The last true “night game” happened in 2012 when Iowa welcomed the Penn State Nittany Lions into Kinnick, losing 34-14 and ultimately finishing with an overall record of 4-8 and 2-6 in the Big Ten.

Many ask why fans prefer night games over the earlier start. The opening kickoff to the 2012 Iowa/Penn State game has been engrained in my mind ever since that moment. 70,000 plus fans on their feet, going insane as AC/DC’s Back in Black poured through the Iowa City air will be something that will stick with me forever.

While the outcome of that game and season were both forgettable, you still can’t take away those brief moments in a special place like Kinnick Stadium. After that season, I wondered when, or if I’d ever get to experience that feeling again.

Flash forward to the 2014 season. The no. 14 Wisconsin Badgers came into Iowa City, expecting then-senior Melvin Gordon to bulldoze the Iowa Hawkeye defense. Gordon did just that scoring twice while rushing for 200 yards on 31 carries. The Badgers jumped out to 19-3 lead in the second half, leaving thousands of Hawkeye fans saying “Here we go again.”

However, this night was different.

The sun began to set to the west and the lights beamed onto the Kinnick Stadium turf. The dust of the electric atmosphere, the one I had witnessed two years prior, was starting to fall from the bricks of Kinnick. It was time for the Hawkeyes to play some football.

A seven play, 70-yard drive by the Hawkeyes led to a Kevonte Martin-Manley touchdown and an ensuing two-point conversion making the score 19-11 in the third quarter.

Iowa then made the score 19-17 on a Jake Rudock scramble in the fourth quarter. The Hawks ultimately ended up losing 26-24 to UW, but outscored the Badgers 21 to 10 in the second half.

While the team lost, they won the crowd that night. For a program that has been questioned, verbally abused and then some, it was a stepping point, even if it was for one-half of football.

This fall will be my last football season that I see as a student at the University of Iowa. I’ve witnessed this program go through hell and then some. It’s time to be excited about football in Iowa City. We can talk about the schedule, position battles and coaches until we’re blue in the face. The debate remains constant, but so does one other thing: Iowa isn’t backing down from anyone.

The Hawks will swarm their home field seven times in 2015. I’m ready for some more of that electric Kinnick Stadium atmosphere.

The post Hawkeye Football Under the Lights in 2015 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This is what baseball was supposed to be. Monstrous home runs, blinding strikeouts and game winning hits are what we as baseball fans hope to see during the long 162 game season.

However, like many times in sports, great things aren’t as great as they really seem. One by one, all the aforementioned players fell from their baseball throne. Eventually, Braun, McGwire and Pettitte all apologized for their steroid use.

Then came the Alex Rodriguez PED allegations.

Rodriguez is set to come back to the New York Yankees this season after serving the longest drug suspension and longest non-lifetime ban suspension in baseball history.

While the Drug Enforcement Agency and Bud Selig were no longer breathing down his neck, the baseball community continued to stare A-Rod in the eyes, waiting for that Andy Pettitte moment.

Don’t hold your breath.

On Tuesday, Rodriguez issued a hand written statement for his involvement with performance enhancing drugs.

“I take full responsibility for the mistakes that led to my suspension for the 2014 season,” Rodriguez said in the statement. “I regret that my actions made the situation worse than it needed to be. To Major League Baseball, the Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, the Players Association and you, the fans, I can only say I’m sorry.”

Cheated and betrayed. Yankees fans, baseball fans and sports fans deserved more than a letter. Alex Rodriguez had the perfect opportunity to start repairing a severely shattered relationship. He could have faced the media fire head on, inside Yankee Stadium, one of (if not the mecca of the baseball world).

Unfortunately Yankee Stadium sat empty Tuesday, while news outlets read and analyzed a note that stated the obvious.

Believe the sincerity, don’t believe the sincerity. Alex Rodriguez is back in pinstripes for a 162 game season, with his return to Yankee Stadium set for April 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays. And once the season’s underway, Rodriguez won’t be able to stay in the friendly confines of New York for too long.

The Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park will see you on May 1.

The post The Apology: Alex Rodriguez appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (15-8, 6-4) dominated from the tip-off as they shot 64 percent from the floor. The Hawkeyes scored 20 points off of 19 Maryland turnovers.

“[Maryland] never really got comfortable,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “They didn’t get comfortable shooting the three until the second half … it was terrific defense.”

Adam Woodbury provided a offensive spark for the Hawkeyes. The 7 foot 1 inch junior scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win.

Maryland was led by freshman point guard Melo Trimble’s 20 point effort. Trimble experienced a scary moment early in the first half as he attacked the rim offensively, but ended up in the lap of a cameraman. Trimble was able to walk off under his own power and later returned to the game.

Road games have not been kind to Maryland this season. The Terrapins (19-5, 7-4) are now 3-4 when traveling away from their home floor.

The Hawkeyes are off to a hot start in February following a dismal end to January. Iowa’s two Big Ten Conference wins to start the month have propelled them to 6-4 in the conference tying them with Ohio State and Michigan State.

Iowa will return to action on February 12 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Hawkeyes needed a last second shot from Jarrod Uthoff to get the win last time against Minnesota. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 PM inside Carver Hawkeye Arena.

The post Hawkeyes topple #17 Maryland appeared first on KRUI Radio.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Adam Woodbury, who is listed as 7-feet 1-inch and 245 pounds on the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team, has been the target of criticism during his career at Iowa. The center, who is his junior year at Iowa, may have silenced some critiques as he recorded a double-double performance (13 points, 10 rebounds). His performance propelled the Hawkeyes (13-5, 4-1) over the Ohio State Buckeyes (14-5, 3-3) 76-67 on Saturday afternoon in Iowa City.

“[Woodbury] was spectacular,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “It seemed like in the one stretch we were struggling a little bit offensively and he got offensive rebounds, and then when we really needed a stop he got some big defensive rebounds.”

The Hawkeyes opened up a 9-0 lead to start the game against the Buckeyes. However, Buckeyes freshman guard D’Angelo Russell helped his team hang around for a majority of the game recording a team high 27 points, 14 rebounds and drained four 3-point shots.

Fouls seemed to plague the Hawkeyes in the opening moments of the second half. Aaron White exited the game in the early minutes of the second half, but came back firing as he scored 18 points in the second half, 10 of which came from the free throw line.

“[White] got his third foul, I think the first possession on the second half, and I took him out,” McCaffery said. “He didn’t want to come out. He was angry. He wanted to stay in. He was angry at the call, he was angry at me taking him out…. And so when it got to the point where I had to start doing something, I said, get in there, take over. Boy, did he take over.”

The Buckeyes were able to trim what was once a 16-point deficit to a nine and seven points, but the Hawkeyes were too much to overcome. Iowa saw scoring from from nine players including junior Mike Gesell’s 11-point performance.

The Hawkeyes will now travel to the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin the take on the Wisconsin Badgers (16-2, 4-1). This will be the first of two meetings between the teams as they will face each other eleven days later on January 31 in Iowa City.

The post Hawkeyes sweep season series against Buckeyes appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Mark Freie

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Michigan State Spartans senior guard Travis Trice poured in 25 points as the Spartans defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 75-61 on Thursday night in Iowa City.

The night for Iowa Hawkeyes (11-5, 9-2) as the Hawkeyes went into halftime with a 39-28 lead. Iowa senior Gabe Olaseni provided a spark off the bench as he scored 15 first-half points going 7-7 from the free throw line. The Hawkeyes went 12-14 from the free throw line in the first half. However, the Hawkeyes were unable to match their strong first half performance as they were limited to 22 second half points and shot just 3-10 from the line. Hawkeye junior Jarrod Uthoff recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“[Michigan State] got some energy from the fact that they were playing good defense,” Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery said. “The disappointing thing is whenever you play a team, you hope you can do a better job on their good players. They have three elite guys and that’s who hurts us. That’s disappointing.”

However, Michigan State (11-5, 2-1) had a strong second half response as they erased an 11-point deficit, silencing the crowd inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Spartans displayed a three point barrage shooting 8-9 from behind the arc in the second half.

21 of Trice’s 25 points came off three point shots. Trice shot 3-4 in the first half and 4-4 in the second half from behind the arc. Adding into the mix was junior guard Denzel Valentine with 18 points and Branden Dawson who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

“Give Iowa credit they took it to us after the first six or seven minutes of the game,” Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said. “We feel very fortunate to beat this team on the road under the circumstances.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes will four days to prepare for the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Tuesday, January 13 in Minneapolis. The Gophers will travel to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, January 10 before hosting the Hawkeyes.

The post Spartans rain threes, washout Hawkeyes 75-61. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa (11-4, 2-0) started the first half on a tear as they drove to the basket early and often allowing the team to go 15-19 from the free throw line. Hawkeye senior Aaron White surpassed Roy Marble’s career free throw mark of 516, making him the all-time leader in free throws at Iowa. White finished with a team high 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and shot 12-15 from the charity stripe.

“We wanted to drive the ball,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “[Shooting] 38 free throws is terrific. Our energy and concentration was constant down the stretch.”

The Hawkeyes also saw strong play from senior Gabriel Olaseni who recorded a career high 18 points and also grabbed five   rebounds. Olaseni was able to take advantage of 13 trips to the free-throw line, where he made 12.

“[Olaseni] was playing with great confidence,” McCaffery said. “He made a concerted effort to go inside and try to get to the free-throw line.”

Nebraska (8-4, 0-2) had a strong night shooting from the floor shooting 57 percent in the first half. Things simmered down a bit for the Cornhuskers in the second half as they shot 37 percent down the stretch.

Leading the way for Nebraska was junior guard Shavon Shields who recorded 25 points and six rebounds. Husker’s forward Terran Petteway also reached double digit scoring with 11 points.

One concern for the Hawkeyes was the play from their guards. Peter Jok, Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons combined for 9 points with a majority of those points coming late.

“That’s a combination of things,” McCaffery said. “We weren’t pounding inside, weren’t giving it up early. Those guys can score and they’ll be okay.”

The Hawkeyes will now shift their focus towards their game Thursday night against the Michigan State Spartans in Iowa City. The Spartans (10-5, 1-1) are coming off a 70-50 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on January 5. The Hawkeyes and Spartans are set to tip-off at 7 PM.

The post Aaron White sets free-throw record as Iowa defeats Nebraska appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Mark Freie

IOWA CITY, Iowa – After splitting a pair of games against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2013-2014 season, the Iowa Hawkeyes (9-4) will begin Big Ten play against the Buckeyes (11-2) in their final game of the 2014 year on Tuesday.

Iowa travels to Columbus, Ohio with the memories of a non-conference schedule that tested 5^th year head coach Fran McCaffery and his players.

“We pride ourselves into really competing. We amped up our non-conference schedule,” McCaffery said following an 80-70 win over North Florida. “When you schedule Pepperdine, [there is] a very good chance they’re going to win their league. When you schedule North Florida, [there is] a very good chance they’re going to win the Atlantic Sun. Their RPIs are all up. Hopefully that’s going to help us and pay dividends down the road.”

Shooting woes have not been a secret for the Hawkeyes who are 13 games into the season. Long, scoreless stretches have impacted the team in losses most notably against Texas, Iowa State and UNI.

“I think in particular with guys that know they’re really good shooters that aren’t making shots, they tend to [hang their head low],” McCaffery said. “All I ask them to do is keep battling defensively, don’t turn it over, and make sure you take good shots. I tell them to keep shooting.”

Aaron White, a senior out of Strongsville, Ohio, has led the way for the Hawkeyes this season. White, who eclipsed the 1,500 career point mark against North Florida, is averaging 15.8 points per game. Although White has only attempted 20 three-point shots of the team’s 253 attempts, he is still finding his way to the basket and is 81-92 (88%) from the free throw line. White only needs 12 made free throws to surpass Roy Marble on list for all-time free throws made at Iowa.

Iowa senior Gabe Olaseni and junior Jarrod Uthoff have also made their presence known. Uthoff has started all 13 games and is averaging 10.6 PPG and has been the three-point shooter for the Hawkeyes. Olaseni has appeared in all 13 games and is without a doubt, the sixth-man for Iowa. Coming off the bench, he averages 8.5 PPG, shooting 58% from the field, 5.6 rebounds per game, and has blocked 32 shots this season.

With the non-conference schedule behind them, the Hawkeyes embark on a Big Ten Conference schedule that has not been friendly to them in recent years. Although Iowa has finished with a 9-9 record the past two seasons, they have not enjoyed a winning Big Ten record since the 2006-2007 season.

Iowa will open Big Ten play on the road for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Hawkeyes face a tough hurdle out of the gate in No. 20 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are led by freshman guard D’Angelo Russel averaging 17.7 points per game. While the Buckeyes have two losses on their record, one to Louisville and another to North Carolina, they boast one of the nation’s top offenses scoring around 85 points per game.

The Hawkeye shooting woes must be corrected in order to start Big Ten play on a high note. Buckeye opponents have averaged just below 60 points per game this season.

Tip-off for Iowa v. Ohio State is slated for 12:00 PM CT. The Hawkeyes will return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2015 as they face Nebraska and Michigan State on Jan. 5 and 8.

For more Hawkeye Basketball coverage, be sure to follow @KRUISports on Twitter.

The post Hawkeyes, Buckeyes face off in first Big Ten game appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Mark Freie (@markfreie)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa State Cyclones (7-1) saw five different players reach double-digit scoring totals in their 90-75 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-3) on Friday night.

Cyclone junior Naz Long led all scorers for the Cyclones with 21 points including five 3-point shots.

Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery gave praise to Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones.

“This is a good Iowa State team who has a ton of playmakers,” McCaffery said. “[Abdel] Nader was one of those guys who really impacted the game for them tonight.”

Impact is exactly what Nader did. The redshirt junior scored 19 points coming off the bench for the Cyclones, who shot 53% as a team.

The first half was full of high energy plays. Hawkeye senior Gabe Olaseni sent Hawkeye fans into a frenzy early in the game as he recorded a demolishing block on Nader. Olaseni fished with 5 points and 2 blocks on the night.

The Hawkeyes were able to hold Georges Niang to 2 first-half points, but Iowa States sharp shooters made up for his lack of play shooting 44% in the first half. Cyclone guard Matt Thomas drilled a buzzer-beating three to send his team into halftime with a 38-33 lead.

However, the game got away from the Hawkeyes early in the second half.

“Once the wheels started coming off, defensively we broke down, offensively we broke down,” McCaffery said. “[At the] start of the second half, we didn’t have too many buckets. It’s hard when the lead gets to double figures so quickly.”

A major area of concern this season for the Hawkeyes has been their long scoreless stretches. The Cyclones took advantage of a five-plus minute scoring drought as they went on a 23-4 run that included five-straight Iowa turnovers.

Niang was able to find his shot and scored 14 second-half points while dishing out 7 assists.

Leading the Hawkeyes was senior Aaron White who recorded 18 points and went 5-5 from the free throw line. White has now scored double digits in every game this year for the Hawkeyes. White’s performance was not enough for the dominant Cyclone team.

A bright spot for the Hawkeyes was shooting touch of Peter Jok who added 14 points, going 5-10 with two 3-point shots.

The Hawkeyes will need to find answers to their prolonged scoring droughts. Iowa State was able to take full advantage of costly Hawkeye turnovers in the second half.

“You have a great win, or you have a tough loss,” McCaffery said. “You go back to work…you have to get them believing again because they clearly had doubt tonight.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes will have the week off for finals, but will return to action on Saturday, December, 20 against the #23 UNI Panthers in Des Moines. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30.

Full Iowa-Iowa State Stats HERE

The post Cyclones Down Hawkeyes 90-75 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa president Sally Mason made news earlier this week when she sounded off on her alma mater.

Mason, who graduated from the University of Kentucky, told The Des Moines Register about her concerns.

“I’m not proud of my alma mater, that has a wonderful record of winning basketball championships, with students who stay one year to play basketball and are done — the one-and-done,” Mason said

While John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats look to run rampant through the 2014-2015 college basketball season, questions regarding the legitimacy of the one-and-done remain constant.

The current NBA collective bargaining agreement was established in 2005. After expiring in 2011, the CBA was approved in December 2011 without a change to the NBA Draft age limit.

The rules indicate that all drafted players must be 19 years old during the calendar year.

Prior to the age limit, there would be a handful of guys who took the jump immediately from high school to the NBA.

I will admit that it has been exciting to see guys become NBA legends immediately after cutting their high school graduation cake.

Let’s face it, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James aren’t walking across high school graduation stages every spring.

With concerns about both the talent and education of players, the NBA and NCAA have started to rethink their strategies.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has stressed his desire to push the NBA’s age limit from 19 to 20. Silver has met with NCAA president Mark Emmert and NBA owners to discuss ways that ease the transition from college to the NBA.

While some argue that many one-and-done players and high school graduates have succeeded professionally, the NBA should be concerned about the product they are putting on the floor. The speed of the game, shot clock length changes from 35 seconds to 24 seconds, and officiating changes are all major adjustments for rookies in the NBA.

One suggestion, is that players would benefit from the NBA Development League more than a required two-year college career. The NCAA must take their own interests into account as well.

It’s no secret how much money collegiate basketball brings in. The loss of collegiate athletes to NBA D-Leagues would potentially diminish the product in college basketball programs across the nation.

If an age change is in the horizon, the NBA and NCAA must work together. A two-year rule for college players may help provide better on-court experience and in-school education for athletes.

Many wonder how high of a priority education stands throughout collegiate sports programs.

Reports surfaced about the athletes from the University of North Carolina taking bogus classes, resulting in an NCAA investigation.

While it’s tough to judge the intent that athletes have when choosing a college athletics program, a quick eye test can lead you to wonder if college athletics have become a forced step in becoming a professional athlete.

Mason boldly referred to college teams as “farm teams for professionals.”

Is this true? Has the landscape of major collegiate sports transformed into an NCAA money pit, with complete disregard to education?

While the NBA mulls raising the age limit, fans and sponsors will continue to pour money into college basketball each year.

It’s time to start answering the questions about the legitimacy of college sports. What makes a one-year college athlete an amateur, when they are attending solely to become a professional athlete?

The interesting part is that pay-for-play has not even been discussed. Will professional leagues be asked to foot some of the bill for these athletes? I don’t see that going over too well.

Sports, both college and professional, need to look at how their up and coming talent makes its way into their respective leagues.

Change is coming to college athletics. It’s time to start caring about all aspects of collegiate sports. From the classroom to the playing field, nothing must be left unnoticed.

The post One and Done: College Basketball’s Questionable Culture appeared first on KRUI Radio.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – After the typical 8-8 season from the Dallas Cowboys in 2013, America’s Team is 5-1 in 2014.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Dallas Cowboys are 5-1, after defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 30-23 in Seattle.

How ‘bout them Cowboys?

This marks a five-game winning streak for the Cowboys who, after going 0-4 in preseason, dropped their regular season opener to the San Francisco 49ers.

Things didn’t look good for Dallas week one against San Francisco. DeMarco Murray fumbled on the opening drive, which was recovered and taken back for a touchdown by 49ers cornerback, Chris Culliver.

With three Tony Romo interceptions, the Cowboys had four total turnovers that against the 49ers and were unable to comeback 28-3 halftime deficit, losing 28-17.

Since then, Dallas has powered its way to a 5-1 record with wins over Tennessee, St. Louis, New Orleans, Houston, and Seattle.

What’s with the turnaround you ask?

Defense.

The Cowboys entered this season with many questions after displaying what was supposed to be an NFL defense in 2013.

How bad was it? Bad. The Cowboys ranked dead last in defense in 2013 and had no answer when it came to halting the passing game. In 2013, NFL teams combined for 4,800 yards through the air, sending the Cowboys to a third straight 8-8 record. (Not to mention allowing a franchise record 6,645 yards in 2013).

Well America: Not this year.

The Cowboys defense currently sits 12^th in the league in passing yards allowed and 17^th in rushing yards allowed this season. The Cowboys haven’t allowed a single wide receiver to gain over 100 yards and have only allowed one running back, Arian Foster, to gain over 100 yards in a week five overtime-win against the Texans.

A lot of the success on defense is accredited to the promotion of Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator for the Cowboys. Prior to Marinelli, Monte Kiffin looked to rejuvenate the Cowboys defense by switching from a 3-4, to a 4-3, with little to no avail (please see Cowboys/Broncos 2013 box score).

The biggest difference for the Cowboys defense is the play of their linebackers and in the secondary. Many wondered if Dallas could bounce back after middle-linebacker, Sean Lee, suffered a torn ACL prior to the 2014 season. The play from guys like Barry Church, Justin Durant, Rolando McClain, J.J. Wilcox, and Bruce Carter have made the Dallas defense a much more respectable group. Dallas now boasts the 15^th ranked defense in the league, a far cry from the 2013 ranking of last.

The defense allows for Dallas to open up the playbook offensively too. In 2013, there were too many times where opposing teams new that the Cowboys would abandon the run game early, because they had so much ground to make up.

How about that Cowboys offense?

It’s hard to believe that I have gone this long about the Cowboys 5-1 record without mentioning the dominance DeMarco Murray has displayed. The offensive game plan for the Cowboys this season has been simple:

Run the ball. A lot.

Murray, in his fourth season with the Cowboys, has rushed for league-leading 785 yards and is averaging 26.5 carries through six game. That average is  ten yards more than in his 14-game average in 2013. Murray is tied with Jim Brown at six for most consecutive games with 100+ yards to start a season.

The fact that Murray leads the league in rushing gives Tony Romo plenty to be happy about.

Romo underwent surgery last December to repair a herniated disc in his back. He’s coming off a great 2013 campaign where he chucked 31 touchdowns and threw only ten interceptions. He’s off to a fast start in 2014 with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions and just outside the top ten in passing yards.

The running game for the Cowboys gives Romo the ability to not screw things up. While I’m a firm believe that Romo isn’t always to blame for the unfortunate fourth quarter interception, it’s hard to take the blame away from someone holding the smoking gun. Am I right?

Romo has been a beneficiary to the dominant ground game due to the fact he isn’t dropping back to pass all the time, which is keeping him out of dangerous situations with potential for injury.

Holding steady

While it’s all high-fives and happy times in Arlington, Texas; the Cowboys still have a lot of hard work ahead of them.

Dallas has a week 11 bye, but prior to that they face the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While the NFC East has a left a lot to be desired (who really knows what the New York Giants are going to do this year?), the Cowboys will look to capitalize on the next four games.

While winning four more in a row could be tough, there is a strong possibility Dallas goes 3-1 over the next four weeks. That means the Dallas Cowboys could be sitting at 8-2. If the Cowboys could go 8-2, they would just need one more win to avoid another 8-8 season.

This team has higher aspirations thought.

The Dallas Cowboys have a legitimate shot to win the NFC East and make the playoffs this year. America’s Team has a chance for something special this year, let’s just hope they can continue what they’ve been doing so far in 2014.

And let’s face it, a Cowboys team in the playoffs provides for better television than a Cowboys team not in the playoffs.

The post Why are the Dallas Cowboys 5-1? Let’s find out! appeared first on KRUI Radio.