Tag: Iowa State Cyclones

Duke finishes at No. 9 in final AP poll

Four ACC teams, including Duke, crack final AP poll of the 2023-2024 season.

While the season’s outcome was not what many expected when Duke took the floor to start the season, Jon Scheyer’s team was, in essence, just 12 minutes from a Final Four berth.

NC State made more plays down the stretch and ultimately ended Duke’s season before having their season ended by national runner-up Purdue. Connecticut was always the best team from beginning to end, and they proved it by doing what hadn’t been done since Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators teams in 2006–07: winning a second consecutive national title.

It should come as no surprise that the Huskies end the season as the No. 1 team in the final AP poll for the 2023-2024 season. Purdue was second, while Houston, whom Duke beat in the Sweet 16, tied with Alabama for the third-place spot. Tennessee checked in at number five.

Illinois was next at No. 6, followed by North Carolina, Iowa State, and Duke. NC State rounds out the top 10 despite never joining the poll during the regular season. Clemson, one of four ACC schools to make at least the Sweet 16, finished at No. 14.

The ACC had the same number of teams in the final AP poll as the Big 12, with four each.

‘Oh she is a blessing’: Patty Gasso on being able to turn to Riley Ludlam at catcher

One of the unsung heroes for Oklahoma this year has been the play of transfer, Riley Ludlam.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been without one of their captains for some time now. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] hasn’t played a full series since the Sooners played the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] as she deals with a knee injury.

She’s only played two games since then. It’s been huge for Oklahoma that they can turn to someone with a lot of experience like [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag]. Ludlam has started each of the last six games at catcher. Since replacing Hansen in the lineup in the opener against Texas Tech, she has just one hit, a home run, but she’s also walked 12 times and scored five runs.

“Oh she is a blessing,” Patty Gasso said of Ludlam. “We had a couple of catchers leave us unexpectedly and we went scrambling because a lot of catchers were already pulled in a lot of directions or universities. It was just a blessing for her and me to find each other. When I called her, she didn’t believe it was me. It took me a while to get her to understand that I am the coach at Oklahoma, and she came down for a visit. She was wonderful, her family was wonderful, and I knew I wanted her here.”

Ludlam had already proven to be a fantastic addition, even in a reserve role. But with Hansen out of the lineup, she’s become even more valuable. Her effectiveness at and behind the plate will allow the Sooners to be patient with Hansen’s recovery as the season goes along.

Ludlam is just one of many Sooners who aren’t talked about enough but are playing a big role right now.

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Brock Purdy offered encouragement to Audi Crooks and Iowa State after heartbreaking OT loss to Stanford

This was an extremely kind gesture by Brock Purdy.

Brock Purdy is a women’s hoops fan, and on Sunday, he attended Iowa State and Stanford’s bucket-getting matchup to support his alma mater. The Cyclones ultimately fell to Stanford in overtime, but postgame, Purdy was there to offer encouragement and words of wisdom.

The stars have come out to see the 2024 women’s NCAA tournament. During the first week of March Madness, Cheryl Miller, Vanessa Bryant and her daughters, Caleb Williams and Russell Westbrook and his wife, Nina, all took in some terrific games. However, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may have been treated to the best game of the tournament.

Purdy, and his wife, Jenna, were in attendance to see the Iowa State Cyclones women’s basketball team play Stanford in a March Madness classic. Though the Cyclones weren’t able to secure a win, head coach Bill Fennelly had Purdy speak with Audi Crooks, fellow freshman Jalynn Brooks and the team to share some of his wisdom after his own heartbreaking loss, Super Bowl 58.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C463MGhpOC5/?igsh=bGJ2NGZuNnY3Y3oz

According to Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register, Purdy shared these words with the team:

“He just told us, ‘You wear Iowa State, keep your heads up. We have people around us, and you can see it,’ Bristow said.”

March Madness: NCAA Tournament East Region odds, picks and predictions

Looking at March Madness futures odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament East Region, with expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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March Madness tips off Thursday, and the East Region bracket is absolutely loaded.

Below, we look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament East Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The East includes last year’s champs, the UConn Huskies (31-3); they’re the No. 1 seed. For Connecticut to get through this region, it will have to get past this season’s title teams from the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC in Iowa State (27-7), Illinois (26-8), and Auburn (27-7), respectively. The Huskies (KenPom No. 1), Tigers (No. 4) and Cyclones (No. 5) represent 3/5ths of the top 5 on KenPom’s rankings.

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East Region futures odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 1:25 p.m. ET.

1 seed: UConn +110 (bet $100 to win $110)

2 seed: Iowa State +440 (bet $100 to win $440)

3 seed: Illinois +800 (bet $100 to win $800)

4 seed: Auburn +500 (bet $100 to win $500)

5 seed: San Diego State +2100 (bet $100 to win $2,100)

6 seed: BYU +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)

7 seed: Washington State +3400 (bet $100 to win $3,400)

8 seed: FAU +2900 (bet $100 to win $2,900)

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9 seed: Northwestern +5500 (bet $100 to win $5,500)

10 seed: Drake +4200 (bet $100 to win $4,200)

11 seed: Duquesne +13000 (bet $100 to win $13,000)

12 seed: UAB +13000 (bet $100 to win $13,000)

13 seed: Yale +11000 (bet $100 to win $11,000)

14 seed: Morehead State +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

15 seed: South Dakota State +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

16 seed: Stetson +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

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East Region expert pick and prediction

Iowa State (+440)

Putting all the key betting factors together and weighing in the prices, the Cyclones come out with a lot of value. The champions of this year’s toughest league are elite at the defensive end and usually maintain key edges in turnovers, rebounding and free-throw frequency.

The analysis of the East includes some slight fading of No. 1 UConn, heavier fading of No. 3 Illinois and a bit of extra potential for an upset in No. 4 Auburn’s path.

Top 25: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

East Region contenders

AUBURN (+500)

The Tigers rank in KenPom’s top 10 in both offensive (10th) and defensive (4th) efficiency. The defense (including what AU does along the perimeter) and overall court skills should help Auburn avoid a misstep in what could be an interesting 1st-round game against Yale.

If the bracket plays out with AU playing UConn or Iowa State, consider that coach Bruce Pearl owns an 8-4 record against the spread when lined as an underdog.

San Diego State (+2100)

The Aztecs (24-10) are just 6-4 over their last 10 games, but they have the defense (39% field-goal accuracy allowed over those 10 games) and court skills to make for profit leverage at this price point. San Diego State sports a veteran lineup, and it gets its 1st 2 potential games in its own time zone (games in Spokane).

The futures market had shorter overall futures odds on SDSU a couple weeks ago. The Aztecs’ Jaedon LeDee is a power forward with possible late 1st-round NBA talent, and he’s a likely match-up problem for most teams San Diego State would play.

East Region long shots

Drake (+4200)

The Bulldogs (28-6) come out of the Missouri Valley Conference, a league that has often done damage from underdog slots in recent years’ brackets. Drake won the MVC Tournament and is 10-1 in its last 11 games.

DU hits from distance (36.5% from 3-point range) and takes great care of the ball. The Bulldogs are a top-notch defensive rebounding team. They have a 6-1 record in neutral-site games, and that includes a Dec. 9 rout of West No. 10 seed Nevada.

Morehead State (+25000)

Morehead State is a slow-tempo squad trending the right way at the defensive end, and that’s a dangerous combination. The Eagles often win the 3-point shooting battle, and they should be considered a live wire against 1st-round opponent Illinois and either team they might play in the 2nd round (BYU, Duquesne).

Both Drake and Morehead State are in the bottom half of the East Region bracket. Making the plays in tandem has merit.

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Iowa State, Auburn climb in pre-tournament top 25 coaches poll update

The last coaches poll ahead of the NCAA Tournament sees Iowa State and Auburn climbing.

The Iowa State Cyclones might not have received much love with their No. 2 seed in the East bracket, but they did jump into the top four of the latest coaches poll. Iowa State quickly dispatched the then No. 1-ranked Houston Cougars in the Big 12 championship game, 69-41 to secure the title.

Focus for the Cyclones now will shift to the No. 15 seeded South Dakota State in the first round. Much like Iowa State, the Auburn Tigers saw a rise in the latest polls after winning the SEC Tournament over the Florida Gators on Sunday. The Tigers are currently No. 7 overall and earned the No. 4 seed in the East bracket. The aforementioned Gators jumped six spots into the top 25 to land at No. 23.

No team had a more massive fall than the Nevada Wolfpack going from No. 22 to No. 30 after getting bounced in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament by the Colorado State Rams, 85-78. They will take on Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 UConn 31-3 800 (32) +1
2 Houston 30-4 752 -1
3 Purdue 29-4 740 –
4 Iowa State 27-7 697 +4
5 North Carolina 27-7 672 -1
6 Tennessee 24-8 595 -1
7 Auburn 27-7 573 +5
8 Marquette 25-9 560 +2
9 Arizona 25-8 544 -2
10 Illinois 26-8 508 +4
11 Creighton 23-9 506 -5
12 Kentucky 23-9 415 -3
13 Baylor 23-10 411 –
14 Duke 24-8 400 -3
15 Saint Mary’s 26-7 297 +5
16 Gonzaga 25-7 220 -1
17 South Carolina 26-7 218 -1
18 Alabama 21-11 197 +1
19 Utah State 27-6 193 -1
20 Kansas 22-10 188 -3
21 BYU 23-10 182 –
22 Texas Tech 23-10 134 +1
23 Florida 24-11 130 +6
24 Wisconsin 22-13 110 –
25 San Diego State 24-10 74 +2

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Nevada; No. 24 Dayton; No. 25 Washington State

Others Receiving Votes

New Mexico 68; Washington State 63; James Madison 30; Dayton 30; Nevada 29; Drake 29; Nebraska 12; North Carolina State 11; Colorado 4; Indiana State 2; Boise State 2; Pittsburgh 1; Michigan State 1; McNeese State 1; Grand Canyon 1

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Cydney Sanders named Big 12 Player of the Week

After a huge week, Oklahoma’s Cydney Sanders was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

It was a huge weekend on the diamond for the Oklahoma Sooners. OU Baseball swept UCF, and OU Softball swept Iowa State. Both programs crushed the ball, putting up 29 runs over the weekend. For OU Baseball, Easton Carmichael was named Co-Big 12 Player of the Week. Now it’s softball’s turn to earn some honors as Cydney Sanders was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

Sanders was awesome last week, batting .714 with four home runs and nine RBIs. All four home runs came in the weekend series against the Cyclones, with three coming during Saturday’s doubleheader. During Oklahoma’s 4-0 week, Sanders also drew five walks.

Sanders is having the type of month that could propel her into the National Player of the Year discussion if she’s able to keep this pace. Ahead of their double header with Tarleton State, Sanders has six home runs and 15 RBIs in the month of March.

More: 5 Takeaways from Oklahoma’s sweep of Iowa State

She’s in the midst of a huge bounce-back season after hitting just .284 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs in 2023. That came after a breakout freshman season with Arizona State, where she hit .425 with 21 home runs and 63 RBIs.

This season, she’s already hit eight home runs, just one away from matching her total from last season. Sanders is batting .385, has 20 RBIs, and leads the Sooners with 15 walks.

Sanders and the Sooners next take the field in a double-header against Tarleton State on Tuesday before traveling to Lubbock for a three-game series against Texas Tech.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Tarleton State

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Oklahoma Sooners lose to the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals again

Sooners Big 12 tournament run is over as they fall to the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.

It was just one season ago the Oklahoma Sooners were co-regular season Big 12 champs and headed into the semifinals of the [autotag]Big 12 tournament[/autotag] to take on the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag]. The Sooners would go on to lose that game.

Now, they came into the rematch as Big 12 regular season champs, ready to face the Cyclones again. Iowa State jumped on the Sooners early with a quick 18-7 lead. The Sooners were able to battle back and got it to a three-point game in the second quarter after a [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] three.

That’s when the Cyclones really started to put their stamp on the game as they finished the quarter on a 17-6 run to take a 38-24 lead at the half. The second half was much like the end of the first half and was completely dominated by the Cyclones. The Sooners were never able to get it closer than the 14 points at the half. The Cyclones led by as many as 28 points in the second half.

The Cyclones coasted in the fourth quarter and beat the Sooners 85-68, ending the Sooners’ Big 12 tournament run. The Sooners shot 36.1% from the field and 30.3% from three, while Iowa State shot 57.9% from the field and 52.2% from three.

[autotag]Audi Crooks[/autotag] dominated the Sooners and led the way with 25 points and nine rebounds. For the Sooners, [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] had 16 points and five rebounds, and [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] had 23 points and seven rebounds.

Now, the Sooners wait for selection day to find out where they will be headed in the NCAA tournament. The biggest question now is if they’ve done enough to earn a top-four seed in the tournament, which would allow them to host the first two rounds in Norman.

But there is no question they’ve done a great job turning things around after how much they struggled earlier in the season.

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‘We’re spoiled’: Oklahoma Sooners defense shines against Iowa State

After a rough defensive outing in the loss to Louisiana, the Sooners looked like themselves vs. Iowa State.

One of the more shocking things when Oklahoma Sooners’ 71-game winning streak came to an end was how bad their defense played that game. They had a number of mistakes they just don’t make.

While the offense has gotten all of the attention the last few seasons Oklahoma has also been one of the best defensive teams in the country as well. In Oklahoma’s sweep of the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag], the Sooners’ stellar defensive play returned.

Patty Gasso talked after the game about their defense against the Cyclones. “We’re spoiled,” Gasso said. “Jayda Coleman makes some of the greatest plays out there. She will not be denied, but it bleeds on to Hannah Coor, who made some good plays and almost had one tonight. Defense looks solid. It was very clean. It was very pure style of play, specifically Game 2.”

Gasso went on to say she thought her team came out a little flat with almost a “boring” style of play. But that changed in the second game of the day when the Sooners won 11-2. The offense is going to be there almost every single game but it’s the defense that is going to be the difference if this team ends up winning another national championship.

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Cydney Sanders’ has big weekend in Sooners sweep of Iowa State

Cydney Sanders showed off her power in a big weekend vs. Iowa State.

The Oklahoma Sooners started Big 12 play with a bang as they beat the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] in all three games to start. The Sooners won 4-0, 11-2 and then 14-1.

The star of the weekend was first baseman [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]. Sanders hit four home runs and recorded nine RBIs. Sanders spoke to reporters after Saturday’s doubleheader about the day she had.

“Just seeing a strike and swinging,” Sanders said. “Honestly, in my last at-bat, I told coach I was going to swing at my first pitch strike. I ended up not but it ended up working out in the end. Just seeing pitches and getting good swings on them.”

That she did. We had been waiting for a breakout day from Sanders since she transferred before last season. As a freshman, she hit 21 home runs and had 63 RBIs for Arizona State. In her first year with the Sooners she hit nine home runs with 31 RBIs and her batting average dropped from .425 to .284.

This year Sanders is up to .385 and already has eight home runs and 20 RBIs. That would put her on pace for about 20 home runs and 46 RBIs. She’s had six home runs and 15 RBIs in the month of March alone. And it’s only March 10.

If they can keep getting this version of Cydney Sanders, it could be huge fir Oklahoma’s chances of winning a fourth straight national title.

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Duke slides up one spot to 9th in latest AP Poll ahead of final week of regular season

Duke moves up to ninth in penultimate regular season Associated Press poll.

It is officially March, and we are less than two weeks away from Selection Sunday. Jon Scheyer’s team is playing some of their best basketball of the season, and they look like a team starting to find itself at the perfect time. They enter Monday in second place in the ACC with a week ahead of them that features two games against two of their fiercest ACC rivals, NC State and UNC.

Duke will enter their Monday night matchup on the road against NC State as the 9th-ranked team in the country after they moved up one spot in the latest and penultimate AP poll of the 2023-2024 regular season.

Houston survived a valiant upset bid from Oklahoma on Saturday in head coach Kelvin Sampson’s return to Norman thanks to the late-game heroics of soon-to-be All-American guard Jamal Shead. The Cougars won 87-85. UCONN moved to number two as they secured the Big East regular season title, while Purdue slid one spot to third in the latest poll. Tennessee remained in contention for a number-one seed after they dispatched an electric Alabama team on Saturday in Alabama.

With Marquette’s loss to Creighton, the Golden Eagles fell to 8th, allowing Arizona, Iowa State, and the Tar Heels to take over the fifth, sixth, and seventh spots, respectively. With Duke at nine, Creighton rounds out the top ten after they moved up 12 spots.

Duke and UNC remain the lone ACC teams in the top 25, while none of the other ACC teams are even receiving votes. If Duke takes down NC State and beats North Carolina at home, the Blue Devils will earn at least a share of the ACC regular season title and should put themselves firmly in contention for a two-seed with a great showing in the ACC Tournament.