LUKA GARZA

D’Angelo Russell had season highs of 30 points and 12 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 129-124.

Keegan Murray has given Iowa a first-team Assocaited Press All-American for the third straight year, and Kofi Cockburn has made it two in a row for Illinois — not bad for a couple programs that haven't had a whole lot of them. The Fighting Illini never had a first-team pick until Ayo Dosunmu made it last season when Cockburn was voted to the second team. Throw in Wisconsin's Johnny Davis and the Big Ten was well represented Tuesda on the AP's first team, which also included Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe — this year's player of the year favorite — and Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji.

Iowa basketball star Luka Garza announced Tuesday on CNBC that he is auctioning off his first NFT.

Luka Garza of Iowa is The Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year.

When another kink surfaced in the NCAA Tournament, the resilient, adaptable Ducks shook it off and soared. Chris Duarte scored 23 points and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa 95-80 on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments. “We did and it was a lot of fun.”The Ducks' sweet offensive movements left the Hawkeyes (22-9) flailing, one game short of the Sweet 16 for the fourth time under Fran McCaffery. Iowa had one of the best players in college basketball but still found itself short of the Sweet 16.

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)INDIANAPOLIS – Iowa got 24 points from Luka Garza and avoided the early NCAA Tournament exit that befell other high seeds with an 86-74 victory over Grand Canyon in the West Region on Saturday night. AdGrand Canyon (17-7) gave the Havocs reason to remain on their feet early by keeping the Hawkeyes within reach before an Iowa surge before halftime allowed the Hawkeyes to pull away. Garza got off to a great start, hitting a pair of 3-pointers while scoring eight early points. Iowa made six 3s and hit 16 of 29 shots to stretch the lead to 42-31 at halftime. Grand Canyon had its first taste of the NCAA Tournament and the Havocs had a road party.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)Gonzaga and Baylor spent almost the entire season holding down the top two spots in the Top 25. Makes sense they'd hold down a bunch of spots on The Associated Press All-America teams. The Bulldogs' Corey Kispert and the Bears' Jared Butler led the way with first-team nods Tuesday from the national panel of 63 media members that vote each week in the AP Top 25 poll. Just like the first- and second-team All-Americans, their teams also will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this week. ___AP Basketball Writer John Marshall and AP Sports Writers Michael Marot and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Chase Stevens)INDIANAPOLIS – There has never been a better time to have senior leadership in the NCAA Tournament than this season. AdVirginia intends to play after withdrawing from the ACC Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols, which means fans will get to say Sam Hauser running the show. Dru Smith is their leading scorer and Jeremiah Tilmon finally reached his potential this season, and both aim to help Missouri snap a four-game NCAA Tournament skid. Herb Jones is an All-American candidate and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama's leading scorer, but John Petty Jr. makes the SEC Tournament champs go. Then there's Tennessee forward John Fulkerson, who sustained facial fractures in an SEC Tournament win over Florida and underwent surgery Sunday.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – Illinois center Kofi Cockburn learned some hard lessons dueling with Luka Garza as a freshman. The victory sends the Illini to the Big Ten Tournament championship game. They made themselves at home, cheering loudly each time Cockburn made a play, while booing the foul calls against Illinois. A 9-0 run midway through the first half gave Illinois a 22-14 lead that it never surrendered. BIG PICTUREIowa: The Hawkeyes won't go away quietly in the NCAA Tournament, as Illinois found out Saturday.

Iowa center Luka Garza walks off the court after an NCAA college basketball game against Wisconsin, Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. All rights reservedIOWA CITY, Iowa – It was Senior Day, but Luka Garza didn’t know he was going to have to give a speech. Minutes after the 6-foot-11 star scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds to lead the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes over No. 25 Wisconsin 77-73 Sunday, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta announced Garza’s jersey No. “Those two guys (Garza and Bohannon) were going to make sure we didn’t lose the game,” McCaffery said.

4 Ohio State on Sunday because he couldn't wait to start celebrating with teammates in the locker room. But a 3-pointer from Weiskamp and a couple of baskets in the paint by Garza got the Hawkeyes out of the danger zone and Ohio State couldn't chip away. “They clearly outplayed us, outperformed us, outcoached us,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. AdYOUNG'S BACKOhio State F Kyle Young returned to the lineup after sitting out Thursday's loss at Michigan State with a concussion suffered when he bumped heads with an opposing player in the Michigan game. Ohio State: Finishes the regular season against No.

Dickinson gave Garza fits around the basket, and Franz Wagner scored 21 points to lead No. Michigan answered that with a 14-2 run that took place mostly while Dickinson was on the bench. The 7-foot-1 Dickinson, who like Garza went to high school in the Washington area, blocked Garza's first shot attempt of the game. “I know I’ve got to be better for my team,” Garza said. Michigan: The Wolverines have only one day off before playing at Indiana on Saturday.

15 Iowa still had enough from the rest of its team to rout Michigan State 88-58 on Saturday. Michigan State started the afternoon hoping to earn a quality win against a team it lost by just six points to earlier this month. Michigan State: Izzo was in his second season the last time he didn't coach in the NCAA Tournament, and the next time might be next month. POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Hawkeyes should move up in the Top 25 after routing Michigan State on the road and beating No. 25 Rutgers by 13 points earlier in the week.

(AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)INDIANAPOLIS – The Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday that its men's basketball tournament will move from Chicago to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the site of this year's Final Four. The tournament will be played March 10-14 just a few blocks away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse where the women's tourney will take place the same week. Big Ten officials see the advantages of Indianapolis as a tournament site, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Local leaders have spent two months scrambling to accommodate the NCAA, which announced last month that all 67 men's tourney games will be played in Indianapolis and its surrounding communities. Now the Big Ten is returning to a city that has hosted 11 of the previous 23 men's tournaments and 23 of the league's 26 women's tournaments, though this one comes with two new wrinkles.

Indiana guard Armaan Franklin (2) shoots the winning basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Bloomington, Ind. Franklin sank a 15-foot, tiebreaking jumper with 1.8 seconds left to cap off a late rally that gave the Hoosiers a 67-65 victory over No. “If you’re going to take the last shot, that’s the guy we wanted to get the ball," Miller said. Iowa has lost two straight overall, four of its last five and both games this season to Indiana. Indiana improved to 2-5 against ranked opponents this season — both against Iowa.

Indiana guard Rob Phinisee (10) celebrates with teammates during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa led by nine in the second half, then went 11 minutes without a field goal as Indiana went on a 23-3 run. Iowa was 9 of 34 from the field in the second half, including 1 of 10 on 3-pointers. But he faced constant double-teams and with no outside shooting to open the lane, found himself surrounded in the second half. “Credit to them, they did a good job in the second half of taking everything away from me,” Wieskamp said.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Gonzaga and Baylor maintained their grip on the top two spots in The Associated Press men's basketball poll Monday. “Everyone has dealt with this,” said Wright, whose team finally gets back on the court Tuesday night against Seton Hall. The Golden Gophers were followed by Auburn, one of this week's poll newcomers, Missouri and Clemson. “We’re still finding out about our team,” said coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team nearly rallied from an 18-point deficit against Virginia Tech. IN AND OUTThe Bruins were the other newcomer to this week's poll after improving to 11-2 and 7-0 in the Pac-12 with consecutive wins over Washington State and Washington.

Iowa center Luka Garza (55) celebrates with teammate Jordan Bohannon (3) after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Minnesota, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. The Iowa senior guard had 19 points and a career-high 14 assists, Luka Garza had 33 points and the No. “If it wasn’t for Luka making his layups, I wouldn’t have 14 assists,” Bohannon said. Minnesota (10-4, 3-4) rallied from a 63-45 deficit to get within five twice late in the second half. The 1,000th point came on a free throw with 17:48 left in the second half.

Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon (3) shoots against Rutgers during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Piscataway, N.J., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. 10 Iowa, but otherwise, 14th-ranked Rutgers managed to stifle the Big Ten's top offense. Garza scored 15 of his 25 points in the second half and Iowa took advantage of Rutgers' abysmal free-throw shooting for a 77-75 victory Saturday. Rutgers (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) has struggled at the foul line this season, hitting just 62%. “Wins and losses happen, but what we took away from today is we got to hit foul shots,” Rutgers guard Ron Harper Jr. said.

Iowa guard Joe Wieskamp (10) and Minnesota guard Gabe Kalscheur (22) vie for the ball in overtime of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Minneapolis. Johnson went 8 for 9 from 3-point range — making all four of his attempts in overtime — and finished with 26 points and nine rebounds to lead Minnesota's late surge for a 102-95 upset victory over No. They trailed by seven points with 44 seconds left in regulation and outscored the Hawkeyes 29-15 the rest of the way. Then Carr hit the tying 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds remaining, bringing the Gophers bench players leaping onto the court. Minnesota found no record of any organized sporting event ever played by the school on Christmas Day.

Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoot a 3-pointer during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 in SIoux Falls, S.D. Suggs, the West Coast Conference freshman player of the week last week, entered the game against Iowa averaging 13.3 points per game. We got into the double bonus relatively early in the second half, but then we miss 12 free throws, which is also very uncharacteristic of our team.”Iowa seemed to have one last gasp midway through the second half. Entering the game, Gonzaga was just 16 for 55 from beyond the arc in its first three games. Iowa: The 99 points scored by Gonzaga is the most Iowa has given up this season.

The Bulldogs finally got back on the court to practice this week following a two-week break due to COVID-19 cases within the program. It looked like the first practice of the year to the Gonzaga head coach. The matchup with Baylor was going to be the showcase event for the early portion of the college basketball schedule. The first full squad practice for Gonzaga since the day before the Baylor game was scheduled for Thursday. Their whole lives are about playing basketball.”While facing the Hawkeyes is a marquee opportunity for Gonzaga, there is still hope of facing Baylor.

The Hawkeyes followed by scoring 105 points against Iowa State and 106 points against Northern Illinois while shooting 55% and making 23 3-pointers over the two games. 13 Illinois – which tumbled seven spots in this week’s poll after losing to Missouri – visits No. 25 Michigan were the additions to this week’s poll. The Cowboys have a chance to play their way into next week’s AP Top 25 with a pair of Big 12 games. Richmond, which fell out of last week’s poll from No.

West Virginia and Gonzaga play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Indianapolis. Gonzaga was scheduled to play Baylor but the game was cancelled due to COVID. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Gonzaga and Baylor remained atop the AP Top 25 men's basketball poll Monday after their hotly anticipated weekend game in Indianapolis was called off about 90 minutes before tipoff because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Bulldogs' program. Wisconsin was tied with the Longhorns, followed by Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Virginia, Richmond and Florida State. The final five were Rutgers, Ohio State, Arizona State, San Diego State and Louisville.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)IOWA CITY, Iowa – Luka Garza and Jack Nunge came to Iowa in the same recruiting class. 3 Iowa stayed unbeaten with a 99-58 win over Western Illinois on Thursday night. “It’s been a long road for me — it’s been over a year since I’ve played a game,” Nunge said. “You can watch film all you want on Garza,” Western Illinois coach Rob Jeter said. Iowa led 48-26 at halftime before Western Illinois (0-1) reeled off an early second-half run to get to 61-46.

After boosting his stock with an outstanding junior season that got cut short, Garza heads the list of star seniors gearing up for the 2020-21 campaign. The 6-10 forward averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds, up from 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds as a sophomore. KANSAS G MARCUS GARRETTGarrett averaged 9.2 points last season, but his biggest contributions come on the other end of the floor. VILLANOVA G COLLIN GILLESPIEThis 6-3 guard averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals last season. GONZAGA F COREY KISPERTThe 6-foot-7 Kispert earned preseason AP All-America honors as he begins his final season with the top-ranked Bulldogs.

Seniors Luke Garza of Iowa and Baylor's Jared Butler headline The Associated Press 2020-21 preseason All-America team. 5 in the AP preseason Top 25, in large part due to Garza’s decision to return. 2 in the AP preseason poll, highest in school history. Gonzaga was the AP preseason No. He is Arizona State’s second preseason AP All-American, with Ike Diogu in 2003-04.

FILE - Gonzaga players celebrate after defeating Saint Mary's in an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the West Coast Conference men's tournament in Las Vegas, in this Tuesday, March 10, 2020, file photo. Gonzaga will begin the college basketball season No. 1 for the first time after coach Mark Few's bunch earned 28 first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Iowa was picked fifth behind national player of the year front-runner Luka Garza, its highest preseason ranking in school history. The Bears, who also have their highest preseason ranking, spent five weeks at No. THE REST OF THE POLLCreighton lost Ty-Shon Alexander to the NBA and Davion Mintz to Kentucky but still landed the highest preseason ranking in school history at No. 17, its highest preseason ranking since the final Phi Slama Jama team of Hakeem Olajuwon began the 1983-84 season at No. 6 in the final poll last season but losing Mountain West player of the year Malachi Flynn and two other elite producers.

Michigan guard David DeJulius brings the ball up during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette via AP)IOWA CITY, Iowa – Michigan coach Juwan Howard has seen enough of Iowa's Luka Garza this season. Garza scored 33 points in Iowa’s 90-83 win over No. Garza, the Big Ten’s scoring leader, was 10 of 18 from the field and 11 of 13 from the line. Once we locked in on the defensive end, and put some baskets together, we were right back in it.”“We seemed to be a little tired,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said.

IOWA CITY, IA – The Iowa Hawkeyes were down to eight scholarship players and still outplayed No. Joe Wieskamp scored 26 points and Big Ten scoring leader Luka Garza had 21 as Iowa beat Maryland 67-49 Friday night. The Hawkeyes (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) got more balanced scoring in the second half, leading by as many as 22 points. “When we play connected defensively, and when we’re rebounding, not giving them second shots, we can be really good,” Wieskamp said. “It’s a long season,” Turgeon said.