Iowa

Ohio State 82, Iowa 65: On the Road (Getting Blown Out) Again

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2025

Ohio State 82, Iowa 65: On the Road (Getting Blown Out) Again

COLUMBUS, OHIO — On Monday night, Iowa (13-8, 4-6) lost its fourth game in five contests, falling to Ohio State (12-8, 4-5) on the road, 82-65. Just six Hawkeyes scored in the loss, as Iowa racked up its fourth defeat of ten–plus points since the start of the new year,

Here are Three Takeaways from the loss.

Where’s the Help?

Only six Hawkeyes scored in the loss to the Buckeyes, with four reaching double figures Drew Thelwell (20), Owen Freeman (14), Payton Sandfort (13) and Seydou Traore (13). Pryce Sandfort added two points and Carter Kingsbury chipped in a late three-pointer.

As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 24-of-61 (39.3%) from the field and 7-of-25 (28%) from three, while shooting 10-of-17 (58.8%) from the free throw line. The 65 points they scored were a season low.

“I just felt like we got a little rattled at times,” Traore told Gary Dolphin after the game. “I know we’re way better than what we showed today. We’ve got to get back in the gym and execute our plays and stuff. We’ve got to stay mentally strong and stay together.”

The second half is where things got particularly out of hand for the Iowa offense, as the Hawkeyes trailed by just four at the break, 30-26. They were outscored 52-39 in the second half.

“We scored the first possession of the second half, and we felt good about it,” Fran MCaffery said postgame. “They went on a little bit of a run. We didn’t respond correctly in that stretch. … When we were missing, we didn’t get any back. We had seven offensive rebounds in the first half. We ended the game with seven offensive rebounds. When you have a stretch like we did there where the ball’s not dropping, even when we’re executing and getting good shots, you’ve got to go back and get one and put it back in. And that way you can get your defense back.”

Josh Dix, arguably Iowa’s best player, scored zero points on 0-of-7 shooting from the field.

If Iowa is going to put together its first win on the road, performances like what happened tonight from Dix and the supporting cast simply cannot happen. Dix, who is consistently one of the more efficient and consistent scorers in the Big Ten, has to get going, and get going quickly for the Hawkeyes to be effective offensively.

“Josh felt good. He doesn’t hunt shots,” McCaffery added. “He’s not selfish in any way. He took good shots. I thought every shot that he took was going in, and not one of them did.”

No Freeman, No Rim Protection

Freeman’s offensive output — 11 of his 14 points came in the first half — might be considered the least important part of his contribution on the night. He led the way on the glass with eight rebounds, and finished at only -6 in the plus/minus ratings for the game.

His defensive presence around the rim kept the Hawkeyes within reach in the first half, but he only played nine minutes in the second half.

“He got a little bit tired,” McCaffery said. “I would have put him back in, but he’s got a couple things going on. At that point, I just went with Riley (Mulvey), and I thought he was really good.”

Without Freeman on the floor, Iowa’s ability to defend near the cup greatly suffered. In Ladji Dembele’s minimal five minutes (all in the first half), the Hawkeyes were outscored by ten points.

But Freeman can only do so much.

“When Owen is running, and he’s screening, and he’s rolling hard, he’s tough to stop,” McCaffery said. “If he starts to get a little winded, then it’s not quite the same. I just have to make sure I get him enough rest.”

Another Blowout Road Loss

First, Iowa lost to Wisconsin in Madison. Then USC and UCLA on the trip to California, and now, a fourth loss of 10+ points on the road for Iowa. The defeat at the hands of the Buckeyes was the third of 17+ points over the stretch of road losses.

Iowa isn’t just 0-5 on the road. They’re getting clobbered every time they step into a Big Ten opponent’s arena. It isn’t going to get any easier for the Hawkeyes going forward, either:

McCaffery’s emphasis to the team following the game was that there needs to be some significant change if the Hawkeyes are to right the ship.

“We always remain positive, but we have to do a better job on the road where the team goes on a run,” he said. “We have to be able to manage that situation better. We need some leadership there, and we’ve got to be able to get stops when the ball’s not dropping.”

“There’s still a lot of basketball left,” Traore added. “We can’t hold our heads down. We’ve just got to keep getting better.”

NEXT: Iowa will take on No. 10 Purdue (16-5, 8-2) at home on Tuesday, February 4 at home. The game will be broadcast on Peacock at 6 pm CT.

Don’t miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball, and recruiting coverage. Sign up with Hawkeye Beacon here.

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Iowa

Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s Week Ahead: Crucial Games at UCLA and Home vs. Iowa

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s Week Ahead: Crucial Games at UCLA and Home vs. Iowa

Nebraska men’s basketball faces a critical week that will determine its Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament seeding.

The Huskers play at UCLA on Tuesday night and finish the regular season next Sunday at home vs. Iowa.

The Huskers are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten with Michigan State. Both teams have four conference losses. They are one game in the loss column ahead of Illinois and Purdue, with five losses. Wisconsin has six losses.

The top four teams earn the coveted triple bye for the Big Ten Tournament. Regular-season champion Michigan has one spot locked up.

Here are the remaining schedules of the contenders for the triple bye, with conference record in parentheses:

Nebraska (14-4)
* Tuesday: at UCLA
* Sunday: vs. Iowa

Michigan State (13-4)
* Sunday: at Indiana
* Thursday: vs. Rutgers
* Sunday, March 8: at Michigan

Illinois (13-5)
* Tuesday: vs. Oregon
* Sunday, March 8: at Maryland

Purdue (12-5)
* Sunday: at Ohio State
* Wednesday: at Northwestern
* Saturday: vs. Wisconsin

Wisconsin (12-6)
* Wednesday: vs. Maryland
* Saturday: at Purdue

Maintaining an NCAA seed no worse than 3 should benefit the Huskers, who wouldn’t have to play, theoretically, the No. 1 seed until the Elite Eight game.

It’s a ton to play for in the final week of a historic regular season for Nebraska. But that’s what March is all about.

Nebraska at UCLA

When: Tuesday, 10 p.m. CT
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; UCLA, 19-10, 11-7 in Big Ten
TV: FS1

Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.

UCLA rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 40
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 41
* ESPN Power Index: 34
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 41

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, UCLA is a 9-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament. The next Bracketology will be released Tuesday.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska-UCLA analysis

The Bruins are coming off a strange week. They crushed visiting rival USC, 81-62, on Tuesday, then lost at Minnesota, 78-73, on Saturday.

UCLA is 16-1 at home, its only loss to Indiana, 98-97, in double overtime on Jan. 31.

The game will be a homecoming for Huskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who played at UCLA in 2023-24, his freshman season. Buyuktuncel has started 27 games and averages 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season for the Huskers and frequently earns praise from coach Fred Hoiberg.

Nebraska thoroughly dispatched USC on Saturday, 82-67, an impressive performance on the road against a Trojans team desperate for a statement win to help — or save — their NCAA hopes.

Pryce Sandfort scored 32 points — one short of his career high — as the Huskers won their 14th conference game, a school record. Nebraska is 7-2 on the road in conference games.

This should be a great matchup — UCLA a strong team playing at home vs. a Nebraska team playing well and full of confidence. This feels like a one-possession game.

Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg goes to the basket as Iowa forward Cooper Koch defends during the first meeting in Iowa City. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa at Nebraska

When: Sunday, March 8, 4 p.m. CT
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; Iowa, 20-9, 10-8 in Big Ten
TV: Fox

Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.

Iowa rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 33
* NCAA Net Ratings: 28
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 30
* Kenpom.com: 24
* ESPN Power Index: 35
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 31

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Iowa is an 8-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska forward Braden Frager defends a fast-break layup attempt by Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz in the teams’ first meeting on Feb. 17. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nebraska-Iowa analysis

The Hawkeyes are coming off a puzzling, 71-69 loss at Penn State on Saturday. Iowa led 67-62 with 3:49 to play, and then scored only one more basket. Iowa plays host to Michigan on Thursday.

Nebraska will get a final curtain call at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where the Huskers are 15-2.

Nebraska should have revenge on its mind after losing at Iowa, 57-52, on Feb. 17, in Sandfort’s return to Iowa City, where he played for two seasons.

Whatever Nebraska nerves were a factor at Iowa shouldn’t be in play at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska shot only 21 percent from distance in Iowa City. Sandfort scored 13 points, his lowest total since Jan. 10, when he scored 12 at Indiana.

Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points. That won’t happen in this game. Neither will Nebraska’s ice-cold shooting from distance, especially if the game could determine the triple bye for the Huskers.

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Iowa

Iowa Boys High School State Basketball Tournament Sets Two Classes

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Iowa Boys High School State Basketball Tournament Sets Two Classes

The Class 1A and Class 2A Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets are now official following substate action.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament begins Monday, March 9 from the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

St. Edmond, the top-seed in 1A, gets Woodbine in a rematch of a quarterfinal from a year ago. Woodbine ended the run of defending state champion Madrid in a substate final on the same court that St. Edmond qualified on when they defeated Riverside.

Burlington Notre Dame plays Bellevue, MMCRU meets Boyden-Hull and Bishop Garrigan battles Bellevue Marquette Catholic in the other elite eight games.

The other substate finals saw Burlington Notre Dame defeat Calamus-Wheatland, MMCRU eliminated North Union, Bishop Garrigan downed South Winneshiek, Bellevue bested East Marshall and Bellevue Marquette Catholic topped Montezuma.

In 2A, Kuemper Catholic is the No. 1 seed and will face Union Community in the opening game on Wednesday, March 11. The other quarterfinals see Treynor vs. Grundy Center, Unity Christian vs. defending state champion Western Christian and Iowa City Regina vs. Aplington-Parkersburg.

Kuemper Catholic survived vs. Roland-Story, Union knocked off Pella Christian in a nail-biter, Treynor bested Underwood, Grundy Center downed Beckman Catholic, Unity Christian handled Southeast Valley, Western Christian ran past Tri-Center, Iowa City Regina downed Northeast and Aplington-Parkersburg defeated Cascade.

Here are the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament pairings for Class 1A and Class 2A.

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 10

Semifinals

Thursday, March 12

Championship

Friday, March 13

Wednesday, March 11

Semifinals

Thursday, March 12

Championship

Friday, March 13

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Iowa

Minnesota Wild Recalls Tyler Pitlick From Iowa | Minnesota Wild

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota Wild Recalls Tyler Pitlick From Iowa | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forward Tyler Pitlick from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Pitlick, 34 (11/1/91), has tallied two goals, 24 penalty minutes (PIM) and 26 shots in 31 games with Minnesota this season and ranks fourth on the team with 76 hits. He has also collected 11 points (8-3=11) and 31 shots in 12 games with Iowa. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound native of Minneapolis, Minn., owns 111 points (58-53=111) and 565 shots on goal in 451 career NHL games over 11 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (2013-17), Dallas Stars (2017-19), Philadelphia Flyers (2019-20), Arizona Coyotes (2020-21), Calgary Flames (2021-22), Montreal Canadiens (2021-22), St. Louis Blues (2022-23), New York Rangers (2023-24) and Minnesota (2025-26). He has tallied three points (2-1=3) in 22 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. Pitlick has also recorded 140 points (60-89=149) in 289 career AHL games in parts of eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Barons (2011-15), Bakersfield Condors (2015-16), Hartford Wolf Pack (2023-24), Providence Bruins (2024-25) and Iowa (2025). He was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round (31st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. Pitlick was signed by Minnesota as a free agent on July 2, 2025, and wears sweater No. 19 with the Wild.

Minnesota hosts the St. Louis Blues tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.

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