Iowa

Iowa State basketball rolls into Big 12 Tournament semifinals with win over Kansas State

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

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Iowa State basketball rolls into Big 12 Tournament semifinals with win over Kansas State

KANSAS CITY – Iowa State left its game on Saturday knowing it played one of its poorer games of the season.

Just over a hundred miles away and against the same team, the Cyclones looked markedly better.

No. 8 Iowa State men’s basketball advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament with a 76-57 victory over Kansas State on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center.

The win avenged Saturday’s 65-58 loss to the Wildcats (19-14) in which the Cyclones (25-7) coughed up an early lead and saw lingering offensive issues reach a nadir.

It was a much different story Thursday as the Cyclones shot 46.3 percent from the field and committed just six turnovers.

Robert Jones had 18 points and Tamin Lipsey added 16 for the Cyclones. Keshon Gilbert tied an Iowa State conference tournament record with six steals. Tre King had 16 points and nine boards.

The performance certainly will put aside some anxiety of a late-season swoon for the Cyclones, who, despite winning five of its last six, showed signs of wear down the stretch. It wasn’t a cure-all (Iowa State was 1-of-14 from 3-point range), certainly, but a step in the right direction.

It also gives Iowa State the season series win against Kansas State after the two teams split their two regular-season games. There may be an extra dose of sweetness in the victory for the Cyclones after Kansas State made controversial spying accusations in their January loss at Hilton Coliseum.

The Cyclones will now try to reach their first Big 12 Tournament championship game since 2019, when they won the event for the fourth time in six seasons.

Demarion Watson out with injury

Iowa State was without key reserve Demarion Watson, who missed the game while in the concussion protocol.

Watson did not play during the second half of Saturday’s game at Kansas State after taking a blow to the head. He was in uniform Thursday night, but was not available to play.

It is unclear if Watson could be cleared in time for Friday’s semifinal matchup.

In Watson’s absence, rarely used McDonald’s All-American Omaha Biliew played for the first time since Jan. 24. The Waukee product had two points and a rebound in seven minutes.

Up next

The Cyclones will play in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals for the second straight year, and they will face either Baylor or Cincinnati.

The Bears and Bearcats were scheduled to play at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Iowa State, the 2 seed, lost its lone matchup with 3-seeded Baylor. The Cyclones nearly won that game in Waco, however, with Milan Momcilovic’s half-court shot being waved off after he banked it in. Video review showed he did not release the shot before the clock expired.

The Cyclones won in Cincinnati in February, the only matchup between the two schools. Four Iowa State players scored in double figures that night.

Tipoff for the semifinals Friday will come at approximately 8:30 for Iowa State after Houston and Texas Tech play in the first semifinal matchup at 6 p.m.

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.

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Iowa

Body recovered from retention pond after reported drowning in Iowa Colony

Published

9 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Body recovered from retention pond after reported drowning in Iowa Colony

Iowa Colony police say a caller saw a man go underwater in the Meridiana subdivision and did not resurface.

IOWA COLONY, Texas – Iowa Colony police recovered the body of a man Saturday night after witnesses reported seeing him go underwater in a retention pond in the Meridiana subdivision, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched around 7:04 p.m. to a pond behind the 10400 block of Kahlo Court after a caller reported a man was swimming, submerged and did not resurface, according to the Iowa Colony Police Department.

Police said responding officers immediately began searching the area. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Colony Fire Department and Manvel Fire Department assisted at the scene, and the Fort Bend County Dive and Water Rescue Team was called in to help.

Divers with the Fort Bend County team located the man around 10:10 p.m. and pronounced him deceased, police said.

The man’s identity and the cause of death have not been released. Police said no foul play is suspected and the investigation remains ongoing.

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Iowa

Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years

Published

21 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years

HOUSTON — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes 71-59 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis.

The much taller Illini (28-8) outrebounded Iowa 38-21 in the South Region final. David Mirkovic led the way with 12 rebounds.

Coach Brad Underwood’s emphasis on recruiting in Eastern Europe has paid off in this tournament. Tomislav Ivisic of Croatia, who stands 7-foot-1, and his 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir have shined in March.

Andrej Stojakovic, who was born in Greece but whose father is Serbian three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, scored 17 points for third-seeded Illinois.

His famous father watched proudly as his son punched his ticket to the Final Four, and Wagler’s parents — who met when they played basketball at a junior college in Kansas — cheered wildly throughout for their son, who was named MVP of the region.

Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points for the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (24-13), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round as part of an impressive run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, a four-time Division II national champion at Northwest Missouri State.

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Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State

No. 6 seed Tennessee (25-11) defeated No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-8), 76-62, on Friday in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

The Vols advanced to their third consecutive Elite Eight under 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes.

“One, very humbled by it,” Barnes said. “Certainly proud of our basketball team. They worked really hard. Defensively, I thought we knew we would have to have a great effort defensively. Certainly Iowa State, outstanding. T.J. (Otzelberger), outstanding program, coach.

“This time of year is always tough when you lose a key guy like they did, and that’s part of the tournament. That’s the tough part about it, but just really proud of our guys and the effort they made and against a team that they play as hard as any team we played all year. The start of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that all year, and we were able to withstand it. Again, just really proud of the effort from our entire team. Everybody had a hand in us winning this game.”

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