Iowa
Missouri football bowl game: Tigers will face Iowa in Music City Bowl, per reports
Cue the Missouri Waltz at the Grand Ole Opry.
The Tigers are headed to Nashville.
Missouri football will play its bowl game against Iowa in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, per a report from 247Sports’ PowerMizzou. The matchup is expected to be announced during a live selection show on ESPN on Sunday afternoon, and will be played at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans.
Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CDT on Monday, Dec. 30, and it will air on ESPN.
Missouri has never played in the Music City Bowl, which has been played since 1998. Mizzou was scheduled to play in the 2020 edition of the bowl game against Iowa, but the game was canceled due to the pandemic.
Four years later, the Tigers will get their trip.
Mizzou has been bowl eligible in each of head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s five seasons at the helm. The Tigers lost to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2021, then fell to Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl in 2022.
Drinkwitz’s first bowl win with Missouri was a big one, knocking off Ohio State for a New Year’s Six win over Ohio State in last season’s Cotton Bowl.
The first 12-team College Football Playoff field also was announced Sunday. Missouri likely was one win away from consideration for a berth.
The Tigers went 9-3 in the 2024 regular season, with losses at Texas A&M, Alabama and South Carolina. Mizzou became eligible early this season, securing the bowl-clinching sixth win with a Oct. 19 win over Auburn.
MU closed the regular season with a 28-21 win against Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 30. Mizzou
The Tigers will play their bowl game without star wide receiver Luther Burden III and dominant right tackle Armand Membou, as both players have declared for the 2025 NFL Draft and will opt out of the bowl game.
Iowa
Iowa women’s basketball, Chit-Chat Wright sick, Kylie Feuerbach update
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about Northwestern game
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about victory at Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Evanston, Illinois.
Iowa women’s basketball was lacking some of its vocal leadership on Monday at Northwestern.
Part of that was the fact that Hawkeyes senior Kylie Feuerbach is still sidelined with an ankle injury. Another part was the fact that Chit-Chat Wright was not feeling great.
“No excuse, but Chat’s really sick,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said after the Hawkeyes’ 67-58 victory. “She didn’t have the flu game like (Michael) Jordan. But she’s really sick, like fever. And I think that just threw her. She was really not vocal tonight. So we were kinda searching, because Chat had been coming (as a leader).”
Wright fought through it and played 34 minutes, scoring 12 points and dishing out seven assists.
Jensen confirmed that Feuerbach remains day-to-day. She hasn’t played since getting hurt Dec. 20 vs. UConn.
“I think (our leadership tonight) was by committee,” Jensen said. “It just wasn’t the same person every time. … It’ll be nice to get Kylie back in that lineup.”
Feuerbach, the team’s best perimeter defender, has missed Iowa’s last three games. Jensen said she is pleased overall with how her team has played defensively in Feuerbach’s absence.
“(Against Northwestern) it was more an ‘us’ problem offensively,” Jensen said. “Our defense held. … We turned the ball over 20 times.”
Iowa
Two killed in Dubuque after bar fight escalates into police shooting
Two people are dead after a Dubuque bar fight escalated, with one man shooting another and then being killed by police.
An officer with the Dubuque Police Department was outside the Odd Fellows bar just before 1 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, when he witnessed a physical altercation, according to a news release from the Dubuque Police Department.
As the officer exited the patrol vehicle, an adult man allegedly used a handgun to shoot one of the people involved in the fight. The officer fired at the offender, who then ran into the bar.
The victim who was shot first was provided medical treatment by officers at the scene and then transported to MercyOne Hospital in Dubuque.
The offender was treated by police officers inside the bar and then transported to UnityPoint Finley Hospital.
Both were later pronounced dead.
The names of those involved are not being released at this time pending notification of family members.
The incident is being investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The officer involved was not injured and has been placed on critical incident leave in accordance with the department’s policies.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
Iowa
Iowa High School Girls Basketball: Top Junior Players
With the season coming out of the holiday break, now is the perfect time to take a look at the top Iowa high school girls basketball players by grade.
These are just some of the top players in Iowa and not a complete list of all of them. Statistics are based on those uploaded to the Bound website by January 4, 2026.
Here are the top junior girls basketball players in Iowa high school basketball:
A high-level producer, Maggie McChesney heads into 2026 averaging 23.6 points, nine rebounds, 2.7 steals, 2.6 assists and over two blocks per game.
The next standout from North Union, Ainsley Ulrich is posting nearly 23 points with six rebounds, and over three steals a night.
Flirting with averaging a double-double is Izzy Gilbertson, as the junior stands at 21.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, four blocks, 3.6 steals and three assists.
Along with posting 20 points and grabbing six rebounds, Cora Sauer also adds four steals and three assists.
A big sophomore season has carried right over for Melina Snoozy, as she leads the Crusaders with 20 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 steals a night, along with averaging a block per game.
Up north is Riley Meyer, a 20-point scorer per game who adds six rebounds and two steals.
Sitting right under 20 points a night is Addy Wolfswinkel, as she is also averaging five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
A standout on both ends, Maryn Franken posts nearly 20 points and over eight rebounds per game with three steals and 1.4 blocks.
Following in the footsteps of Audi Crooks, Graclyn Eastman has been nearly unstoppable for the Golden Bears, scoring 19 points per game with nine rebounds, 3.5 steals, 2.6 blocks and two assists.
Another Maroon standout named Muller, Katie is scoring over 18 points per game with six rebounds, 3.5 assists and over a block and steal.
One of the top players in the North Central Conference, Hayden McLaughlin has taken over as the No. 1 option for the Bulldogs, scoring 17 points per game with nearly six rebounds and two steals.
The Hawks rely on KeaOnna Worley to do a lot, and she delivers nightly, scoring 16.5 points with nearly five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
The balanced Comets are led by Campbell Schulz, as the junior posts 14 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists, three steals and nearly three blocks.
Forming a powerful 1-2 punch with Addy Wolfswinkel is Deidra Doeden, who averages 18 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.
Down low for North Mahaska is Natallya Linder, a nightly double-double at 15.7 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 2.6 steals, 2.3 assists and a block.
The last name has long been a staple for Pella Christian, and Rachel is carrying it on now, averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block per game.
The forward is a threat all over the court for the Falcons, posting 18 points, 11.6 rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block.
Triple-doubles are in the future for Aniya Hardee, as she is averaging nine points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and nearly five steals per game.
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