Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball

Former Iowa Hawkeyes point guard Ahron Ulis was charged with tampering with records amid an investigation into illegal sports betting at Iowa and Iowa State, according to John Steppe of the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Ulis, who transferred to Nebraska following the 2022-23 college basketball season, allegedly used his older brother's identity to place roughly 1,850 sports bets totaling more than $34,800 between February 2021 and December 2022, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Johnson County Attorney's Office on Tuesday.

More than 740 of the bets were placed when Ulis was under 21 years old, which is the legal betting age in Iowa.

The complaint also alleges he placed at least one wager on an Iowa sporting event and more than 430 wagers were placed on NCAA-sanctioned football and basketball games.

NCAA student-athletes are prohibited from gambling, regardless of age, and could face permanent loss of eligibility if they place bets on their own school, according to NCAA guidelines.

Other Iowa and Iowa State players charged with tampering with records include:

• Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers
• Iowa State wrestler Paniro Johnson
  
• Iowa State offensive lineman Dodge Sauser
  
• Former Iowa State defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike, now of the NFL's Denver Broncos
  
• Iowa Hawkeyes kicker Aaron Blom
  
• Former Iowa Hawkeyes baseball player Gehrig Christiansen
  

Ulis transferred to Nebraska earlier this year after three seasons with the Hawkeyes. He's coming off a 2022-23 season in which he averaged 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 32 games while shooting 39.6 percent from the floor and 31.9 percent from deep.

Cornhuskers men's basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg said Wednesday that he didn't know of Ulis' eligibility issue until he had already transferred to the program in May. He added that he was unaware of any potential charge until Wednesday.

The Nebraska men's basketball team is currently playing in Spain but Ulis did not play in the team's first game of the trip on Monday and will not play in any others.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark is becoming one of the most highly regarded potential members of the 2024 WNBA draft class.

A WNBA executive thinks Clark is "one of the best guards we've ever seen," according to an anonymous survey of four WNBA general managers, an assistant general manager and a front-office executive completed by The Athletic.

"Some of the games that Clark's had this year indicate to us that she's one of the best guards we've ever seen," said the WNBA executive. "I do know what I'd like to see from Caitlin: I'd like to see her come out next year. I don't want her to stay in college another year. I want her to say, 'Hey, I'm tired of college. I'm going to go to the pros.'"

Clark, who turns 22 next January, will be eligible for the 2024 draft. The 6'0" guard set the all-time NCAA tournament scoring record for men and women with 191 points as she led the Hawkeyes to the 2023 championship game with one of the most dominant postseasons in NCAA basketball history.

The star guard racked up 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds on March 5 to lead Iowa to a 105-72 win over Ohio State, and their second straight conference title, with the first triple-double completed in a Big Ten championship game.

On March 26, she led the Hawkeyes past Louisville in the Elite Eight round with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, marking the first 40-point triple-double recorded by a man or woman during an NCAA tournament.

Five days later, Clark racked up another 41 points in the Final Four to deal undefeated South Carolina their first loss of the season with the highest-scoring national semifinal performance in tournament history.

In nine postseason contests across the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, Clark averaged 30.8 points per game.

This performance earned praise from everyone from Sabrina Ionescu to LeBron James and from Billie Jean King to John Cena, in addition to college coaches and professional executives.

Now the question is: Will Clark decide to enter the WNBA draft in 2024?

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark has an extra year of eligibility and could decide to play a fifth season with the Hawkeyes in 2024-25. Clark told The Daily Iowan's Chloe Peterson on March 5 that she plans to make that decision ahead of the 2023-24 season start this fall.

Until then, WNBA executives with a shot at the 2024 top pick will be holding their breath.

Kris Murray, brother of 2022 fourth overall pick Keegan Murray, has declared for the 2023 NBA draft.

Murray ranked No. 27 on Jonathan Wasserman's latest NBA draft big board after leading the Iowa Hawkeyes with 20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game during his junior season.

In a Friday announcement of his draft decision on Twitter, Murray thanked head coach Fran McCaffery, the Hawkeyes coaching staff, his teammates and Iowa fans.

"Now, it's time for the next chapter in my basketball journey," Murray wrote.

Kris Murray originally declared for the 2022 NBA draft alongside his twin brother and Iowa teammate Keegan Murray, but he later declined an invitation to the draft combine in May before deciding to return to Iowa for his junior season in June.

"These past two months have been a tremendous learning process for me!" Kris Murray wrote in his announcement three weeks before the draft. "By going through the NBA draft process, I believe that it will help me in the long run and this coming season at Iowa."

His brother Keegan remained in the draft pool, and the Sacramento Kings selected the small forward with the fourth overall pick.

Keegan Murray has since done his part to raise the draft stock of the family name. On March 29, he broke the NBA's record for three-pointers by a rookie with his 188th of the season. (He has since surpassed 200.)

Meanwhile, Kris Murray has been in Iowa City, setting career-best totals in every category on his way to ranking 21st among all NCAA players in scoring.

It was an eye-catching campaign for Murray, especially with a viral game against Georgia Tech on November 29. Murray singlehandedly led the Hawkeyes to an 81-65 win by becoming the first Iowa player in 45 years to rack up more than 30 points and 20 rebounds in a single contest.

It was the kind of performance that made viewers think Murray would be ready to follow in his twin brother's footsteps in 2023.

He is now projected to be a first-round selection in the upcoming NBA draft on June 22.

Everybody wants to see Caitlin Clark play in person.

So much so, in fact, that the University of Iowa had to pause ticket sales for the 2023-24 season, according to Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register, due to overwhelming demand.

No surprises there—Iowa already set a Big Ten women's basketball record with an average attendance of 11,143 fans per home game at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena this past season. Add in the star power of Clark and the team's run to the national championship game this past season, and Iowa is one of the hottest tickets in basketball.

"We're going to do our best so that those fans who want to support women's basketball at Iowa get that opportunity," Iowa's deputy director of athletics Matt Henderson told Leistikow.

"We want to get as many season tickets into the hands of those who have a passion for attending women's basketball and Hawkeye athletic events," he added.

Iowa women's basketball ticket demand is skyrocketing for 2023-24. A season sellout seems inevitable in Caitlin Clark's true senior year.

With 6,700 new season ticket requests already, UI paused sales as it tries to sort things out. What happens next?https://t.co/lS2cealD1l

— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) April 6, 2023

But with an expected high renewal rate from previous season ticket holders and additional demand beyond that—not to mention allotting tickets for the student section and for the traveling teams—Iowa has some logistics to figure out ahead of the upcoming season.

Caitlin Clark fell one victory short of winning a national championship, but the Iowa Hawkeyes star can at least take solace in the fact she was the best women's basketball player in the country this season.

Clark won the Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year on Tuesday:

After a historic regular season and tournament run, Caitlin Clark is the winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year Presented By Wendy’s @Wendys @CaitlinClark22 @IowaWBB @LAAC pic.twitter.com/kMhfxIGVBz

— John R. Wooden Award (@WoodenAward) April 4, 2023

The announcement means the guard earned a clean sweep in the major player of the year awards, as she already took home the Naismith Player of the Year and the Associated Press' Player of the Year.

This comes as anything but a surprise.

Clark captivated the nation with her individual brilliance during the 2022-23 campaign and averaged 27.8 points, 8.6 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep.

Her ability to pull up from seemingly anywhere on the court meant opposing defenses had to extend well beyond the arc, which created a number of chances for both herself and teammates as Iowa went 31-7, won the Big Ten tournament and reached the national championship game.

Clark's illustrious resume now includes the Wooden Award, Naismith Award, AP Award, two Big Ten Player of the Year awards, three All-American selections and a Big Ten tournament MVP.

She only added to her legend on the national stage of the Big Dance.

After averaging 24 points and 12 assists in the first two rounds, she poured in 31 points in a Sweet 16 win over Colorado and 41 points in an Elite Eight win over Louisville. The performance against Louisville wasn't just a high-scoring one, as she notched a triple-double with 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Leading the Hawkeyes to their first women's Final Four since 1993 would have been enough to make her a legend, but then she spearheaded the team's shocking upset over undefeated South Carolina in the national semifinals with 41 more points.

Clark and Iowa ultimately fell short in the national title game against LSU, but she did what she could with 30 points, eight assists and eight made three-pointers.

She couldn't quite cut down the nets as a national title winner, but she left no doubt she was the best player in the country this season.

Caitlin Clark may have fallen short of winning a national championship, but her historic season and run through the NCAA tournament won't be forgotten anytime soon.

Back-to-back 41-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinal, including a triple-double in the former against Louisville, immortalized Clark and put her in the pantheon of March greats as she led Iowa to its first national title game appearance.

What a tournament run for Caitlin Clark 👏

▫️Most points in an NCAA tournament (193)
▫️Most assists in a women's NCAA tournament (60)
▫️Most threes in a women's NCAA title game (8)
▫️Ended South Carolina's 42-game winning streak pic.twitter.com/Ta0npZtHIK

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 2, 2023

Even as he watched the Final Four from the outside looking in for the first time in 14 tournaments, UConn women's head coach Geno Auriemma couldn't help but be in awe of what the Hawkeyes star was doing.

"My daughter said, 'She's Pete Maravich,'" Auriemma said. "And I thought, 'You know what? She's right. She's Pete Maravich with the three-point line.' She has free rein to take any shot, anytime, from anywhere, and she believes that it's going in."

The green light has been on for Clark all season, and with good reason, as she finished as the second-highest scorer in the country at 27.7 points per game and led the top-scoring offense in all of Division I at 87.3 points per game.

Clark was the most decorated player in the country this season, winning the Naismith Player of the Year and earning unanimous First-Team All-American honors for the second year in a row.

Iowa ultimately fell one win short of its ultimate goal as the Hawkeyes lost 102-85 to LSU in the national championship on Sunday in Dallas, ending their dream of bringing their first title to Iowa City.

The 21-year-old superstar still finished with a game-high 30 points and eight assists on 42.1 percent shooting from three.

And, much to the joy of Iowa fans, Clark will be back again next year, as she's not eligible to enter the 2023 WNBA draft.

Masterclass.

That's the only way to describe what Caitlin Clark did in Iowa's 77-73 Final Four win against South Carolina on Friday night in Dallas at the American Airlines Center.

The crowd roared with each one of her 15 made shots en route to a second-consecutive 41-point performance to go along with eight assists and six rebounds as she cooked the defending national champions all night long and put an end to the dream of an undefeated season for the Gamecocks.

Clark has been turning up the notch with each passing round of the tournament, dropping a 41-point triple-double in an Elite Eight win against Louisville, which had never been done before.

No matter what South Carolina threw at her, Clark had the answer for everything, whether it be a 28-foot three-pointer, drive to the rim or finding a wide open teammate out of a double team.

And now, she'll be taking her immense talents to the biggest stage of the sport as she has led the Hawkeyes to their first-ever national championship game where they'll take on LSU, who is also making its first title game appearance.

It's been a historic and beyond special run for the national player of the year as she scored or assisted in every point in the fourth quarter to help seal the win, even as South Carolina made a hellish push for the lead late in the game.

Twitter was in absolute shambles as it watched Clark make history.

IOWA ENDS SOUTH CAROLINA'S 42-GAME WIN STREAK AND MOVES ON TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 😱 pic.twitter.com/RtaTnZqcHE

— ESPN (@espn) April 1, 2023

✅ BACK-TO-BACK 40-POINT GAMES
✅ MOST POINTS IN NATIONAL SEMIFINAL HISTORY
✅ LEAD IOWA TO FIRST TITLE GAME EVER

Caitlin Clark is special. pic.twitter.com/39nCG2OCOf

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/t6a5hdyw9G

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is an absolute DAWG.. it’s like she’s playing a different sport than everybody else

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 1, 2023

It’s dope to watch somebody literally change the sport in real time.

Caitlin Clark is beyond must see TV. #Iowa #SouthCarolina #FinalFour

— Logan Reever (@loganreever) April 1, 2023

https://twitter.com/BillyHeyen/status/1641990510746255360

Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/aMkazZ6sos

— Justin Prince (@JPrinceSports) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is ridiculously skilled. Real deal. watching a clinic. Plus she's letting it fly and they're all going in 😭

— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is a created player 😂. #NCAAW

— Anthony Antoine FOX 26 (@AnthonyTVNews) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark pulling up from Curry range, sheesh

— Tom Ignudo (@TomIgnudo) April 1, 2023

With that 3-point field goal, Caitlin Clark became the sixth player in Division I history to score 1,000 points in a single season. (via @ESPNStatsInfo)

— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark, damn. She can just burn defenses in so many ways.

— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is a human highlight reel. The way she moves with so much purpose on the court and the control when she pulls up for 3 after moving full speed…the Steph Curry comparisons are actually kind of perfect.

— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is unreal

— Khaled (@khaled74) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark has crazyyyyyy game 🙌🏻

— Chandler Parsons (@ChandlerParsons) April 1, 2023

CAITLIN CLARK IS UNSTOPPABLE

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is an artist at the peak of her powers

Fun to watch. https://t.co/467TkMUFBy

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 1, 2023

I’m not a women’s college basketball expert. I’ve just checked in for these past few games. But Caitlin Clark feels a lot like Stephen Curry felt at Davidson and I didn’t think I’d ever feel that way about a basketball player again.

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) April 1, 2023

Caitlin Clark is one of the greatest college hoopers of all time!!

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 1, 2023

After snapping South Carolina's 42-game winning streak, the stage is set for an absolute battle between Clark and LSU's Angel Reese, who put up 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Tigers' win over Virginia Tech.

Clark has captured the attention of the entire basketball world over the last few weeks and now she is one game away from becoming completely immortalized.

She seems more than up for the challenge.

Caitlin Clark had a performance for the ages as she propelled Iowa into the Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament on Sunday.

The junior guard finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as the second-seeded Hawkeyes beat fifth-seeded Louisville 97-83. It was the first time in tournament history—men's or women's—that a player scored at least 30 points en route to a triple-double.

"This is probably the biggest game I played in, but I honestly felt it was one of the most calmness I've ever felt before a basketball game in my life," she told reporters after the game. "I believed, and I visualized to be in this press conference with a hat and a shirt around me. So here we are."

Reaching the national semifinals was the culmination of a dream for the native of West Des Moines, Iowa.

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS BELIEVE!!!!!! HAWKS ARE GOING TO DALLAS!!!! BE THERE EVERYONE 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 DREAMS COME TRUE YALL 🐤🐤🐤🐤

— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) March 27, 2023

For Clark and Iowa, the biggest test of the season could await in the Final Four. They'll play the winner of No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Maryland, and the reigning champion Gamecocks have been suffocating in the Big Dance so far.

After running the table in the regular season, Dawn Staley's squad hasn't allowed more than 45 points in any of its first three tournament games. UCLA managed to score just 15 points through the first half against South Carolina in the Sweet 16.

Should the two cross paths, perhaps Clark's singular ability to influence a game offensively could be the thing needed to topple the Gamecocks.

The University of Iowa and a University of Illinois fan group are at odds over a canceled ticket sale for Saturday's men's basketball game between the Hawkeyes and Fighting Illini at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

According to ESPN's Myron Medcalf, the Orange Krush Illinois fan group has accused Iowa of wrongfully canceling its order of 200 tickets, leaving the group $6,000 in the hole since it is too late to cancel charter buses for the game.

While Orange Krush claimed the cancellation was a result of Iowa being "fearful" of their presence at the game, University of Iowa officials said the order was canceled because Orange Krush purchased the tickets at a discounted price under the guise of buying them for a local Boys & Girls Club chapter.

In a statement, the University of Iowa divulged that it will allocate the canceled tickets to a local Boys & Girls Club chapter in Iowa instead:

"The Iowa Athletics Department became aware of a discounted group ticket order for the Iowa-Illinois men's basketball game on behalf of an Illinois chapter of the Boys & Girls Club. In following up with that organization, it became clear this was not factual. When contacting the individual who made the original ticket order, they admitted to falsely ordering tickets under the non-profit organization. Iowa Athletics has refunded the original ticket order and donated tickets to the Boys & Girls Club of Cedar Rapids. We look forward to welcoming these kids to a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena this Saturday."

Orange Krush also released a statement, claiming the tickets were purchased legally, and blaming the University of Iowa for reneging on the transaction:

"It is highly unfortunate for our group that this trip has been canceled because we were looking forward to it since receiving the tickets in the mail in October. It is highly unfortunate for the 150 students that collectively fundraised a total of $2,649.41 for local charitable organizations in order to be invited on this trip. Most of all, it is highly unfortunate that the University of Iowa and their athletic department refused to face the consequences of the mistake they made in selling tickets to a billing address in Champaign, Illinois."

Illinois and Iowa are longtime rivals who first played against each other in 1908 and are both currently members of the Big Ten.

Both teams are in the mix for an NCAA tournament berth, but the Illini have undoubtedly had a better season, as they are 16-6 overall and in second place in the Big Ten with a 7-4 conference record.

Illinois has won three games in a row and seven of its past eight contests. It holds victories over then-No. 8 UCLA, then-No. 2 Texas and then-No. 14 Wisconsin this season.

Iowa is 14-8 overall and 6-5 in Big Ten action, putting it just one game out of second place in the conference.

The Hawkeyes have won two games in a row and six of their past eight, and their victories against ranked teams came against then-No. 20 Iowa State and then-No. 15 Indiana.

Both Illinois and Iowa have reached the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons, and Saturday's game could be pivotal in helping both of them make it three in a row.

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Patrick McCaffery is taking a leave of absence from the team to address the anxiety he said he's been experiencing "for a while."

McCaffery wrote a message explaining his decision, saying he will be away from the team for an "indefinite" amount of time and games with the plan to "return when I feel like myself."

pic.twitter.com/sBHSqg7liB

— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) January 3, 2023

"I have been battling anxiety for a while, and recently it has peaked, which has inhibited my preparation and performance on the court," he wrote. "It's not fair to myself or teammates to be on the court when I am not myself. The anxiety has affected my sleep, appetite, and stamina, which has resulted in not having the energy level necessary to compete at my full capabilities.

"My struggle with anxiety affects every aspect of my well-being and makes it incredibly difficult to function normally."

McCaffery said the leave of absence is unrelated to his previous cancer diagnosis.

Eric Olson of the Associated Press noted McCaffery, who is the son of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery, was diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid at 13 years old. He underwent two surgeries, one of which removed his thyroid, and required treatment that included taking two radioactive iodine pills.

He was declared cancer-free three months after he was diagnosed.

This is McCaffery's fourth season with the Hawkeyes. He has appeared in 14 games and is averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range.

He played 26 minutes in Sunday's loss to Penn State.

Iowa is 8-6 on the season. It is 0-3 in Big Ten play and will look to earn its first conference win when it hosts Indiana on Thursday.