The University of Iowa men’s basketball team hosts South Dakota in the final game of the Kenny Arnold Classic on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised on BTN. • Tickets are $15-25 for adults and $5-10 for youth through the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office.
FOLLOW LIVE
Radio: Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call. The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The Hawkeye Radio Network includes a 60-minute pregame show. Television: Tuesday’s game will be televised on BTN with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (color) on the call.
OPENING TIP
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The Hawkeyes won their second straight game, downing Southern, 89-74, on Thursday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has now started 2-0 in four consecutive seasons.
Iowa has won 91 of its last 97 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
The Hawkeyes’ first three games against Texas A&M Commerce, Southern and South Dakota are part of the Kenny Arnold Classic.
Senior Payton Sandfort has had 17+ points, 8+ rebounds and 7+ assists in Iowa’s two season-opening victories. He notched his 19th career 20-point game and sixth career double-double in the season opener. He is averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and seven assists.
Sophomore Pryce Sandfort has notched career highs in points, field goals, 3-pointers and rebounds in back-to-back games. He led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting with six 3-pointers and four rebounds in the win over Southern.
Splash Brothers… Payton and Pryce Sandfort have combined to make 17 3-point field goals in Iowa’s first two games. Pryce has made 9-of-17 attempts; Payton is 8-of-20. They are 1-2 in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made. They are 1-2 in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made.
Iowa made 18 3-point field goals — its most in a game since the 2022 Big Ten Tournament — in the victory over Southern. The 18 makes are tied for the fifth-most in a game under Fran McCaffery at Iowa.
One more… Iowa has had more than 20 assists in each of its first two games. The Hawkeyes have assisted on 76.6 percent of their field goals this season.
Sophomore Owen Freeman is averaging 15 points, 8.5 rebounds and three blocks in two games. He made his first career 3-pointer in Iowa’s win over Southern.
Josh Dix (honorable mention), Owen Freeman (honorable mention, Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year) and Payton Sandfort (third team) all earned All-Big Ten honors last season. Sandfort is a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024-25.
Payton Sandfort has been named the John R. Wooden Award preseason Watch List and to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason List.
LAST GAME: IOWA 89, SOUTHERN 74
Iowa shot 53.3 percent from the floor and made 18 3-point field goals in an 89-74 victory over Southern on Nov. 7 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had five players land in double figures with sophomore Pryce Sandfort leading the way with a career-high 22 points. He made 8-of-10 field goals in the game, including six 3-pointers.
SPLASH BROTHERS
Brothers Payton and Pryce Sandfort have been deadly from 3-point range for the Hawkeyes. The duo have combined to make 17 3-point field goals in Iowa’s first two games. Pryce has a team-high nine 3-pointers, shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from long range. • The Sandforts rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals.
PRYCE’S FAST START
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Sophomore Pryce Sandfort has posted career-highs in scoring, field goals, 3-pointers and rebounds in consecutive games to open the 2024-25 season. The Waukee, Iowa, native made his first eight field goals en route to a 22-point outing in Iowa’s win over Southern on Nov. 7. He made 8-of-10 field goals in the game with six 3-pointers.
Sandfort is averaging 17.5 points — second on the team — shooting 60 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from long range.
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Senior Payton Sandfort has been named to the prestigious John R. Wooden Preseason Watch List. He is one of 50 players named to the list and one of nine from the Big Ten Conference. • Sandfort is also one of 20 players named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List. It is his second straight year that he has been on the list that for an award that recognizes the best small forwards in men’s college basketball.
1-2 PG PUNCH
Iowa’s point guard duo of Brock Harding and Drew Thelwell are averaging 16.5 points and eight assists in two games this season. • Thelwell has landed in double figures in both games, where he is averaging 11 points. Harding has 12 assists to one turnover in two games.
18 FROM DISTANCE
The Hawkeyes made 18 3-point field goals in the victory over Southern on Nov. 7. They are the most for the program since the 2022 Big Ten Tournament and tied for the fifth-most under head coach Fran McCaffery at Iowa. • Iowa had seven different players make at least one 3-pointer in the victory, including Owen Freeman’s first career 3. • As a team, Iowa averages 14 3-pointers per game, while shooting 40.6 percent. The team ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in 3-pointers per game.
BROOKINGS, S.D. — — Jadyn Donovan finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds to help No. 16 Duke hold off South Dakota State 75-71 on Sunday.
Donovan hit 11 of 17 shots from the floor and added four assists and four steals for the Blue Devils (4-1). It was the second double-double this season for the sophomore.
Ashlon Jackson totaled 17 points and four assists for Duke. Vanessa de Jesus scored 13 off the bench.
Brooklyn Meyer scored 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting to lead the Jackrabbits (3-1). Paige Meyer had 12 points and seven assists. Haleigh Timmer scored 11 on 5-for-7 shooting. Kallie Theisen grabbed 12 rebounds but did not score.
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Jackson had nine points to guide the Blue Devils to a 23-18 advantage after one quarter.
Donovan scored off a rebound to give Duke a 10-point lead with 90 seconds left before halftime. But Brooklyn Meyer had the only basket from there and South Dakota State trailed 38-30.
The Jackrabbits grabbed the lead at 47-45 after Timmer’s layup and two free throws by Meyer. Donovan answered with a dunk off a rebound and finished off a three-point play, and Reigan Richardson and Toby Fournier sank shots in the final 44 seconds to send the Blue Devils to the fourth quarter with a 54-50 lead.
Mesa Byom hit a 3-pointer with 7:38 left to play to pull South Dakota State even at 59. Donovan answered with another rebound basket and a jumper, and the Blue Devils stayed in front from there.
The Jackrabbits stayed within striking distance by hitting 8 of 16 shots from beyond the arc while Duke sank just 3 of 11.
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The Blue Devils return home to play Belmont on Thursday.
—— Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) — Jaden Jackson scored 19 points as South Dakota State beat Southern Miss 101-76 on Wednesday night.
Jackson had 10 rebounds for the Jackrabbits (4-1). Oscar Cluff scored 16 points while shooting 7 of 7 from the field and added nine rebounds. Kalen Garry shot 3 for 8 (1 for 5 from 3-point range) and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points.
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The Golden Eagles (2-2) were led by Neftali Alvarez, who posted 13 points. Christian Watson added 12 points and two steals for Southern Miss. Denijay Harris also had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SIOUX FALLS — As the curtain rises on the 2024 South Dakota high school volleyball state tournaments, all three class champions from 2023 return to defend their titles.
Harrisburg puts a lengthy win streak on the line while looking for three championships in a row in Class AA; Sioux Falls Christian attempts to extend its Class A reign of dominance; and Chester hopes to become the first Class B repeat champion other than stalwarts Warner and Northwestern since 2002.
Here’s what to keep an eye on Thursday through Saturday at the Premier Center:
Chargers aim for eight straight as No. 8
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For a decade and a half, Sioux Falls Christian has been the team to beat in Class A volleyball, winning 12 of the past 14 state titles and seven in a row entering this weekend.
But while most of those championships came from a favorable seed position, if the Chargers are to collect an unprecedented eighth consecutive title, they’ll have to do it as the No. 8 seed in the bracket. First up for Sioux Falls Christian is No. 1 seed Miller, which has just one loss on the season (to Class B No. 2 Warner), in the opening match of the tournament. Should the Chargers knock off the Rustlers, a meeting with rival and No. 4 seed Dakota Valley or No. 5 Mount Vernon/Plankinton would await in the semifinals.
This season, SFC is 25-12, with those 12 losses the most in any single season during their 15-year run of dominance. The Chargers lost just 14 total over the previous four seasons. But the record can be quite misleading. Seven of those 12 losses this season came to out-of-state foes, and an eighth came to Class AA No. 1 Harrisburg.
Class A 3-seed Dell Rapids split a pair of matches with the Chargers this season, and 4-seed Dakota Valley knocked them off twice, but no one else in the tournament field has seen SFC this season.
Harrisburg goes for back-to-back unbeaten seasons
To find the last time Harrisburg was on the losing end of a volleyball match, one must go back to Oct. 4, 2022.
Since then, the Tigers have stacked up 75 consecutive match wins and now stand three wins away from back-to-back perfect seasons. En route to a 28-0 record so far this season, Harrisburg has only dropped five total sets, sweeping 23 opponents, and has yet to be taken the distance in a best-of-five sets match. Of those five set losses, only one came against a Class AA foe, as Sioux Falls Washington, the No. 3 tournament seed, nabbed on Sept. 24.
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Of the other contenders, look to the winner No. 4 O’Gorman and No. 5 Watertown, which should be a hard-fought match and will likely have the winner carrying a “nothing to lose” feeling against the Tigers in the semifinals. O’Gorman has only lost once in the last six weeks, that being a 3-0 loss to Harrisburg on Oct. 29.
In the bottom of the bracket, Jefferson and Washington are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds and seem likely to face each other. A sleeper to watch is No. 6 Sioux Falls Roosevelt, which is 19-9, and went five sets with the Warriors twice already this season, both won by Washington. Both lower seeds in that bracket have been trending strong, with eight-straight wins for No. 7 Brandon Valley and seven in a row for Roosevelt.
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Chester looks to defend title against deep field of contenders
Since 2003, no two consecutive seasons have passed without either Warner (eight titles in that span) or Northwestern (nine titles) winning a Class B championship, but Chester is looking to change that.
The Flyers took down Warner in a five-set thriller during last season’s championship match and enter this year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed. At 29-2, Chester’s lone losses this season came at the Pentagon Invitational tournament to a pair of Iowa programs. For the third year in a row, Chester enters the state tournament without a loss to another Class B team and the last such outcome was a 2022 state championship loss to Warner.
But even as the favorite, a championship repeat doesn’t figure to be a cakewalk. Six of the eight Class B teams in the field are back from 2023. No. 2 Warner surely wants to avenge its loss in last year’s title matchup, and No. 3 Hitchcock-Tulare also hails from the powerhouse Region 1B. Lower seeds Burke, Gayville-Volin, Colman-Egan and Castlewood are all among the experienced state tournament programs looking to make a run.
But the Flyers are loaded, have a lot of big-match experience at the state tournament and a veteran coach in Jean O’Hara. For all of the skill and ability, Chester still has only two seniors on the roster and the Flyers appear to be in position to go back-to-back.
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Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic’s coverage region area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball; area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field; and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic’s podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021. He can be reached at ldierks@mitchellrepublic.com and found on Twitter at @LDierksy.