Tag: West Virginia Mountaineers

Iowa, Caitlin Clark find positives from ‘fulfilling’ win vs. West Virginia

Just win. Caitlin Clark said its win over West Virginia was “more fulfilling” given how it played out.

It’s easy to get caught up in takeaways from the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend.

Who impressed the most? Who underwhelmed? Which lower-seeded teams might continue a Cinderella march through the bracket?

For the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes, it really doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks. Iowa (31-4, 15-3 Big Ten) will gladly take its 64-54 win over No. 8 seed West Virginia (25-8, 12-6 Big 12) in the second round.

Besides, Iowa was in a similar game a season ago versus then-No. 10 seed Georgia. Iowa won that game, 74-66. Then, the Hawkeyes marched all the way to the brink of a national championship.

A number of things happened that didn’t fit Iowa’s typical M.O. in its win over West Virginia.

The Hawkeyes had just seven assists, were held nearly 30 points below their season scoring average and made six less 3-pointers than they do on average. In fact, senior guard Caitlin Clark made all five of Iowa’s 3-pointers against WVU.

Afterwards, though, Clark was discussing all of the reasons why this was a great win for the Hawkeyes.

“This is definitely up there with the best of them mentally and emotionally and physically, grinding this out and getting the win. To be honest, looking back on our journey last year, to me, this is one of the hardest rounds in the NCAA Tournament. Everyone is really good. You’re expected to win. You’re on your home court. You have all the pressure in the world. They have absolutely nothing to lose to come in here and upset us. That happened my sophomore year. Last year, we were in a game that was even closer than this one.

“Our group wasn’t flustered by any means when they tied it up. Yes, we had so many opportunities tonight where we got to a 10-point lead, a seven-point lead, and we couldn’t figure out a way to extend it. Honestly, we just didn’t shoot the ball very well. We didn’t make shots we normally make. We didn’t shoot it too great from the three-point line,” Clark said.

Clark’s right. Iowa shot just 5-of-22 from 3-point range and just 17-of-47 from the field. That’s 36.2% from the field and only 22.7% from 3-point distance.

“I think that should give us a lot of motivation. West Virginia is a really good basketball team. We found a way to win. We changed up our defenses. We got big rebounds when it mattered. We made big free throws.

“I think that’s the biggest thing. There’s a lot of positive to take away from this when maybe we didn’t even play our best basketball or look as pretty. That’s more fulfilling of a win for us than going out there and winning by 30 points,” Clark said.

And, Iowa showed it could win with its defense.

“I think a lot of people think we’re only an offensive team. And we do work on defense all the time. I’m glad we got to show that tonight. That’s what won this game. So I’m really proud of that,” sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke said.

Teams have to find different ways to win and advance in the NCAA Tournament. This wasn’t Iowa’s typical fashion or path to victory.

And that’s good news for the Hawks.

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Iowa drew record TV ratings in NCAA Tournament win vs. West Virginia

Look at those record TV ratings for the Hawkeyes.

Once again, Iowa women’s basketball is money.

If you somehow doubted the drawing ability of Iowa and women’s basketball as a whole, let Monday’s matchup against West Virginia once again put you in your place.

The second-round matchup was the most viewed early round game in women’s NCAA Tournament history at 4.9 million viewers. The round of 32 contest peaked at 6.4 million viewers.

It represented the best viewership for a pre-semifinal women’s tournament game on record. It was a fantastic game with the eyes of the nation firmly glued to the action. This isn’t just Iowa and Caitlin-Mania though. Women’s basketball as a whole is hotter than ever this March.

The second round as a whole averaged 1.4 million viewers. That’s up 121% from last season, making it the most watched round of 32 in women’s tournament history.

The other top-rated games in the round of 32 featured UConn versus Syracuse at 2.1 million viewers, LSU versus Middle Tennessee at 2.0 million viewers and USC versus Kansas at 1.8 million viewers.

The latest numbers come after the women’s tournament posted their most-viewed opening round in its history, led by Iowa versus Holy Cross pulling in 3.2 million viewers. That was previously the record for a pre-semifinal tournament audience before Iowa’s latest clash against West Virginia.

LSU’s first-round battle against Rice pulled in 762,400 viewers, Tennessee versus Green Bay reeled in 819,000 viewers and UConn versus Jackson State had 1.1 million viewers.

You better believe it. Women’s college basketball is totally in right now and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

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Drake star with close ties to Dana Altman enters transfer portal

A small forward with high scoring averages and ties to Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks in the transfer portal. Worth a look?

Dana Altman continually reminds anyone who will listen that the world of college basketball is evolving before our very eyes and those who adjust the quickest will be successful and not have to play catch up.

One of those huge changes is the transfer portal with more and more players entering it year by year. To Altman and Oregon’s credit, they’re one of the programs that has adjusted nicely. The Ducks are successful more times than not when it comes to the portal.

Every season. the Oregon roster consists of several players that come through that portal and one player with ties to the Duck program just entered the portal.

Drake star Tucker DeVries, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Waukee, Iowa, averaged over 21 points a game, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Bulldogs. He’s also the two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.

So what’s the Oregon connection?

DeVries’ father, Darian, was an assistant under Altman while he was at Creighton. But the odds are the younger DeVries heads to West Virginia to play for his dad, who was just named as the Mountaineers’ new head coach. The Ducks also offered DeVries a scholarship when he was coming out of high school.

Teams are going to be lining up to obtain the services of DeVries, however, and nothing is a sure thing. He would fit right in to the Oregon lineup, which needs a shooter on the wing.

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West Virginia’s Mark Kellogg had his Caitlin Clark trash talk completely backfire

This backfired.

We told you back on Selection Sunday that West Virginia women’s hoops head coach Mark Kellogg might regret what he said.

Specifically, he told the Mountaineers this: “Let’s win one and send Caitlin Clark packing.”

Sure, it was a motivational move, and frankly … it almost paid off! Iowa barely survived the second round game at home, ultimately winning the March Madness contest 64-54.

As you can see below, Kellogg walked it back a bit, talking about how it wasn’t trash talk: “There was some surprise in the room … with our seed is where it started.”

So it was just a motivational tactic. But no one forgot the initial trash talk:

 

George Kittle takes in Iowa’s NCAA Tournament contest vs. West Virginia

The people’s tight end! George Kittle made sure to show up and show out for Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball vs. West Virginia.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena is the place everybody wants to be at on Monday night as the Iowa Hawkeyes take on West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

It is truly the last ride as Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall will play in front of yet another sold-out crowd of Iowa faithful for the last time. One last time for the greatest player in Iowa history.

All year, Iowa has been the hot ticket. Across the nation, fans have flocked to catch a glimpse of the Hawkeyes play. New fans flocked to the sport.

Clark even got celebrities such as Mick Foley, Travis Scott, and even Jake From State Farm out to games. And now, she has one of the greatest Hawkeye football players out for her final home game.

One of the best tight ends in the NFL, George Kittle was spotted in Carver, soaking in the playoff atmosphere. The San Francisco 49ers star was seen wearing the jersey of his wife, Claire.

Kittle was given the mic before the game to hype up the Iowa crowd. Naturally, Kittle got quite the ovation as he made his way to his seat.

In typical Kittle fashion, he had time for the fans, too.

From one of the best football players to come out of the University of Iowa to its greatest basketball player. Game recognizes game.

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Iowa stars ‘grateful’ for Hawkeye fans ahead of final Carver home game

One last time in Carver. Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin shared why they’re “grateful” to have played at Iowa.

Ahead of their final home game inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa stars Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin met with the media to preview their date in the second round of the NCAA Tournament versus No. 8 seed West Virginia.

Iowa (30-4, 15-3 Big Ten) will look to advance to its 10th Sweet 16 in program history as it tangles with West Virginia (25-7, 12-6 Big 12). In order to get to that destination, the Hawkeyes will need to navigate through what has the possibility to be an emotional night.

Senior guard Caitlin Clark, graduate guard Kate Martin and fifth-year guard Gabbie Marshall have combined to play in 453 games and have started a collective 400 games. That trio has Iowa as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history and looking to advance to the Final Four in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Hawkeye history.

While it will be a charged up, emotional crowd tonight inside of Carver, Clark and Martin are trying to focus solely on what it will take to win the game rather than the fact it’s their final game inside a venue that they’ve helped turn into the epicenter of women’s college basketball.

“Oh, geez, why did you say that? No, I’m just kidding. Yeah, it’s definitely bittersweet. I feel really grateful to have extended my time into six years and I’ve gotten to play a lot of games out here on this court, and I feel really grateful for that.

“So, just staying in the moment. And we can deal with that after the game. But first, we’re obviously focused on getting a victory tomorrow and just enjoying every single moment with our teammates, trying to have fun out there and smile a lot and just play some basketball. Yeah, I don’t think it will hit me until the season’s really over. But I feel lucky that we’ve gotten two extra home games on our home court here,” Martin said.

Clark shared those same sentiments, but also touched on what an advantage the crowd will be for Iowa if they can make it that way.

“Yeah, what she said. I would echo all that. I think the biggest thing is just being grateful. How lucky are we that we get to play two March Madness games on our home court in front of our fans and never letting that opportunity pass us by?

“Like Kate said, it’s all business. We’re going to be locked in. I don’t think any of us five seniors are going to be thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is our last game.’ I think the environment is too competitive. You’re wanting to win so hard that’s not really what you’re focused on. Like she said, I feel that’s something that will hit you either after the game or once the season ends. I think more than anything, we need to use the crowd to our advantage. Having 15,000 people that want to cheer for you, that’s huge,” Clark said.

Iowa tips off against West Virginia tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

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Despite rough week, Oklahoma remains in D1Baseball’s Top 25

Oklahoma remains in D1Baseball’s Top 25 despite bad week on the diamond.

Last week was challenging for an Oklahoma team that had begun to find its way. The Sooners posted a 1-3 record, and the lone win was a combined no-hitter Friday night against West Virginia courtesy of juniors [autotag]Braden Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Reid Hensley[/autotag].

Outside of that, it was a drag for Skip Johnson’s ball team. D1Baseball didn’t hold it against Oklahoma too much, though. Despite their three losses, the Sooners remained in the Top 25 at exactly No. 25 in the latest poll.

Arkansas remains the cream of the crop, coming in at No. 1. Oregon State is number two, while Clemson moved from four to three. Former Big 12 foe Texas A&M is No. 4, while Tennessee vaults from eighth to fifth.

The Big 12 only has one other representative in this week’s poll, as Kansas State has joined the mix at No. 23. TCU, previously No. 18, dropped out after a 2-2 week.

Oklahoma will have the chance to pick itself up off the mat this week as it returns to action Tuesday at home against in-state foe Oral Roberts. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen via SoonerVision on ESPN+. After that, the Sooners host a Thursday-Saturday series with Lamar.

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Caitlin Clark shares message to Iowa fans ahead of final Carver home game

Caitlin Clark shared her message to the Iowa fan base ahead of her final home game inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

When top-seeded Iowa (30-4, 15-3 Big Ten) welcomes in No. 8 seed West Virginia (25-7, 12-6 Big 12) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it figures to be another raucous environment inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It’ll also be a bittersweet one though, too.

For better or for worse, it will be the final home game for longtime Iowa stars Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall.

During her time at Iowa, Clark transcended into women’s college basketball’s biggest star. The 6-foot senior guard became the NCAA’s Division I men’s and women’s all-time scoring leader.

Clark was last season’s consensus national player of the year and figures to lock down all of those awards again this season. Along the way, she created some truly memorable individual moments in Iowa City.

As she readies for her final game inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark shared a message to the Iowa fan base.

“I think the biggest thing is just thank you and I’m grateful for these three years I’ve had. But, even four. They supported us even when they weren’t able to walk in the doors. A lot of these fans have been supporters of the Iowa women’s basketball program before I got here. Obviously, we’ve brought in some new ones. I hope they continue to support this program.

“The girls deserve it, coach Bluder deserves it and I know they will. But, I think the biggest thing is just their support of women’s basketball. We’re proud of them. They should be proud of themselves for everything they’ve done to grow this game. I’ll miss getting to play in this arena more than anything. It’s been a special ride,” Clark said.

Iowa will look to advance to the Sweet 16 when it battles West Virginia at 7 p.m. on Monday night. The game will air on ESPN.

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Oklahoma Sooners to be without star outfielder for 4-6 weeks

The Sooners will be down one of their best players for about a month due to an injury.

Just before the Oklahoma Sooners took on Dallas Baptist they found out some devastating news. The Sooners would be without their star outfielder, [autotag]John Spikerman[/autotag].

Spikerman, now a junior, has been a mainstay in the lineup since his freshman season in 2022. But the voice of the Sooners, Toby Rowland, announced he will be having hamate surgery and will be out 4-6 weeks to recover. This surgery is to fix an injury in his hand but he could be able to pinch run while the injury heals.

Spikerman currently leads the Sooners in batting average at .394. He also has one of the better on-base percentages on the team at .446. The Sooners are definitely going to miss his presence on the field and in the lineup but they are also going to miss his leadership.

He was someone who had been to a College World Series. He had won the Big 12 tournament. This year was shaping up to be a career year for him as well.

If there are any positives from this it’s that Oklahoma is very deep in the outfield so they’ll have plenty of people to try to replace him but it’s always hard to replace your top hitters and one of the leaders of the team.

The Sooners are back in action this weekend against the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag].

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Ohio State baseball goes wild Sunday, takes series at West Virginia

That was one heck of a getaway day performance from the Bucks

While Game 1 of the series didn’t go Ohio State baseball’s way against host West Virginia, the rest of the games sure did.

Friday night saw the Buckeyes lose 5-2, but on Saturday they woke up during the sixth inning. Trailing 4-3 heading into the top of the frame, Ohio State scored two runs to take the lead, then another two the next inning to get the win 7-4.

Sunday was all about the Buckeyes offense, as they scored 26 runs to take the series and get their season record above .500 at 10-8. The first, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth all saw Ohio State score multiple runs in those innings.

The biggest two were the sixth and eighth, where they scored right and seven runs respectively. Third baseman Tyler Pettorini led the charge with five RBIs, while outfielder Isaac Cadena, shortstop Henry Kaczmar, catcher Matthew Graveline, second baseman Joseph Mershon, outfielder Mitchell Okuley, designated hitter Nick Giamarusti, and pinch hitter Hank Thomas all had at least two RBI on the day.

Ohio State finally gets its home portion of the schedule started when it hosts Georgetown this weekend for a three-game series in Bill Davis Stadium.

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