Iowa

What Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after losing to BYU

Published

12 months ago

March 5, 2025

What Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after losing to BYU

For just the second time in the past two years, Iowa State has lost at home.

The 10th-ranked Cyclones fell to No. 23 BYU 88-85 in a dramatic, double overtime affair Tuesday night that should go down as one of the most memorable contests in all of college basketball this season.

“BYU deserves a lot of credit in how they came in here and how they played, but at the same time we know we had our chances and we had our opportunities,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger told reporters after the game. “So that should be frustrating, and then what you do is you learn from it and become better for it.”

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The Cyclones’ defensive pressure troubled BYU early, with the Cougars failing to find the scoreboard until nearly seven minutes had been played.

Once they woke up, however, the Cougars were off to the races, ending the first half on a 23-7 run. They then went on a 21-9 tear coming out of halftime to lead by 21 points with 13 minutes left to play in regulation.

“When we dug ourself a hole and were down 21, and it’s unacceptable on our end to allow our offensive disappointment to permeate our defense,” Otzelberger said. “We were careless in transition defense, we were not as locked in and we dug ourself a substantial hole.

“That is where, to me, the game was decided over that 15 or 16 minute stretch, where we put ourself in that tough spot. … We set the tone physically defensively right from the jump, and then they adjusted and drove the ball with more force. To their credit, that got them back into the game and helped them build that (winning) margin, and we weren’t as tough as we needed to be.”

Iowa State stormed back with a vengeance, closing out the second half on a 35-14 heater to tie the score, stun the Cougars and force overtime.

Though he appreciated the effort from his players to rally back, Otzelberger was still disappointed in them having been in such a position in the first place.

“Credit to our guys and their fight for continuing to compete and get back into it, but at the same time, you can’t (slow down) against good teams. You’ve got to have more pride,” he said. “It’s a lesson that we should have learned by now and should never have to learn again.”

Following two five-minute overtime periods, BYU escaped with a three-point victory, having forced a shot clock violation on the Cyclones in the final seconds to seal the hard-fought road upset.

Shockingly, the Cougars won despite committing a jarring 29 turnovers Tuesday night. BYU was able to overcome such ugliness in the rebounding battle, grabbing 52 total boards — with 17 coming on the offensive glass — to Iowa State’s 24.

In overtime alone, the Cougars outrebounded the Cyclones 12 to four.

“We turned them over more because we were playing faster, more quicker lineups and were able to pressure the basketball, and (with that) what you give up is a little bit of size and physicality on the glass,” Otzelberger said. “At the same time, I know that our guys are competitors, and it can’t be that every shot that we miss in the end of regulation and both overtimes that (BYU) gets the rebound. It can’t happen, that’s not OK … we’ve got to do a great job finishing on the glass, and we didn’t.

“There’s a part in defensive rebounding where if you want to win bad enough, you just find a way to get (rebounds), regardless of what’s going on. They had more fight on the glass to get the offensive rebound than we did to get the defensive rebound, unfortunately.”

With the loss, BYU captures the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 tournament along with a double bye. Iowa State, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, will face the winner of a No. 12 and No. 13 seed matchup next Wednesday.

Should the Cyclones win that game, they would earn a rematch with the Cougars in the tournament quarterfinals.

“We’ve talked to our guys a lot about our best being in front of us, and you don’t just speak it into existence. You’ve got to earn it with hard work and with what you do in practice and then demand that consistency of those habits in the game and not be a team that plays great for stretches and plays awful for stretches,” Otzelberger said.

““For a group that has a lot of older, experienced guys, we need to be a lot more mature as a team and play through those things instead of reacting to those things.”

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Iowa

Where Iowa State basketball stands in NCAA Tournament bracketology

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Where Iowa State basketball stands in NCAA Tournament bracketology

We’re heading down the homestretch.

Iowa State men’s basketball has two regular-season games left, followed by the Big 12 Tournament.

Iowa State enters the final week of the regular season with a 24-5 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Big 12 action.

The Cyclones have a NCAA Tournament resume-bolstering opportunity on Monday, March 2 with a road game against Arizona, before wrapping up the regular-season on Saturday, March 7 against Arizona State.

Plenty can still change with bracketology from now until Selection Sunday on March 15, but here is where experts are projecting Iowa State to land in the NCAA Tournament entering the final week of the regular season:

Iowa State basketball’s computer metrics as of Tuesday

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5

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Iowa Lottery Pick 3 Midday, Pick 3 Evening results for March 1, 2026

Published

22 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball.

Don’t miss out on the winnings. Here’s a look at Sunday, March 1, 2026, winning numbers for each game:

Winning Pick-3 numbers from March 1 drawing

Midday: 6-9-4

Evening: 4-2-5

Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick-4 numbers from March 1 drawing

Midday: 1-7-4-8

Evening: 7-6-9-1

Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 1 drawing

10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Iowa

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

Published

1 day 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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