Depth and experience will be strengths for the Drake basketball team next season. The Bulldogs return their top four scorers from last year’s team that posted a record of 25-11.

That’s Drake coach Darian DeVries. Several of the seniors are entering their fifth or even sixth season and in the age of the transfer portal the Bulldogs have been able to maintain a a nucleus that has led the program to four straight 20 win seasons.

Two freshmen will try to play their way into the rotation.

Northern Iowa basketball coach Ben Jacobson says the Panthers have focused on the team aspect this summer. UNI lost its top three scorers from last year’s team that won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title. Valley player of the year AJ Green signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and second leading scorer Noah Carter has transferred to Missouri.

Nearly the entire roster next season will be freshmen and sophomores. The lone senior is center Austin Phyfe.

Jacobson says former North Scott standout Tytan Anderson is expected to take over the role Carter provided.

The Big 12 and BIG EAST Conferences have announced a two-year extension to the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle, their men’s basketball non-conference scheduling alliance which has been in effect since 2019-20. The extension will include competition in November and December during each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

With each conference adding member schools since the start of the original agreement, The Battle will increase from 10 to 11 matchups between the conferences during the two extension years. The Big 12 will host six games in 2023-24, and the BIG EAST will host six contests in 2024-2025.

The Battle matchups will continue to be jointly determined by the two conferences, with the home team choosing the venue of its game. Broadcast arrangements for the contests will be determined by the national television rights holder of the home team, which is ESPN for the Big 12 and FOX Sports for the BIG EAST.

This season’s Big 12-BIG EAST Battle schedule was announced previously.

2022 Big 12-BIG EAST Battle Schedule
Nov. 29 Baylor at Marquette
Nov. 30 Providence at TCU
Nov. 30 Georgetown at Texas Tech
Nov. 30 Kansas State at Butler
Dec. 1 Creighton at Texas
Dec. 1 Oklahoma State at Connecticut
Dec. 1 Seton Hall at Kansas
Dec. 3 Oklahoma at Villanova
Dec. 3 West Virginia at Xavier
Dec. 4 St. John’s at Iowa State

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior linebacker Jack Campbell and senior defensive back Riley Moss have been named to the 2022 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, which is presented to the most outstanding defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.

Daviyon Nixon is Iowa’s most recent semifinalist for the Bednarik Award in 2020. The Hawkeyes have had seven semifinalists for the award since 2005. They include Nixon, Josh Jackson (2017), Josey Jewell (2017), Desmond King (2016), Adrian Clayborn (2010), Pat Angerer (2009) and Chad Greenway (2005).

Campbell (6-5, 246 pounds) was a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Phil Steele in 2021. In addition, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was second in the Big Ten with 143 tackles – the fifth-most ever in a single season at Iowa. He earned Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors following a career-best performance with 18 tackles in Iowa’s 24-14 win over Colorado State. A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Campbell was the recipient of Iowa’s Roy Carver Most Valuable Player (Defense) award last season and served as a permanent team captain.

Campbell has also been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team, as well as earning preseason first-team All-America accolades by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, and Sporting News. He has been named to the Butkus Award watch list and the and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.

Moss (6-1, 193 pounds) was a first-team All-America selection by Sporting News a season ago and was voted the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. Additionally, Moss was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both league coaches and media. The Ankeny, Iowa, native was a recipient of Iowa’s Team Hustle Award and is second all-time at Iowa in career interception return yards (239). Moss is one of three players in program history with three interception return touchdowns.

Moss has been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team. He was selected to both the Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s preseason All-America First Teams. He has been named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald IV has been named to the 2022 Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list. The award, presented by The Maxwell Football Club, is given annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.

McDonald, a redshirt senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, enters the season as one of the nation’s best pass rushers with 29.0 career sacks, which is an ISU record. He earned First Team All-America honors last season and is a two-time First Team All-Big 12 selection. McDonald has forced nine fumbles and has 34.5 tackles for a loss in his career.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 1, while the three finalists for the award will be unveiled Nov. 22. The recipient of the award will be announced on the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 8.

The Cyclones open the season Saturday, Sept. 3 against Southeast Missouri at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium.

A pair of Hawkeyes and a Cyclone were named to the Bednarik Trophy watch list.  Iowa defensive back Riley Moss and linebacker Jack Campbell, along with Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald were among the dozens of players that made the pre-season watch list.

The award is presented annually to the nation’s top college defensive player.

CLICK HERE to see the full list.

Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder says summer workouts remain important even for a veteran team. The Hawkeyes return all five starters from a team that won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

Bluder on summer with an experienced team.

Bluder says it has been a good chance to focus on the four new players on the team.

The Hawkeyes are motivated by an early exit in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks were stunned by Creighton in the second round at home.

That’s junior guard Caitlin Clark who says the Hawkeyes don’t mind the lofty expectations.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s Stephanie Soares will once again get the opportunity to represent her native Brazil, as the forward was selected for the Brazil Women’s Basketball National Team, the Brazil Basketball Confederation announced on Saturday. Soares and Brazil will be playing in the 2022 FIBA South American Women’s Championship Aug. 1-6 in Argentina.

This will be the fourth time Soares has gotten the call to the Senior National Team, as she was a member of the team that took part in FIBA World Cup Qualifying in February. She has also made appearances for Brazil in 2019 at the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Americas Tournament and the 2018 South American Women’s Championship.

Soares came to Iowa State after three seasons competing for The Master’s University at the NAIA Level. During her time with the Mustangs she was a three-time First Team All-American and was twice the NAIA Player of the Year. In 2021-22, she averaged 20.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, helping her squad to a 32-4 record and a trip to the NAIA Championship quarterfinals.

An eight-team tournament, Soares and Brazil will play five games across the six days of competition, beginning with the group stage on Monday against Colombia at 4:30 p.m. Central. They will follow that up on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. against Uruguay and Chile on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The top two teams in each group will advance to the championship bracket and earn tickets to the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, while the remaining four teams will battle it out for fifth and seventh in a consolation bracket.

All games for the 2022 FIBA South American Women’s Championship will be broadcast for free on FIBA’s YouTube channel. Direct links to Soares’ games will be posted each day on Iowa State women’s basketball’s social media channels.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson and Will McDonald IV have earned spots on the Walter Camp 2022 Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.

Iowa State joins Alabama and Georgia as the only schools with both an offensive and defensive player on the list. The Cyclones are one of seven schools nationally with multiple players included.

Hutchinson, who hails from Jacksonville, Florida, earned First Team All-Big 12 honors for the second-straight season in 2021. The redshirt senior set an ISU single-season record and led the Big 12 Conference with 83 receptions. Hutchinson finished with 987 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. He leads all active Big 12 receivers in career receptions (147) and receiving yards (1,758).

McDonald, a redshirt senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, enters the season as one of the nation’s best pass rushers with 29.0 career sacks, which is an ISU record. He earned First Team All-America honors last season and is a two-time First Team All-Big 12 selection. McDonald has forced nine fumbles and has 34.5 tackles for a loss in his career.

The 2022 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November. The 2022 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 130 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show.

On college football preview magazine believes Iowa State will exceed expectations this season. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview says while the numbers point to a rebuilding year he believes the Cyclones will excel in the role of the hunter.

Steele says ISU coach Matt Campbell is confident in the offense despite the loss of some key players.

Steele says the defense will remain sound and he expects another winning season.

The Cyclones open the season at home on September third against Southeast Missouri.