712 Digital Group - top

Midwest Sports Headlines: 3/5/21

Sports

March 5th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jordan Bohannon tied a career high with eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and No. 5 Iowa beat Nebraska 102-64 on Thursday night. The senior guard made 8 of 12 3-point attempts, but he played just eight minutes in the second half as the Hawkeyes topped the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season. Freshman Patrick McCaffery had a career-high 19 points for Iowa. He had scored just 21 points over the last seven games. Luka Garza had 14 points for the Hawkeyes. The senior center came into the game second in the nation in scoring at 24.3 points per game and played just 24 minutes.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Mac McClung scored 20 points and No. 18 Texas Tech beat Iowa State 81-54 for its third consecutive victory following a three-game losing streak. The Red Raiders wrapped up their home schedule with a fifth consecutive victory over the Cyclones. Texas Tech now gets another crack at No. 3 Baylor in the regular-season finale. Jalen Coleman-Lands and Tyler Harris each scored 15 points for Iowa State. The Cyclones are 0-17 in the Big 12, the most conference losses since TCU went 0-18 in 2013-14.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton University has suspended basketball coach Greg McDermott indefinitely for using racially insensitive language while addressing his team after a game last weekend. McDermott publicly apologized Tuesday and again Wednesday for urging his players to “stay on the plantation” after the 14th-ranked Bluejays’ 77-69 loss at Xavier. McDermott coached in the Bluejays’ 72-60 loss at No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday night. Assistant coach Alan Huss will serve as interim head coach for the home game against Butler on Saturday.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Marcus Garrett scored on a driving layup with 22.4 seconds to go and Dajuan Harris added a pair of clinching free throws as No. 13 Kansas overcame a 15-point second-half deficit and beat UTEP 67-62. David McCormack scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, and Ochai Agbaji had 19 points as the Jayhawks avoided a rare second loss in Allen Fieldhouse this season in what was supposed to be a Big 12 tourney tune-up. Bryson Williams led UTEP with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Souley Boum finished with 16 points and six boards.

UNDATED (AP) — The wealthiest conferences hoarding valuable at-large bids to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been a trend since the early 2010s. A costly one for the other conferences that don’t have billion-dollar television deals. This pandemic-altered season seems to have marginalized the so-called mid-majors even more — and at a time when they can really use the cash. Take Drake from the Missouri Valley Conference. The school has had to slash its basketball budget by 25% this season. Earning a bid the tournament won’t pull the program out if its financial hole, but every little bit helps. Still, despite a 24-3 record the Bulldogs are no better than a bubble team heading into conference tournament play.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Arrowhead Stadium has a new name. The Kansas City Chiefs announced the stadium will be known as GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The team reached a naming rights agreement with Government Employees Health Association, which is the Chiefs’ exclusive partner for health, dental and vision plans. GEHA and Chiefs officials said they are committed to ensuring Arrowhead Stadium remains the identity of the venue. It is the first time in Chiefs history that the organization has sold naming rights for Arrowhead. The stadium opened in 1972 and is one of the NFL’s most recognizable venues.

UNDATED (AP) — The seedings for the Big 12 Tournament are at stake heading into the final weekend of regular-season play. Baylor already has secured its first conference title since 1950 and the No. 1 seed, but everything is a jumble after the Bears. That also means there is no clear-cut game of the week, rather a whole slew of games that will determine who will earn the crucial No. 2 seed when the tournament begins next week in Kansas City, Missouri.

UNDATED (AP) — No. 2 Michigan and Michigan State will meet twice in four days, Thursday and Sunday. The rivals will close the regular season against each other with plenty at stake. The Wolverines are motivated to strengthen their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have been in college basketball’s showcase 22 times in a row and everyone in the program desperately wants to extend the streak. The first scheduled matchup in February was postponed and moved to Thursday, two days after Michigan was routed by No. 4 Illinois and Michigan State outlasted Indiana.