Iowa

Iowa State hopes its execution matches its effort in Big 12 home opener vs. KU

Published

3 days ago

December 31, 2024

Iowa State hopes its execution matches its effort in Big 12 home opener vs. KU

Iowa State Cyclones’ head coach Bill Fennelly reacts from the bench during the fourth quarter against USC Upstate Spartans in the NCAA women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AMES — Bill Fennelly’s a self-described worrier.

“I worry about a lot of stuff,” said Iowa State’s veteran head coach, whose team (9-5, 0-1 Big 12) faces Kansas (10-2, 0-1) at 2 p.m. tomorrow in its Big 12 home opener at Hilton Coliseum. “That’s my number one trait, quality: I worry well,” Fennelly said.

But — and you should have known a “but” was coming — the last thing Fennelly’s worried about as conference play kicks into high gear is the Cyclones’ resiliency.

ISU has endured humbling losses to No. 2 South Carolina and seventh-ranked UConn, as well as a pair of six-point setbacks to No. 23 Iowa and 11-1 Oklahoma State. The Cyclones have fought back from steep deficits in almost all of their losses, however, and Fennelly said his leadership core formed by senior point guard Emily Ryan, center Audi Crooks, and guard/forward Addy Brown buoys his hopes that Big 12 season could still bring considerable success.

“Obviously, moral victories don’t mean crap to anybody, but I think it shows that they’re gonna keep competing, and that’s kind of been the case all year,” Fennelly said. “Now, there’s competing and then there’s execution that comes with a level of effort.”

In other words, hard work doesn’t always translate into positive results. ISU hopes that eventually its best efforts will lead to a string of victories that could start against a Jayhawks team that features dynamic playmaker S’Mya Nichols, who leads her team in scoring (21.4 points per game) and assists (4.9).

The star sophomore point guard scored 16 points and had four assists in both meetings with the Cyclones last season, which the teams split.

“S’Mya Nichols is a pro,” Fennelly said. “You look at her numbers and it’s staggering. … She’s got the ball in her hands a lot. She’s really, really good at what she does. And then defensively, (Kansas always has) smart pressure, man-to-man, physical defense, tough to score on.”

So ISU is facing another formidable challenge — something they’ve embraced already by even scheduling teams such as South Carolina and UConn.

“We knew what was coming,” said Brown, who ranks second on her team in scoring (14.1 points per game) and rebounding (7.3). “We knew what we signed up for. They’re both great teams and I think we needed to see that type of talent early on just to prepare for our conference.”

Nineteen of those regular season Big 12 games remain — and ISU’s still poised to be a contender if its execution can match its effort.

“We’ve had teams, we’ve had games (since) forever and I would walk out and say, ‘We really, really played hard,’” Fennelly said. “But if you don’t guard right (and) if you don’t make shots, you lose.”

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Iowa

Preview: Wisconsin Restarts Big Ten Play Hosting Iowa

Published

7 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Press Room

Preview: Wisconsin Restarts Big Ten Play Hosting Iowa

Iowa (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (10-3, 0-2 Big Ten)

Date/Time – Friday, January 3, 6 p.m.

Arena – Kohl Center (16,838)

Watch – FS1 (Connor Onion and LaPhonso Ellis)

Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch), Sirius 106 or 195, stream online on iHeartRadio.

Series – Wisconsin leads 89-86 (Wisconsin leads 56-30 in Madison)

Last Meeting – Iowa won, 88-86, in overtime on February 17, 2024, in Iowa City

Follow Online: The Badgers’ Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -5.5

Projected Starting Five (Wisconsin)

Player to Watch: Despite struggling offensively, shooting a career-worst 32.5 percent from the floor, Klesmit leads Wisconsin with 38 assists and has a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, the second-best mark on the team.

Projected Starting Five (Iowa)

Player to watch: Dix is averaging 15 points and 4.6 rebounds, shooting 56.6 percent from the field (43-of-76) with 13 3-point field goals over his last seven games. Dix scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting in last February’s win over Wisconsin.

Series Notes

Wisconsin had its four-game winning streak in the series snapped in last February’s overtime loss in Iowa City.

The Badgers have won the last three meetings in Madison. The Hawkeyes have won three games in Madison during the McCaffery era (2011-12, 2016-17, 2020-21).

Crowl scored 22 points in the last meeting against Iowa, registering career-bests in field goals (13) and field goal attempts (15). In five career games against Iowa, the senior averages 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, all while shooting 64.3% from the field.

Wisconsin Notes

The Badgers finished the nonconference schedule 10-1, losing only at No.5 Marquette. The 10 wins were the most for Wisconsin out of conference since going 11-2 in 2016-17. UW beat four Power-Five conference teams in the nonconference (Arizona, Butler, Pittsburgh, and UCF), its most since 2018-19.

Wisconsin leads the NCAA in free-throw shooting at 85.1 percent, well ahead of the Big Ten record of 81.8 percent that Wisconsin set in 2010-11.

The Badgers are averaging 15.0 assists per game, their most since 1993-94. With UW ranking 18th nationally in turnovers (9.6), the program has never had a season averaging over 15 assists with fewer than 10 turnovers per game.

UW is taking 27 three-point shots per game and making 8.8 three-pointers per game, the most in both categories for the Badgers since the inception of the three-point line in 1986-87.

With a career record of 104-72, Greg Gard is one of 23 Big Ten coaches to register 100 conference wins. He’s the sixth-fastest Big Ten coach to 100 wins in the last 50 years. Gard’s overall record is 196-110 (.641).

Iowa Notes

Friday’s game at Wisconsin is just Iowa’s second true road game of the season. The Hawkeyes had a look at the buzzer in an 85-83 loss at Michigan on Dec. 7. Iowa is 2-1 in three neutral site games this season.

The Hawkeyes have shot better than 50 percent from the floor in three straight contests and in seven games this season. Iowa shot a season-high 62.7 percent in its victory over New Orleans. Iowa is unbeaten this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.

The Hawkeyes have made at least eight 3-point field goals in 12 games, including 10+ in seven contests. Iowa made 18 in the win over Southern — the most since 2022 — and 14 against New Orleans. Iowa is second in the Big Ten (23rd nationally), averaging 10.5 per game.

Iowa is leading the Big Ten in assists (20.2, second in NCAA) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.98, fourth in NCAA). The team has had 20+ assists in six games.

Iowa has held 11 of its 13 opponents under 50 percent shooting (and two under 40 percent), has forced at least 18 turnovers in six games, and has held four opponents under 70 points.

Prediction

Wisconsin’s home game against Iowa tonight might be the hottest ticket in town for those wanting to see offensive fireworks.

The Badgers and Hawkeyes are both inside the top 20 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings and ranked outside the top 75 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Iowa ranks second nationally in scoring (89.7) while KenPom has them ranked in the top 30 in effective field goals percentage (59.0%), offensive turnover percentage (13.6%), 2-point percentage (60.2%) and 3-point percentage (38.3%). A lot of the offense stems from transition offense, another stat where the Hawkeyes are among the national leaders (Iowa’s 17.54 fast-break points per game has them ranked ninth).

Wisconsin’s transition defense has been hit-and-miss. The Badgers allowed double-digit fast-break points to Michigan (19), Arizona (12), and Butler (12) but held Marquette (6) and Illinois (4) in check.

Last February at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa converted 52.6 percent of its shots, including 26 of 43 inside the arc (60.5 percent) and 24 of 30 (80 percent) from the line.

“Having a first game back that requires (us to be good with transition defense) is a challenge,” Gard said.

There are multiple pieces that make Iowa work. Dix is producing in his starting role by shooting 53.4 percent from the floor and Harding used his experience of backing up Tony Freeman last season to pressure defenses by making smart decisions with Iowa’s transition offense (76 assists, 29 turnovers).

The Hawkeyes are still empowered by Freeman, who leads them in scoring (17.1), rebounds (6.5) and blocks (22). He is the only Hawkeye to reach double figures in every game he has played. McCaffery said Freeman will play tonight after missing Monday’s game against New Hampshire with an ankle injury. The Hawkeyes didn’t appear to miss him, as their 45 field goals against UNH were the most under McCaffery.

“Owen is a great player for them with shooters all around him,” Crowl said. “They play really fast. They play hard. They switch things up on defense … He’s a great player. He runs the floor hard, which makes us as bigs have to run, too. They utilize him in a great way. He’s grown immensely from last year to this year.”

Wisconsin ranks among the bottom four of the Big Ten in field goal percentage (44.9) and 3-point percentage (32.5) but the Badgers have made it work by limiting turnovers and being proficient at the line, especially at home (86.9). If UW can continue tightening its defense, the Badgers should get a needed conference win tonight.

Worgull’s Prediction: Wisconsin by nine

Record: 10-3 (9-4 ATS)

Points off Prediction: 104 (8.0 per game)

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Iowa

Iowa State Cyclones Transfer Commits to Texas A&M Aggies

Published

15 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Press Room

Iowa State Cyclones Transfer Commits to Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies are adding to their defensive line via the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Per On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Texas A&M has landed a commitment from Iowa State Cyclones defensive line transfer Tyler Onyedim. The Richmond, TX native will return to his home state with one year of eligibility left.

This season, Onyedim finished with 33 total tackles (15 solo), one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. He ends his four-year Iowa State career with 90 total tackles (37 solo), three sacks, one pass breakup and one interception.

Tyler Onyedim stands for a photo during Iowa State Football media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Onyedim and the Cyclones put together an impressive season that ended with a loss in the Big 12 Championship to Arizona State and a 42-41 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He’ll look to bring veteran experience to an A&M team that was one game away from playing in the SEC Championship.

However, the Aggies have lost some major talent on the defensive line since the end of the season. Defensive linemen Shemar Turner, Nic Scourton, and Shemar Stewart all declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. Onyedim will be asked to make an immediate impact due to the experience he brings to the table.

The Aggies have now landed portal commitments from tight ends Nate Boerkircher (Nebraska) and Micah Riley (Auburn), receivers Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), KC Concepcion (N.C. State) and Mario Craver (Mississippi State), quarterback Jacob Zeno (UAB) and edge rushers T.J. Searcy (Florida), Dayon Hayes (Colorado) and Sam M’Pemba (Georgia).

Texas A&M will look to add more talent to the roster as the program preps for the second season under head coach Mike Elko.

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Iowa

An early look at the 2025 Iowa State football schedule including game-by-game predictions

Published

23 hours ago

January 2, 2025

Press Room

An early look at the 2025 Iowa State football schedule including game-by-game predictions

There will be plenty of hype around the Iowa State football team entering the 2025 season.

Along with coming off a win over Miami in a thrilling Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Cyclones return star quarterback Rocco Becht, a talented running back room and some key pieces on defense.

Sure, they will need to replace leading receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, but the transfer portal has already brought in some players with experience.

While plenty could change over the next several months, here is a look at the game-by-game predictions for Iowa State in 2025:

Kansas State, Aug. 23 (in Dublin, Ireland): Iowa State 21, Kansas State 20
South Dakota, Aug. 30: Iowa State 27, South Dakota 20
Iowa, Sept. 6: Iowa State 31, Iowa 17
Arkansas State, Sept. 13: Iowa State 45, Arkansas State 10

The schedule for Big 12 Conference games outside of Kansas State has not been announced. However, the home/away games have been decided. That includes a rematch of the league title game as Arizona State visits Ames.

Here is how those could come out:

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