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 10 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2025-26 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 30 of the 32 NHL teams in 2025-26, marking the 28th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.