Iowa
Iowa State asserts itself as life of Big 12 Tournament party with Houston left searching for answers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amid the screaming hype man during every freaking timeout, Shaquille O’Neal sitting courtside, thumping DJ music and an honest-to-goodness speakeasy underneath T-Mobile Center, the biggest question for Iowa State was obvious.
Forget the bottle service, how do the No. 7 Cyclones bottle the actual basketball that lit up the Big 12 Tournament this week?
That is to be determined, obviously, as we enter into the magical, mystical next three weekends of March Madness. But for one wonderful night, Iowa State’s thorough 69-41 clubbing of No. 1 Houston in the Big 12 Tournament championship outshined the club atmosphere that commissioner Brett Yormark so carefully crafted.
As it should be.
Iowa State made Houston look in the defensive mirror and admit the obvious: This is what it’s usually like to play the Cougars on a nightly basis. On Saturday, the Cyclones did it better — much better.
The Houston team that forced Texas Tech into three shot clock violations on Friday was repeatedly frustrated trying to find an efficient shot. The Houston team that forced TCU into 56 misses a couple of days ago shot a season low 26.8%.
“Yesterday felt like a fair fight,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said of Friday’s 23-point win semifinal win over Texas Tech. “Today didn’t seem very fair. All kudos to Iowa State’s fans.”
The huggable Cyclones and their rabid following — who seem to emerge from the Iowa flatlands each March to enter the tournament’s bright lights — could not be playing, nor shouting, better.
In fact, Iowa State’s 28-point victory Saturday night marked the largest for any team over a No. 1-ranked program in the AP Top 25 across the last 55 seasons … since UCLA beat Houston by 32 in the 1968 Final Four.
“It’s a huge high,” said Iowa State senior forward Tre King.
Saturday night was, without doubt, one of the high points in the entire history of Iowa State basketball. The Cyclones split two prior meetings beating the Cougars this season, but this was for the conference tournament title against a presumptive No. 1 seed in a venue that morphs in these situations into “Hilton South.”
Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum faithful make the trip down I-35 from Ames, Iowa, to Kansas City each March, at least in the mind — and beer cup — of every true Cyclone.
“People watch this game on TV, they saw one team they probably felt sorry for,” Sampson joked. “But they saw an arena that was lit. And you saw the Big 12 brand.”
That brand might include as many as nine teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket come Selection Sunday. The conference started Saturday with five teams among the top 20 in the NET rankings.
Now, it’s time to produce.
Houston will enter the NCAA Tournament at 30-4 having suffered its worst loss since it became necessary to hire Sampson in 2014. That was James Dickey’s final game as the Cougars coach that year with Houston losing to Louisville by 29.
The difference is these Cougars still have a chance to win it all if they can get healthy.
Meanwhile, this Iowa State team might be the best since the 2001 bunch that won 25 games but was knocked out in the first round by No. 15 seed Hampton.
The arena din wasn’t the only thing that was incessant Saturday. The Cyclones were bigger and more active than the Cougars. That fact exposed what has to be a growing concern for Houston entering the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State’s Keshon Gilbert, a UNLV transfer, posted 16 points and six rebounds on his way to being named Most Outstanding Player. Freshman 3-point bomber Milan Momcilovic scored 18. The program is now 5-0 in the Big 12 Tournament title game with only one such victory coming as the top seed.
Houston is suddenly thin in the post. Sampson rested big J’Wan Roberts — injured in Friday’s game — during the second half as the result became obvious. Junior Ja’Vier Francis (6-foot-8, 240 pounds) fouled out. Big 12 Player of the Year Jamal Shead was on his way to capturing the MOP honor won by Gilbert until being stymied into a 3-of-17 shooting night.
The No. 1 team nationally in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, was outdone by the No. 2 team in that metric. Iowa State not only played bigger, it played meaner. It was hungrier.
“I have no words,” King said. “Before we prepared for this game, we knew it was going to be a battle. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game. We honestly prepared for the worst. … For us to knock them out early was a great feeling for us.”
It’s a huge boost to Iowa State and the Big 12. As we enter mystical and magical time, this game alone reflected the depth and breadth of the league. If Houston earns the No. 1 overall seed, what does that say about Iowa State aside from the Clone’
rockin’ and rollin’ out of town as a solid No. 2 seed?
“I think [our] ceiling is [beating] the best team in the country,” Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey said. “We just took down Houston.”
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The majority of U.S. states will soon have to pay 5% to 15% of federal nutrition assistance benefits in their state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s release Wednesday of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates.
House Resolution 1, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was enacted in 2025, stipulated that states with SNAP payment error rates greater than 6% would be required to foot 5%, 10% or 15% of SNAP benefits costs in their state.
Iowa, with a payment error rate of 5.34% in 2025, is just one of nine states with an error rate below 6% and that won’t have to match a portion of the SNAP benefits it pays out, starting in October 2027.
According to USDA, SNAP payment error rates measure the accuracy of states in determining who is eligible for SNAP and how much they receive. The rate is calculated via a series of reviews from state and federal agencies where instances of overpayments and underpayments are identified.
USDA’s SNAP quality control page says errors are “largely unintentional” and might be the fault of a state agency or a SNAP household.
Eighteen states had payment error rates above the national average of 10.62%. Per the quality control process, these states will have to either pay USDA a determined amount, or invest 50% of that amount into activities that will fix the root causes of the payment errors.
USDA said that while the 2025 average payment error rate is a “modest” decrease from the 2024 average error rate of 10.93%, it represents $10.1 billion in improper payments.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the latest payment error rates show that “state accountability is severely lacking” in SNAP.
“USDA has taken historic action to help interested states curb SNAP waste, and I hope other states, regardless of political leadership, prioritize needy families and the American taxpayer over politics,” Rollins said in a news release.
An analysis of H.R. 1 from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the law, which included several changes to SNAP benefits in addition to the error rate cost share, would reduce federal spending on the SNAP benefits by $255 billion between 2025 and 2034. CBO also estimated that state spending on SNAP benefits would increase during the same period by $85 billion.
Critics of the bill said the cost shift to states would endanger the SNAP program and stress state budgets.
According to the 2025 error rates from USDA, 41 states had payment error rates above the 6% threshold set by the 2025 law. South Dakota had the lowest error rate at 2.47%. Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming were the other states with rates below 6%. Alaska had the highest error rate of 23.15%.
The higher the error rate, the greater the share, up to 15%, the state will have to pay of its SNAP benefits, which are otherwise 100% footed by the federal government.
In addition to the cost share, states with a payment error rate in excess of 6% are required to submit a corrective action plan to the Food and Nutrition Administration, formerly known as the Food and Nutrition Service, to explain the root cause of the payment errors and how the state plans to correct the errors.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Sometimes you see something you like and go right after it. That was the case with Iowa when it watched Dima Petrov kick a football last week. The Hawkeyes offered a full-ride scholarship to the specialist.
While the days of top kickers and punters walking on in hopes of maybe earning a scholarship when they were upperclassmen are gone, a junior picking up a scholarship is still uncommon. Iowa doing it gives it a leg up on whatever the competition might end up being.
“Iowa is definitely my No. 1 school at the moment,” he said. “Although it’s too early for me to make any big decisions, the likelihood of me becoming a Hawkeye is very high.”
Petrov (6-2, 190) also worked out for Wake Forest and UConn this month. The Hanover (N.H.) High all-stater was invited to camp at Virginia Tech, Arizona, Michigan State, Florida State and others. Interest in him is on the rise.
“Right now, it’s too early for me to make any big decisions. My plan is to commit in the next year or so, as soon as I’m 100 percent certain that I’ve found the right place. A lot of factors go into that, with the most significant one being education,” he said.
Petrov plans on majoring in Business. Iowa has a good one in the Tippie Business School.
“That was what my parents studied and then built their careers in, and I see my future in that same sphere,” he said.
The Hawkeyes did well in impressing a prospect visiting a state half a country away from his home.
“I had a fantastic time exploring all the incredible facilities and campus. Coach (Chris) Polizzi and the rest of the Hawkeyes’ special teams staff were absolutely amazing and made the visit unforgettable. I also loved how proud and passionate the whole city seemed about the program, which is something that you don’t see often.”
Access to advanced technology at Iowa also stood out.
“The workout with the Trackman system helped me identify other areas for improvement in my kicking by providing precise numbers,” he said.
After leaving Iowa, Petrov was invited to the Chris Sailer Kicking Showcase on Sunday. Following his performance, he’s now the second-ranked kicker nationally in the 2028 Class. Perhaps more offers will be on the way.
For now, the Hawkeyes are the leaders in the clubhouse. Petrov is looking forward to visiting them again.
“I can’t wait to come back to Iowa, hopefully very soon. I’d love to go on a game-day visit and see how electric Kinnick (Stadium) gets. Although I don’t know the exact dates yet, my plan is to be back there in the next few months,” he said.
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson on being All-American
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson on being a first team All-American.
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson sat in the stands of the Barclays Center, the site of the 2026 NBA Draft, before he was selected in the first round on June 23.
Now he’ll be taking the court and calling that arena home. The Barclays Center is also the home venue for the Brooklyn Nets. Jefferson was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he was traded to the Nets shortly thereafter.
“Just seeing what they need for their team, they felt that I fit in a lot of spots because of my versatility,” Jefferson said of his pre-draft communication with the Nets organization. “I think I’m where I need to be. The Nets took a great chance with me, and I’m very thankful for that.”
The versatile 6-foot-9 Jefferson continues to put himself in exclusive Iowa State basketball company. A consensus All-American, Jefferson is the first Cyclone to be drafted since Tyrese Haliburton was taken 12th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Dating back to 2000, Jefferson is the sixth Iowa State product to be a first-round draft selection, joining Marcus Fizer, Jamaal Tinsley, Craig Brackins, Royce White and Haliburton.
He’s looking forward to playing alongside other versatile big men, new Nets teammates Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr.
“So much knowledge between the two, and I’m just going to be a sponge,” Jefferson said. “Asking them questions all the time and learning as much as I can. They’ve been through the ups and downs of the league, and it’s going to be on me to make sure that I’m seeking information.”
After starting out as a three-star recruit from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jefferson arrived at Iowa State as an under-the-radar transfer coming off a knee injury after two seasons at Saint Mary’s.
Once healthier, Jefferson had a breakout junior year in 2024-25 when he became the first player in Big 12 Conference history to record more than 450 points, 250 rebounds, 100 assists, 70 steals and 25 blocks in a season.
He followed up on his impressive introductory season in Ames with an All-American campaign as a senior in 2025-26. The do-it-all forward elevated his game in nearly every aspect on the court and showcased an improved perimeter jumper.
He averaged a career-best 16.4 points, with 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 47.1% overall and 34.5% from long range. Jefferson became the first player in school and Big 12 history to record multiple triple-doubles during conference play in a season.
Jefferson achieved the feat with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against West Virginia on Jan. 2, then followed up with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists in a turnover-free outing in a win over UCF on Jan. 20.
He graduated from Iowa State as a two-time All-Big 12 player and the first Cyclone to earn consensus All-American honors since Georges Niang did so in 2016. He racked up 1,367 points, 737 rebounds, 352 assists, 179 steals and 70 blocks over his four years of college basketball, which includes two seasons at Saint Mary’s and two more at Iowa State.
Jefferson stands out with his versatility and toughness on both ends of the court. He can rumble down low but also possesses skills like a guard, from his playmaking ability, good decision-making and court vision. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions and is a strong rebounder.
“The thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality,” Jefferson said. “The NBA is a physical game right now, you have to be physical in the playoffs to win and that’s what I’m going to bring.
“Then, just going to continue working on my shot. Shooting it really well throughout this pre-draft process, a lot of reps. I think if I continue to do that, it’s going to keep me on the floor, and defending on both sides.”
Unfortunately for Jefferson, he didn’t get a proper ending to his collegiate career. He suffered an ankle injury in the opening minutes of the Cyclones’ first-round rout of Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament. He missed the remainder of his team’s run in the Big Dance, and the short-handed Cyclones fell to Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
Now healthy and his NBA dreams realized, Jefferson is looking to start the next chapter of his basketball journey strong.
“When that injury happened, I feel like a lot of things were jeopardized from that, but going into pre-draft, I was like, just make the most of your workouts and attack rehab and then everything’s going to go how it needs to go,” Jefferson said. “Very blessed for this position that I’m in and just very thankful.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5
This story has been edited from its original publication to clarify that Jefferson was drafted by Minnesota and then traded to Brooklyn.
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