Iowa offensive lineman Mason Richman says time of possession will be a key this week when the Hawkeyes play Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Hawkeyes need to find a way to keep the nation’s worst offense on the field.

Time of possession also helps the Hawkeyes in the battle for field position.

Richman says they are not concerned about the talk of this game being a mismatch.

The Iowa defense has carried the Hawkeyes this season but that unit has a huge challenge in Saturday night’s Big Ten Championship game. Iowa gave up just over 12 points per game in Big 10 play but must find a way to slow down a Michigan offense that averaged more than 39 points. Wolverine quarterback JJ McCarthy is 19-0 as a starter against Big 10 foes.

McCarthy was the quarterback a year ago when the Wolverines used a balanced attack in a 27-14 win in Kinnick Stadium.

McCarthy says he always thought this game could happen, especially before his former Michigan teammates Cade McNamara and Erick All were injured.

Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins says the Hawkeyes are not concerned about the narrative that they have no chance against second ranked Michigan in this week’s Big Ten Championship Game. The 18th ranked Hawkeyes are a better than three touchdown underdog and two years ago were clobbered in the title game by the Wolverines 42-3.

Despite the loss of several key players to injury and its top defensive lineman to suspension the Hawkeyes are 10-2 and a win away from a 12th Big Ten title in program history.

Higgins says the Hawkeyes have overcome a lot of obstacles just to get to this point.

Michigan senior running back Blake Corum is excited to have head coach Jim Harbaugh back for Saturday’s Big Ten Championship game against Iowa. Harbaugh was suspended by the conference for the past three games in the midst of a sign stealing scandal.

Corum says has missed Harbaugh’s pregame speeches.

Corum missed last year’s postseason with a knee injury and returned for a final season hoping to make another run.

Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr., Baylor’s RayJ Dennis and UCF’s Jaylin Sellers picked up Big 12 men’s basketball awards as McCullar nabbed the second-consecutive Player of the Week honor for the Jayhawks while Dennis and Sellers shared Newcomer of the Week.

McCullar averaged 20.0 points and 8.3 rebounds during Kansas’ appearance at the Maui Invitational, which included games against two top-7 teams. The graduate senior recorded his second straight triple-double (22 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast) in the game against Chaminade to become the first Big 12 student-athlete and the seventh overall in NCAA history to accomplish the feat. During the Jayhawks’ loss to then-No. 4 ranked Marquette, McCullar shot 64.3% (9-14) from the field for 24 points before he closed the week with 14 points and a team high-tying eight rebounds against Tennessee.

Dennis earned the NIT Season Tip-off MVP honor after a season-high 24-point and an eight-assist performance to lead Baylor to the tournament title. Facing Florida in the championship game, the senior scored 22 points in the second half where his last three baskets extended BU’s lead to two possessions. Against Oregon State, he registered a team-high six assists. During the week, Dennis averaged 16 points, 7.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

Sellers went 12-of-16 against Stetson for a career-high 34 points en route to the Knights’ first Big 12 MBB weekly award. His 34 points were the most registered by any Big 12 men’s basketball student-athlete in a single contest this season. Sellers opened the week with 19 points and six rebounds during UCF’s 74-71 win against Charlotte. In two games, the junior averaged 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s basketball team is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top-25 released on Monday.

The Hawkeyes have been ranked in the Top-5 since the poll came out since Oct. 17. UI is off to its best start since the 2020-21 season. (7-1)

Iowa has 317 appearances in the AP Poll and the Hawkeyes rank 23rd for all-time appearances.

The Hawkeyes are coming off three wins in three days to claim the Gulf Coast Showcase Championship over Purdue Fort Wayne, FGCU, and No. 14 Kansas State. Over the weekend, Lisa Bluder claimed her 500th career win at the University of Iowa.

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The fourth ranked Hawkeyes are set to host Bowling Green on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. (CT) inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The contest will air on FS1 and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Iowa State’s Abu Sama III (offensive and newcomer), Oklahoma State’s Trey Rucker (defensive) and Baylor’s Richard Reese (special teams) picked up the season’s final Big 12 football weekly awards. Sama was honored for the second week in the last three while Reese was recognized for the third time in his career.

Making his first career start, Sama finished with 276 yards on 16 carries for a 17.2-yard average in Iowa State’s 42-35 win over K-State played in a snowstorm. The true freshman running back had a 71-yard rushing touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and added scoring runs of 77 and 60 yards later in the game. His 276 rushing yard total was the fourth-most in school history, most in a road game in school history and the most by a Cyclone freshman. Sama was the second FBS player since 1996 with three or more rushing touchdowns of 60 yards against a ranked opponent and the first player in the Big 12 to have two 70-plus yard rushing touchdowns in a game since Adrian Peterson in 2005. His 276 yards were the fourth-most in a single game in the FBS this season. Sama also had one reception for 11 yards as ISU improved from one Big 12 win in 2022 to six conference wins this season, the biggest improvement by a zero or one-win team in league history.

Rucker recorded both of OSU’s forced turnovers in the Cowboys’ 40-34 double-overtime win over BYU to reach the Big 12 Championship. He made the game-clinching play on the final snap of the game when he wrestled down a 6-6, 255-pound tight end while ripping out the ball to force a fumble right before the ball carrier was down. Rucker then immediately recovered the ball while still on the ground to end the game and send the Cowboys to Arlington. Earlier in the game, the university studies major recovered a fumble at the BYU 19-yard line that led to OSU’s second score of the game. The senior safety finished with six total tackles, including five solo stops and a third-down solo stop in the fourth quarter that forced a punt and led to an OSU touchdown on the following drive.

Reese returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in Baylor’s game against West Virginia. Trailing 10-0, Reese raced 96 yards to get the Bears on the board. On the very next WVU kickoff, Reese took another one back 93 yards to pull BU back within three again at 17-14. The sophomore communication major became just the second Baylor player in program history with two kick return TDs in the same game, and the first to do so on consecutive kicks. He finished the game with 247 return yards on five attempts.