Iowa
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.
Iowa
Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer
Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.
Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.
Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.
The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.
Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.
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Iowa
Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor
Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.
Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.
Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.
“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”
Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.
Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.
Iowa
Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling
The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.
Drew Anderson (Riverside)
The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.
Urijah Courter (West Marshall)
Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.
Cooper Hinz (Jesup)
Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.
Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)
Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.
Mason Koehler (Glenwood)
The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.
Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)
Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.
Keaton Moeller (Starmont)
Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.
Iowa High School Premium Rankings
Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.
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