As funnel week ends, Iowa lawmakers leave some significant bills behind
- By cigaretteman
- Off Topic
- 0 Replies
The second procedural deadline of the Iowa Legislature’s 2024 session created more legislative casualties Thursday.
Longtime state legislator and Iowa Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, called it one of the strangest funnel weeks she’s ever been a part of. Many significant pieces of legislation are being left behind after failing to gain a prescribed level of support from both the Iowa House and Senate.
Among those that did not advance — and thus are technically ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the session — include a controversial bills that could have made fertility treatments illegal and would have made state-level enforcement of immigration laws possible.
Also left behind: a bill that would have defined “man” and “woman” in state law, and one that would have made it possible to obtain birth control without a prescription.
While those bills are technically “dead,” leaders in the majority party — Republicans — have multiple legislative tools at their disposal if they choose to resurrect a bill.
The Legislature’s “funnel” deadlines do not apply to bills on tax policy or budget and spending bills.
In order to remain eligible moving forward, House-passed bills needed to be approved by Senate committees.
Among the casualties at the end of this funnel week were a pair of House Republican bills on public education.
One would have limited diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s three public universities, and another would have required a K-12 social studies curriculum written by a conservative think tank that focuses on the “cultural heritage of Western civilization.”
House Republicans approved both of those bills, but Senate Republicans did not advance them this week. They are now ineligible for further consideration.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull who chairs the House Education Committee, said House Republicans felt good about both bills and were disappointed they were not advanced by Senate Republicans.
“Those are two major reforms, two major pieces, that we wanted in the House that they have not taken up. So (I’m) disappointed in that, and I don't understand their logic or reasoning for that,” Wheeler said Thursday.
Later, Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he had concerns that the bill impacting the public universities would be too expensive.
A fiscal analysis by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projected the proposal would require three new full-time positions at the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s public universities, at a cost to the board between $850,000 and $3.6 million.
Rozenboom also had issues with the timing.
The policy disagreements extended to the top ranks at the Capitol, where House and Senate Republican leaders charted different approaches and metrics of success Thursday.
Noting the many House bills that the Senate opted not to advance, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Grimes, said he was satisfied that the Senate had a far narrower scope for its legislative agenda and said Iowa does not need hundreds of new pieces of legislation this year.
The Senate has passed 51 bills out of the chamber, while the House has passed 150 bills.
“I think Iowa’s in a really good spot, and we don't need that many bills, in my opinion, to make Iowa strong and to keep Iowa strong,” he said. “And so we don’t need to pass 200 bills, 300 bills to keep Iowa strong.”
Whitver said the week was a “successful funnel week,” noting that a number of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed bills remain eligible after the deadline. The remaining work for Senate Republicans includes a bill to overhaul the state’s area education agencies, lowering taxes and crafting a budget, he said.
Whitver said the work Senate Republicans have done over the last seven years has set Iowa up for success.
“The House, they have newer members and so they’re coming down with newer issues, and I respect that and I get that,” Whitver said. “ … But overall, big picture in Iowa, we’re in a great spot.”
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said Thursday he is hoping to be able to continue pushing for reconsideration of some of the bills that faltered this week.
Grassley said he was frustrated that some bills, like controls on the payments charged by temporary health care staffing agencies, did not advance in the Senate.
Lawmakers could introduce any range of policy bills in future budget proposals or tack policy ideas onto related bills later in the session to resurrect proposals that stalled this week.
“There’s been some issues that we've brought forward at the beginning of the session that we passed over early enough that didn't see the light of day, that we feel … need to be continued as part of the ongoing conversations between the House and the Senate,” Grassley said.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, and Jochum, the Democratic leader in the Senate, accused Republicans of voting and passing bills to serve “special interests” at the expense of Iowans.
While passing bills that seek to expand affordable and workforce housing in the state — a priority of Democrats — they noted Republicans also pursued legislation that would jeopardize fertility treatments, limit Iowans’ ability to sue pesticide companies when their products are linked to serious health problems, and require schools to teach a list of social studies concepts developed by a conservative think tank.
None of those bills, however, advanced past the funnel this week.
Meanwhile, a bill that would expand medical coverage for firefighters with cancer did not advance in the Republican-controlled Iowa Senate. And legislation allowing access to birth control without a prescription continues to meet resistance from conservative House Republicans.
Proposals that would freeze tuition for Iowa college students and that would provide state employees who give birth up to four weeks of paid leave also stalled out.
“Honestly, we have traveled all over the state” over the summer and fall conducting “listening sessions to hear what Iowans to say,” Jochum said. “And the issues that we are dealing with this session are none of the issues that people have asked us to deal with.
“They have asked us to fully fund education,” Jochum continued. “They have asked us to stop stripping away local control from school boards and cities and counties. … They want us to invest in the environment and to have clean water and lakes and rivers.
“So those are the kinds of things Iowans have been asking us to deal with. And right now we have not been.”
The two criticized Republican lawmakers for passing a bill that would create a new grant program to help schools that choose to arm staff members, while lawmakers missed the deadline for setting state education funding, leaving Iowa's public schools “flying blind” as they set their budgets.
They also faulted their colleagues for failing to advance legislation to expand early childhood education.
“I would say as we look forward, let's look at a budget that's going to actually serve everyday Iowans,” Konfrst said. “ … So as we go through the process, we're going to be looking to see how do these budgets reflect the state's priorities, not the priorities of the Republican governor or the Republican majority, but the priorities of our state.”
www.thegazette.com
Longtime state legislator and Iowa Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, called it one of the strangest funnel weeks she’s ever been a part of. Many significant pieces of legislation are being left behind after failing to gain a prescribed level of support from both the Iowa House and Senate.
Among those that did not advance — and thus are technically ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the session — include a controversial bills that could have made fertility treatments illegal and would have made state-level enforcement of immigration laws possible.
Also left behind: a bill that would have defined “man” and “woman” in state law, and one that would have made it possible to obtain birth control without a prescription.
While those bills are technically “dead,” leaders in the majority party — Republicans — have multiple legislative tools at their disposal if they choose to resurrect a bill.
The Legislature’s “funnel” deadlines do not apply to bills on tax policy or budget and spending bills.
House education bills fail to advance
In order to remain eligible moving forward, House-passed bills needed to be approved by Senate committees.
Among the casualties at the end of this funnel week were a pair of House Republican bills on public education.
One would have limited diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s three public universities, and another would have required a K-12 social studies curriculum written by a conservative think tank that focuses on the “cultural heritage of Western civilization.”
House Republicans approved both of those bills, but Senate Republicans did not advance them this week. They are now ineligible for further consideration.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull who chairs the House Education Committee, said House Republicans felt good about both bills and were disappointed they were not advanced by Senate Republicans.
“Those are two major reforms, two major pieces, that we wanted in the House that they have not taken up. So (I’m) disappointed in that, and I don't understand their logic or reasoning for that,” Wheeler said Thursday.
Later, Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he had concerns that the bill impacting the public universities would be too expensive.
A fiscal analysis by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projected the proposal would require three new full-time positions at the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s public universities, at a cost to the board between $850,000 and $3.6 million.
Rozenboom also had issues with the timing.
What Republican leaders say
The policy disagreements extended to the top ranks at the Capitol, where House and Senate Republican leaders charted different approaches and metrics of success Thursday.
Noting the many House bills that the Senate opted not to advance, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Grimes, said he was satisfied that the Senate had a far narrower scope for its legislative agenda and said Iowa does not need hundreds of new pieces of legislation this year.
The Senate has passed 51 bills out of the chamber, while the House has passed 150 bills.
“I think Iowa’s in a really good spot, and we don't need that many bills, in my opinion, to make Iowa strong and to keep Iowa strong,” he said. “And so we don’t need to pass 200 bills, 300 bills to keep Iowa strong.”
Whitver said the week was a “successful funnel week,” noting that a number of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed bills remain eligible after the deadline. The remaining work for Senate Republicans includes a bill to overhaul the state’s area education agencies, lowering taxes and crafting a budget, he said.
Whitver said the work Senate Republicans have done over the last seven years has set Iowa up for success.
“The House, they have newer members and so they’re coming down with newer issues, and I respect that and I get that,” Whitver said. “ … But overall, big picture in Iowa, we’re in a great spot.”
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said Thursday he is hoping to be able to continue pushing for reconsideration of some of the bills that faltered this week.
Grassley said he was frustrated that some bills, like controls on the payments charged by temporary health care staffing agencies, did not advance in the Senate.
Lawmakers could introduce any range of policy bills in future budget proposals or tack policy ideas onto related bills later in the session to resurrect proposals that stalled this week.
“There’s been some issues that we've brought forward at the beginning of the session that we passed over early enough that didn't see the light of day, that we feel … need to be continued as part of the ongoing conversations between the House and the Senate,” Grassley said.
What the Democratic leaders say
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, and Jochum, the Democratic leader in the Senate, accused Republicans of voting and passing bills to serve “special interests” at the expense of Iowans.
While passing bills that seek to expand affordable and workforce housing in the state — a priority of Democrats — they noted Republicans also pursued legislation that would jeopardize fertility treatments, limit Iowans’ ability to sue pesticide companies when their products are linked to serious health problems, and require schools to teach a list of social studies concepts developed by a conservative think tank.
None of those bills, however, advanced past the funnel this week.
Meanwhile, a bill that would expand medical coverage for firefighters with cancer did not advance in the Republican-controlled Iowa Senate. And legislation allowing access to birth control without a prescription continues to meet resistance from conservative House Republicans.
Proposals that would freeze tuition for Iowa college students and that would provide state employees who give birth up to four weeks of paid leave also stalled out.
“Honestly, we have traveled all over the state” over the summer and fall conducting “listening sessions to hear what Iowans to say,” Jochum said. “And the issues that we are dealing with this session are none of the issues that people have asked us to deal with.
“They have asked us to fully fund education,” Jochum continued. “They have asked us to stop stripping away local control from school boards and cities and counties. … They want us to invest in the environment and to have clean water and lakes and rivers.
“So those are the kinds of things Iowans have been asking us to deal with. And right now we have not been.”
The two criticized Republican lawmakers for passing a bill that would create a new grant program to help schools that choose to arm staff members, while lawmakers missed the deadline for setting state education funding, leaving Iowa's public schools “flying blind” as they set their budgets.
They also faulted their colleagues for failing to advance legislation to expand early childhood education.
“I would say as we look forward, let's look at a budget that's going to actually serve everyday Iowans,” Konfrst said. “ … So as we go through the process, we're going to be looking to see how do these budgets reflect the state's priorities, not the priorities of the Republican governor or the Republican majority, but the priorities of our state.”
As funnel week ends, Iowa lawmakers leave some significant bills behind
Deadline stops some bills, reveals Iowa Republicans' varied strategies
www.thegazette.com
Female swimmers sue NCAA over male competition
- By tweeterhawk
- Off Topic
- 28 Replies
I say great! More power to them! Time to restore sanity to this issue in all sports. Everyone knows allowing biological men to compete against and possibly injure women is simply wrong.
www.nationalreview.com
Female Swimmers Sue NCAA over Male Competition, Demand Return of Trophies, Monetary Damages | National Review
The suit also names Georgia Tech, which hosted the 2022 swimming championship, where male Lia Thomas competed.
www.nationalreview.com
National Health Services in England bans puberty blockers for kids.
- By BrianNole777
- Off Topic
- 56 Replies
Any thoughts?
“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of [puberty blockers] to make the treatment routinely available at this time,” an NHS England policy document released on Tuesday read.
time.com
“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of [puberty blockers] to make the treatment routinely available at this time,” an NHS England policy document released on Tuesday read.
Children Will No Longer Be Able to Access Puberty Blockers at England Clinics
Children in England will no longer receive puberty blocker prescriptions, the National Health Service (NHS) of England said
Did we discuss Shohei Ohtani’s wife yet?
We got the first public glimpse of his mysterious new wife today as the Dodgers prepared to fly to Seoul. Her name is Mamiko Tanaka and she’s a former basketball player for the Fujitsu Red Wave.
Iowa House passes bill to ban ballot drop boxes, shorten return deadline
- By cigaretteman
- Off Topic
- 198 Replies
Idiotic:
Iowa House Republicans passed legislation Tuesday that would again constrain the time period and options for early voting in Iowa elections.
The House voted 62-35 to pass House File 2610, with all Republicans in support and all Democrats opposed. The bill now heads to the Iowa Senate, which has advanced a companion bill out of committee.
The bill makes changes to state elections law that would limit challenges to federal candidates’ placement on the ballot, create an earlier deadline for absentee ballots to be received by local elections officials, ban absentee ballot drop boxes and ban ranked choice voting, among other changes.
Democrats vehemently opposed the bill, arguing it would make it harder for certain Iowans to cast a ballot. Republicans said the bill aims to maintain the highest level of election integrity in Iowa.
He said several states, including Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maryland and Connecticut, have more restrictive laws.
“This bill expands voting rights by 5 percent. It gives Iowans more time to vote,” Kaufmann said during debate. “It ensures that our vote remains the most secure in the country. And, thank goodness, it prevents activists from deciding who is on the ballot. It prevents activist from subverting the will of the people.”
Representatives for county auditors, the League of Women Voters and AARP Iowa opposed the bill, saying it would make it more difficult for older Iowans and people with disabilities to return their ballots. They also said it has become a constant struggle to educate Iowans about new voting rules and deadlines.
Lawmakers in recent years have shortened Iowa's early voting period and stripped auditors of much of their discretion in running elections in their counties, including restricting their ability to establish satellite in-person early voting sites and mail out absentee ballot request forms.
Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, and other Democrats said instances of voter fraud in Iowa are exceeding rare to necessitate such changes to the state’s election laws.
ADVERTISING
The wife of a Northwest Iowa county supervisor was convicted by a federal jury in November of 52 counts of voter fraud in a scheme to stuff the ballot box in her husband’s unsuccessful race for a Republican nomination to run for Congress in 2020.
“There has not been one argument provided for how this bill increases so-called election integrity,” Zabner said. “There has not been one argument provided for widespread voter fraud anywhere in the history of these changes that have made voting more restrictive. All we do know is it makes it harder for Iowans to vote.”
Under the bill, absentee ballots would have to be received by the county auditor by the close of business on the day before Election Day to be counted — one day earlier than the current law. Now, ballots received by the time polls close on Election Day are eligible to be counted.
Auditors would be able to begin mailing out absentee ballots two days earlier to compensate for the earlier deadline. That would give Iowa voters an additional day to mail back absentee ballots. In-person early voting still would begin 20 days in advance of an election.
The bill also would require absentee voters to include their voter identification number when returning their ballots. Current law requires voters to provide those numbers only when they submit a written request for a ballot.
The measure would set new requirements for absentee ballot envelopes, which the Iowa State Association of County Auditors says would require counties to incur significant costs by buying new envelopes. A fiscal note by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates the cost increase statewide for new envelope printing at $800,000 for presidential election years and $286,000 for midterm election years.
Kaufmann said absentee ballot drop boxes no longer are needed with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. COVID-19 severely disrupted elections in 2020. State voting systems were overwhelmed by long lines and an influx of absentee ballot requests, leading to the use of drop boxes.
Kaufmann said Iowa voters still could deposit ballots “in blue drop boxes that are in every city in every county in the state of Iowa” — referring to U.S. Postal Service mailboxes.
He also asserted having “documentable proof” that ballot drop boxes were installed in an alley, a Hy-Vee and outside a courthouse. “That is not secure,” Kaufmann said.
Voting rights activists and county election officials, however, note mail delivery may be delayed and take days, whereas a drop box lets voters know for certain their absentee ballots have been received.
The bill also would prohibit Iowa-based ballot challenges like the one in Colorado that sought to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot over claims he incited an insurrection. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week in a unanimous decision that Trump could remain on the ballot.
Candidates for federal offices could be challenged only on U.S. constitutional requirements on age, residency, citizenship and whether their nominating papers meet all the legal requirements. Iowans could still challenge Trump's eligibility in court.
The bill also would remove a rule that federal candidates must sign a statement indicating they are aware they are disqualified from holding office if they have been convicted of a felony. Trump faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases.
Kaufmann, who served as a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 Iowa caucus campaign, said legal activists should not be deciding who is eligible to be on the ballot.
Iowa City’s Zabner said such new restrictions on absentee voting could prevent thousands of Iowans from having their ballots counted.
He said 13,883 Iowans during the 2022 general election returned their ballots via an absentee ballot drop box that are secured and monitored around the clock. And 3,000 Iowans returned absentee ballots on Election Day.
About 150 ballots that would have been valid under previous Iowa law were not counted due to new restrictions on absentee voting enacted in 2021, he said.
Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, proposed an amendment to make voting easier and more accessible — including automatic voter registration, expanding early voting to 45 days, allowing county auditors to begin counting absentee ballots earlier, making it harder to remove people from voter rolls, expanding use of ballot drop boxes and allowing counties discretion to establish satellite voting locations.
The amendment was defeated by Republicans on a party-line vote.
“I have yet to heard any kind of argument or example of how drop boxes are not providing integrity in our elections,” said Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny. “To me, that’s a false argument. … I think it’s a terrible idea, in my opinion. What we should he doing is making voting easier; not harder. What we should be thinking about is civic engagement and ways in which we want people to participate in this country.”
www.thegazette.com
Iowa House Republicans passed legislation Tuesday that would again constrain the time period and options for early voting in Iowa elections.
The House voted 62-35 to pass House File 2610, with all Republicans in support and all Democrats opposed. The bill now heads to the Iowa Senate, which has advanced a companion bill out of committee.
The bill makes changes to state elections law that would limit challenges to federal candidates’ placement on the ballot, create an earlier deadline for absentee ballots to be received by local elections officials, ban absentee ballot drop boxes and ban ranked choice voting, among other changes.
Democrats vehemently opposed the bill, arguing it would make it harder for certain Iowans to cast a ballot. Republicans said the bill aims to maintain the highest level of election integrity in Iowa.
He said several states, including Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maryland and Connecticut, have more restrictive laws.
“This bill expands voting rights by 5 percent. It gives Iowans more time to vote,” Kaufmann said during debate. “It ensures that our vote remains the most secure in the country. And, thank goodness, it prevents activists from deciding who is on the ballot. It prevents activist from subverting the will of the people.”
Representatives for county auditors, the League of Women Voters and AARP Iowa opposed the bill, saying it would make it more difficult for older Iowans and people with disabilities to return their ballots. They also said it has become a constant struggle to educate Iowans about new voting rules and deadlines.
Lawmakers in recent years have shortened Iowa's early voting period and stripped auditors of much of their discretion in running elections in their counties, including restricting their ability to establish satellite in-person early voting sites and mail out absentee ballot request forms.
Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, and other Democrats said instances of voter fraud in Iowa are exceeding rare to necessitate such changes to the state’s election laws.
ADVERTISING
The wife of a Northwest Iowa county supervisor was convicted by a federal jury in November of 52 counts of voter fraud in a scheme to stuff the ballot box in her husband’s unsuccessful race for a Republican nomination to run for Congress in 2020.
“There has not been one argument provided for how this bill increases so-called election integrity,” Zabner said. “There has not been one argument provided for widespread voter fraud anywhere in the history of these changes that have made voting more restrictive. All we do know is it makes it harder for Iowans to vote.”
What does the bill do?
Under the bill, absentee ballots would have to be received by the county auditor by the close of business on the day before Election Day to be counted — one day earlier than the current law. Now, ballots received by the time polls close on Election Day are eligible to be counted.
Auditors would be able to begin mailing out absentee ballots two days earlier to compensate for the earlier deadline. That would give Iowa voters an additional day to mail back absentee ballots. In-person early voting still would begin 20 days in advance of an election.
The bill also would require absentee voters to include their voter identification number when returning their ballots. Current law requires voters to provide those numbers only when they submit a written request for a ballot.
The measure would set new requirements for absentee ballot envelopes, which the Iowa State Association of County Auditors says would require counties to incur significant costs by buying new envelopes. A fiscal note by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates the cost increase statewide for new envelope printing at $800,000 for presidential election years and $286,000 for midterm election years.
Kaufmann said absentee ballot drop boxes no longer are needed with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. COVID-19 severely disrupted elections in 2020. State voting systems were overwhelmed by long lines and an influx of absentee ballot requests, leading to the use of drop boxes.
Kaufmann said Iowa voters still could deposit ballots “in blue drop boxes that are in every city in every county in the state of Iowa” — referring to U.S. Postal Service mailboxes.
He also asserted having “documentable proof” that ballot drop boxes were installed in an alley, a Hy-Vee and outside a courthouse. “That is not secure,” Kaufmann said.
Voting rights activists and county election officials, however, note mail delivery may be delayed and take days, whereas a drop box lets voters know for certain their absentee ballots have been received.
Insulating Trump from challenges
The bill also would prohibit Iowa-based ballot challenges like the one in Colorado that sought to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot over claims he incited an insurrection. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week in a unanimous decision that Trump could remain on the ballot.
Candidates for federal offices could be challenged only on U.S. constitutional requirements on age, residency, citizenship and whether their nominating papers meet all the legal requirements. Iowans could still challenge Trump's eligibility in court.
The bill also would remove a rule that federal candidates must sign a statement indicating they are aware they are disqualified from holding office if they have been convicted of a felony. Trump faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases.
Kaufmann, who served as a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 Iowa caucus campaign, said legal activists should not be deciding who is eligible to be on the ballot.
Democrats: Bill will make it harder to vote
Iowa City’s Zabner said such new restrictions on absentee voting could prevent thousands of Iowans from having their ballots counted.
He said 13,883 Iowans during the 2022 general election returned their ballots via an absentee ballot drop box that are secured and monitored around the clock. And 3,000 Iowans returned absentee ballots on Election Day.
About 150 ballots that would have been valid under previous Iowa law were not counted due to new restrictions on absentee voting enacted in 2021, he said.
Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, proposed an amendment to make voting easier and more accessible — including automatic voter registration, expanding early voting to 45 days, allowing county auditors to begin counting absentee ballots earlier, making it harder to remove people from voter rolls, expanding use of ballot drop boxes and allowing counties discretion to establish satellite voting locations.
The amendment was defeated by Republicans on a party-line vote.
“I have yet to heard any kind of argument or example of how drop boxes are not providing integrity in our elections,” said Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny. “To me, that’s a false argument. … I think it’s a terrible idea, in my opinion. What we should he doing is making voting easier; not harder. What we should be thinking about is civic engagement and ways in which we want people to participate in this country.”
Iowa House passes bill to ban ballot drop boxes
Democrats vehemently opposed the bill, arguing it would make it harder for certain Iowans to cast a ballot. Republicans said the bill aims to maintain the highest level of election integrity in Iowa.
www.thegazette.com
*** GAME THREAD: Iowa MBB vs Ohio State (Big Ten Tournament) ***
- By RossWB
- The Press Box
- 65 Replies
WHO: Ohio State Buckeyes (19-12, 9-11 Big Ten)
WHEN: 5:30 PM CT (Thursday, March 14, 2024)
WHERE: Target Center (Minneapolis, MN)
TV: BTN
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Bob Hansen)
MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile
ONLINE: foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaHoops | @IowaonBTN
LINE: Ohio State -2.5
KENPOM SPREAD: Ohio State -1 (Ohio State 80, Iowa 79; OSU 51% chance of winning)
Survive and advance. That truism applies to both Iowa's path through the Big Ten Tournament and its hopes to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. Scoreboard-watching matters a little for Iowa, to see what other teams are helping (or hurting) their bubble standing. But nothing that happens elsewhere is going to matter unless Iowa first wins today (and then also tomorrow against 2-seed Illinois).
Iowa gets Ohio State for the second-straight year in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The vibes were more favorable for Iowa last season -- the Hawkeyes entered the tourney as the 5-seed and having won four of their last seven games; the Buckeyes entered as the 13-seed and having lost 10 of their previous 12 games. But OSU knocked off Wisconsin in the opening round and then upset Iowa, 73-69.
The Buckeyes look even more formidable this season, especially based on recent form. Ohio State is 5-1 under interim head coach Jake Diebler, including a win over #2 Purdue in his first game in charge and wins in four straight entering the Big Ten Tournament. That run includes 20+ wins over Big Ten bottom-feeders Michigan and Rutgers, but it also includes wins over Michigan State and Nebraska.
MORE HERE:
iowa.rivals.com
WHEN: 5:30 PM CT (Thursday, March 14, 2024)
WHERE: Target Center (Minneapolis, MN)
TV: BTN
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Bob Hansen)
MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile
ONLINE: foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaHoops | @IowaonBTN
LINE: Ohio State -2.5
KENPOM SPREAD: Ohio State -1 (Ohio State 80, Iowa 79; OSU 51% chance of winning)
Survive and advance. That truism applies to both Iowa's path through the Big Ten Tournament and its hopes to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. Scoreboard-watching matters a little for Iowa, to see what other teams are helping (or hurting) their bubble standing. But nothing that happens elsewhere is going to matter unless Iowa first wins today (and then also tomorrow against 2-seed Illinois).
Iowa gets Ohio State for the second-straight year in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The vibes were more favorable for Iowa last season -- the Hawkeyes entered the tourney as the 5-seed and having won four of their last seven games; the Buckeyes entered as the 13-seed and having lost 10 of their previous 12 games. But OSU knocked off Wisconsin in the opening round and then upset Iowa, 73-69.
The Buckeyes look even more formidable this season, especially based on recent form. Ohio State is 5-1 under interim head coach Jake Diebler, including a win over #2 Purdue in his first game in charge and wins in four straight entering the Big Ten Tournament. That run includes 20+ wins over Big Ten bottom-feeders Michigan and Rutgers, but it also includes wins over Michigan State and Nebraska.
MORE HERE:
Go Iowa Awesome - Preview: Iowa MBB vs Ohio State (2024 Big Ten Tournament)
Previewing Iowa's Big Ten Tournament tilt with Ohio State.
iowa.rivals.com