Midwest
Some Iowa caucus-goers undecided ahead of first in the nation contest
With one day left to sway voters, Republican presidential candidates are holding their final events in the Hawkeye State.
“I’ve probably been to more pizza ranches than I have to gyms in the last six months,” Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said during a December event in Atlantic, Iowa.
From former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley’s pictures with the Iowa State Fair Butter Cow – to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ visit to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, candidates have held events across Iowa for the last year.
“I’m going to use every minute I can to be able to win votes,” DeSantis said at an event last week in Ankeny, IA.
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Between all of the town halls and diner visits, some voters are still unsure of who they plan to support.
“I’ve kind of narrowed it down to Haley and DeSantis,” Retired U.S. Army Reserves Col. Mike Treinen said.
Treinen served during the Vietnam War and says veterans’ issues are important to him.
“With Iran and Israel, those are heavy duty issues,” Treinen said. “There are a lot of people who would like to think that we’re already at war with Iran.”
Former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, right, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, appearing at a Republican presidential nomination debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
He is also concerned about national defense and the crisis at the southern border. He wants a candidate who can beat President Joe Biden.
“I will not vote for Biden under any circumstances,” Treinen said. “I think he just shows a complete failure of leadership, trying to always duck the issue, blame it on somebody else. A lot of poor ideas, the pullout from Afghanistan, the runaway inflation, the border.”
Brian Smith works at a hospital in Des Moines. When Fox first spoke with him four years ago, he was undecided between Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, with healthcare driving his decision.
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“They all partially have really great answers. But I just don’t see the one,” Smith said four years ago.
Since 2020, he’s gotten married and works as a dietitian. He ultimately decided to caucus for President Biden and plans to support him again in the general election. But for the caucuses, he is considering participating with the Republicans.
“I have thought about looking at the landscape, who’s running, who’s on the Republican side? Is it worth my time, or is it worth putting my voice towards the Republican Party to see what we can do to change the direction we’ve been in,” Smith said.
Iowa allows caucus-goers to change their party affiliation on the day they attend. Smith says he wants to send a message with his caucus decision, and show is opposition to former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall on January 10, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I know that he has some great ideas. I understand that, but the chaos that he’s left, it just disappoints me horribly,” Smith said. “We need someone who really is concerned about the common good. And Donald Trump just does not seem to have that in mind.”
Cody Stoos wants to see President Trump elected once again.
“When I’m thinking about who and what matters to me is kind of ignoring that outside noise and instead just focusing on things that could affect me,” Stoos said.
He was once a Barack Obama supporter but changed his affiliation to Republican, to support President Trump.
“A lot of push away from previous ideologies that I maybe had being an Obama supporter, seeing some of the effects of that presidency verses some of the positive effects that I actually experienced with my family under the Trump presidency,” Stoos said.
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Stoos likes the former president’s America First platform. He believes President Trump can ramp up domestic supply chains and address the border crisis.
“Putting our safety and security first and worrying about things that affect our day to day moneywise especially,” Stoos said when asked what the most important issues to him were.
Stoos’ wife is a school teacher and they have two kids. He believes President Trump’s policies are good for future generations.
“My role as a father is to take care of my family first and foremost,” Stoos said. “I see President Trump as doing the same thing for our country.”
Donald Trump arrives on stage during a campaign event at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, US, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rachel Geilenfeld is the Iowa State chair of the Women for Nikki campaign and plans to caucus for the former Ambassador to the U.N. on Monday. She says she’s prepared for the expected frigid temperatures.
“I grew up in Iowa. It’s fine. It’s just another Monday,” Geilenfeld said.
She believes Haley is the best option to address issues like the national debt.
“I think many people are familiar with Nikki’s background as a U.N. ambassador, former governor. But one thing I really like about her personally, is her background as an accountant,” Geilenfeld said. “I think she’s a problem solver, and I really think that we need somebody to lead our country who has both the experience and the will to address the issue of the national debt.”
Geilenfeld also believes Haley is the most electable candidate and will be able to move the country forward.
“I think voters are so tired of the dysfunction and vitriol in politics. I think one thing that Nikki represents is turning a page,” Geilenfeld explained. “We need somebody who is going to rise above some of this pettiness and really sit down at a table with adults and solve some of these issues.”
If Haley is not the nominee, Geilenfeld says she’s unsure who she will vote for in the general election. She does believe the former South Carolina governor has done enough to win over Iowa caucus-goers.
“In Iowa, there are still some undecided voters,” Geilenfeld said. “We’ll see if [the weather] impacts a candidate who maybe has a huge lead in this race. But I would say Nikki’s supporters are very dedicated.”
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Illinois
Takeaways: Michigan basketball ends Illinois streak, wins Big Ten
Michigan basketball entered Friday having lost nine straight games to Illinois. With the sole regular-season matchup coming in Champaign against the KenPom No. 4 Illini, it was going to be a tall task for the Wolverines to end that streak.
The game matched up the nation’s No. 2 defense against the No. 1 offense, and in front of a raucous Orange Krush, the maize and blue took a little while to get into an offensive rhythm. Because the No. 5 offense is no slouch, especially against the No. 31 defense. What’s more, Morez Johnson Jr. returned to Champaign after spending his first year with Illinois.
However, the Illini certainly showed how much Michigan appears to be their rival, and really played a physical brand of basketball. After Illinois got a five-point lead, the Wolverines bounced back and got a six-point lead. Illinois had a slight advantage in the first half on the boards, but the Wolverines had a field goal advantage. Both teams were relatively even on turnovers.
Ultimately, Michigan ended up taking a seven-point lead into the locker room at halftime, but backup point guard LJ Cason appeared to have hurt his knee on the final score of the half.
The second half started with a Michigan layup and an Illinois 3. The next round of scoring went exactly the same way. But then Yaxel Lendeborg hit a 3 to stop the asymmetry. They traded baskets, but then after a few Illinois turnovers, the Wolverines pushed the lead to 10.
Cason returned to the game after the under-16 media timeout, providing (temporary) good news for the maize and blue (he would leave the game again shortly). But the Wolverines missed a few shots, and Illinois took advantage, getting a shot from the field by Mirkovic before Wagler hit a 3 to cut the lead to five, prompting a Michigan timeout with 13:09 remaining.
Illinois cut Michigan’s lead back down to six, but Yaxel Lendeborg stretched it back to nine with a layup-and-one. Then Aday Mara started taking over.
Mara was unguardable, scoring floaters, dunks, and putbacks. His quick 7 points put the Wolverines up to a game-high of 14 with 9:13 remaining. The Illini answered to end the nearly three-minute field goal drought, ending Michigan’s 7-0 scoring run. But the Wolverine defense held, and Trey McKenney finally hit his first (of three) 3-point attempts to push the lead to 15, and he hit again on the next trip, pushing the lead to 18 with 7:34 left in the game. It was a 13-2 scoring run for the maize and blue.
After an Illinois timeout, they missed again, and Will Tschetter got in on the contagious, 3-pointer action, pushing the lead to 21. Cadeau finally broke the makes from deep, and Wagler hit to cut the lead back to 18 with 5:41 remaining.
Illinois couldn’t mount a comeback, and Michigan won, 84-70. Here are our five takeaways.
Homecoming for Morez Johnson Jr.
An Illinois native who spent his first year with the Illini, the Orange Krush did as much as it could to make it uncomfortable for the outgoing transfer. However, it wasn’t the case, as Johnson was often the best player on the floor.
He was the only Michigan basketball player in double digits at halftime, with 13 points, five rebounds, and a steal, and he was something of an energizer bunny out on the floor for the Wolverines. There were no qualms for Johnson returning to his old stomping ground, as he played one of his best games in a maize and blue uniform.
Johnson was quiet in the second half, but the damage was done, and it makes his former teammate’s pregame comments more prescient:
What could have been.
Johnson finished with a double-double, scoring 19 points and netting 11 rebounds.
Michigan’s offense outplays Illinois’ offense
As noted, the Illini entered the game with the No. 1 overall offense, while the Wolverines were No. 5. Yet, when the rubber hit the road, it was the maize and blue who had the superior offensive attack, managing to shoot 52.5% overall and 60% in the second half. Illinois managed 41.3% and 43.3% respectively.
The Michigan defense forced Illinois to go through a series of uncomfortable stretches in the second half, with multiple three-minute droughts from the floor. And Illinois, which is accustomed to getting to the foul line, couldn’t seem to draw many fouls until relatively late in the game. Even when the Illini forced three Wolverine turnovers late, they couldn’t seem to take advantage.
Ultimately, Michigan was dominant on both ends of the floor.
Bench, fastbreak, and points in the paint
The Wolverines dominated all three categories, finishing the game with 20 bench points, 10 fastbreak points, and 42 points in the paint. We already discussed Johnson and his homecoming, but we cannot leave out Aday Mara, who was just such a mismatch for Michigan vs. the Illini. As noted, Mara really flexed late in the game, taking it over. He was the catalyst for most of these stats.
Meanwhile, Illinois only had 7 bench points, 1 fastbreak point, and was just behind Michigan with 32 points in the paint.
The streak was emphatically broken
As we said in the open, the Illini had beaten the Wolverines nine straight times. Even the Fab Five couldn’t beat Illinois in Champaign, as the maize and blue have historically struggled at State Farm Arena. Though it took some time for the Wolverines to flex, flex they did, and this was as emphatic of a win as Michigan had all season.
The final score may have been just a 14-point gulf, but honestly, the game wasn’t really that close (and it hadn’t been for most of the final 10 minutes). This was a huge win for the Wolverines, one that’s been years in the making. If not decades.
With the win over Illinois, Michigan has won the outright Big Ten regular-season title.
No. 1 overall seed back in the realm of possibility
It may come down to the Big Ten Tournament now that Michigan has lost the head-to-head with Duke. And the Blue Devils’ 54-point win over Notre Dame pushed them into the No. 1 NET ranking, stealing it away from the maize and blue. But with a win over the No. 4 NET-ranked Illini, the Wolverines have the second-best win in college basketball (behind Duke, of course). They also have wins over No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 7 Purdue, No. 11 MSU, No. 12 Nebraska, and will face No. 26 Iowa on the road next week.
There’s a strong case for the maize and blue to have the No. 1 overall seed given the levels of domination over most all of the aforementioned teams.
Indiana
Highlights: Beech Grove at Whiteland; February 27, 2026
WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.
Watch highlights of Beech Grove at Whiteland above.
Final Score: Whiteland 89 Beech Grove 61
“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.
Iowa
Iowa Boys High School Basketball Substate Finals Locked In For 4A
The fourth and final bunch of Iowa high school boys basketball substate championship games are now set after the second round of Class 4A games were completed on Friday, February 27.
Substate championships in Iowa’s largest classification will take place on Tuesday, March 3, with the higher seed serving as host in all eight games. Winners advance to Des Moines, Iowa and the Casey’s Center to compete in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament beginning March 9.
Three-time defending 4A state champion Valley was eliminated by Ankeny, 72-36. The Tigers, who lost all five starters from a year ago, won just one game prior to earning a victory in the opening round of postseason play.
Cedar Falls, who has held the No. 1 spot in 4A throughout the season, scored a dominating 78-45 decision vs. Iowa City High to move on.
Colin Rice, a Nebraska commit for Fred Hoiberg, scored a single-game school-record 50 points as Waukee Northwest topped Iowa City Liberty, 101-58.
Council Bluffs Lincoln, Ames, North Scott, Dowling Catholic, Dubuque Senior, Johnston, Linn-Mar, Muscatine, Norwalk, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Des Moines Roosevelt, Urbandale and Waukee all joined them in the next round after winning games at home.
The 1A and 2A substate finals will take place on Saturday, February 28 while the 3A games go down on Monday, March 2.
Here are the Iowa boys high school basketball Class 4A substate finals for Wednesday, March 3.
Wednesday, March 3
Class 4A
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