Iowa
Ohio State 82, Iowa 65: On the Road (Getting Blown Out) Again
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.
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With June rapidly finishing up, that means the Iowa high school softball season is preparing to enter the stretch run of the year.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Tournament will begin Monday, July 20, in Fort Dodge at Rogers Park, bringing together many of the top teams and players in the state. High School On SI Iowa currently provides a Top 25 state softball power rankings, so now, we need to see who the top players are.
Below are the nominees for the High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Softball Midseason Player of the Year in each classification. Stats listed with the player are from Bound and based on those numbers imputed as of June 26, 2026 at noon CT.
Feel free to vote as many times as you like, with voting set to close on Friday, July 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Softball Midseason Player Of The Year Nominees
Rachel Eglseder, Edgewood-Colesburg, Senior
Eglseder owns a 16-5 record, striking out 225 batters with a 1.66 earned run average while adding 11 extra-base hits and 40 RBI at the plate.
Rylee Mudderman, Kee, Junior
Mudderman continues to be a difficult out, batting .488 this season with two homers, 11 doubles and four triples. She has driven in 38 and scored 35 times, stealing 10 bases.
Faith Shirbroun, St. Edmond, Senior
Speaking of tough outs, Shirbroun owns a batting average of .606 this season, recording seven homers, 17 doubles and five triples. She has driven in 36 and scored 37 times, stealing 22 bases while setting several school records for hitting.
Sydney Lovrien, Clarksville, Senior
The ace for the defending state champions, Lovrien is 13-5 with 100 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. She also has 23 hits and 21 RBI at the plate.
Sam Kruckenberg, Mason City Newman Catholic, Senior
A veteran now, Kruckenberg owns an 18-4 record with 227 strikeouts and a 1.23 earned run average. She is batting .440 with five homers, 11 doubles and 23 RBI at the plate.
About Our Midseason Player of the Year Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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The Iowa chapter of the Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) officially opened a new facility on its 80-acre demonstration farm in Marshall County Thursday.
Iowa LICA President Scott Bohle said having classroom and meeting space will make it easier to educate the next generation of professional contractors, along with government employees, lawmakers and students, to help conserve soil and water in the state.
Bohle said the building “gives people a place to gather, collaborate and continue the important work that defines our association.”
Just outside the new space are wetlands, terraces, sediment control basins, bioreactors and other features, which members have built since LICA purchased the farm near Melbourne in 2000.
“We call it the one-stop shop, where you can see anything being put to practice by our landowners,” said Kelby Kiefer, executive director of Iowa LICA.
Together, these “edge-of-field” practices remove 50% of phosphates and almost 100% of the nitrates from the runoff of a 1,000-plus acre watershed, according to the association.
Adding more wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors across the state are a key part of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. It aims to cut nitrogen and phosphorus losses from farm fields by 41% and 29%, respectively.
The strategy is part of a broader effort to reduce nutrient pollution in the state’s waterways and the Gulf of Mexico by 45% compared to the 1980-96 baseline period. It does not include a target date.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the state has accelerated edge-of-field practices in recent years, in part through the Batch and Build model. The approach bundles projects in a targeted watershed to reduce costs and save time for farmers and contractors.
Nearly 150 nitrate reducing wetlands and around 500 saturated buffers, bioreactors and multi-purpose oxbows had been built in the state as of 2024. Thousands more will be needed to meet the state’s nutrient reduction targets.
“[Clean water is] something we need to be focused on, and we can be proud of the work that’s happened, but we know that we need to do more,” Naig said. “Buildings like this help.”
Naig said scaling up conservation infrastructure across the state will require more skilled contractors. He described them as the “critical link” between concepts and “getting things on the ground.”
“It’s from that point where you say, ‘We have a design that’s ready to go, a willing landowner,’ but somebody needs to make it happen,” Naig said. “The land improvement contractor sits in that very important spot.”
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Mark Roering returned to Iowa City Regina 30 years after serving as an assistant coach, and in just two seasons, he has transformed the Regals into one of Class 2A’s most dangerous teams.
“I was a senior in college. I just had finished playing baseball myself and was doing high school in the summers. Had one of those magical seasons here losing in the state finals,” Roering said. “I was just ready for something new.”
Prior to being hired at Iowa City Regina in 2024, Roering coached nine seasons at Dowling Catholic, where he helped the Maroons reach the state tournament six times. Regina was below .500 in three of the four seasons before his arrival. His first season at the helm, Regina went 22-6.
“I think the biggest difference is practice. Everybody is so much more locked in. Really that just comes from him. He gets on us everyday, he has to make the drive and hour and a half every day so we want to give that back to him for all the time and effort he’s put into us,” junior Trey Streb said.
Streb also described Roering as a very emotional coach who cares deeply about the team and winning.
The Regals’ bats have become a significant threat. Regina ranks fifth in the state and second in Class 2A with a .379 batting average and has the fourth fewest strikeouts among state teams.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced and it’s been super competitive and it’s nice to be with people who want to win and will do whatever it takes to win,” senior Emmett Burke said.
The team already sits at 20 wins with eight regular season games remaining.
Roering said the transformation comes when players start believing they can win in any situation.
“Winning is contagious just like losing is contagious,” Roering said. “Kids they start believing and it gets really dangerous you know that they can win no matter what situation they’re in.”
The turnaround has positioned the Regals to make a postseason run. With only one senior on the roster, the team could remain a threat next season.
“No matter what, we’re going to fight and we’re not going to roll over. We’re going to do what we need to do to win,” Burke said.
“We’re big competitors. We don’t accept defeat and I think that’s one of my favorite parts about this team,” Streb added.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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