Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Former Iowa Hawkeye kicker Keith Duncan joins the show to talk draft preparations and the women's squad makes the NCAAT

Episode Date: March 16, 2021

We are joined by All-American kicker Keith Duncan on the show today to talk about his draft preparation, memories at Iowa, and what he has heard from the NFL. After chatting with him, we break down the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team getting the 5 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.BlueChewTry BlueChew FREE when you use our promo code LOCKEDON at bluechew.com at checkout--just pay $5 shipping.Join Our Bracket Challengehttps://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2021/en/group?groupID=3624947 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What is going on, Hawkeye Nation, and welcome back to a Tuesday morning episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes Podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Locked On Sports Network. As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade. Excited to be back for another show today. And we have a lot of great stuff coming at you. Yesterday, we did a quick preview of the Iowa vs. Grand Canyon University basketball game taking place in the NCAA tournament.

We talked a little bit about that on yesterday's show. Also talked a bit about Iowa's two-seed and their march to the Final Four. So if you wanted to get a quick preview on that, check that out. We'll be doing more previews later in this week. On today's show, we are going to be talking about Liddell Betts and his hiring to the Iowa Hawkeyes and why that's such a great hire. We also have the man, the myth, the legend. We have Keith Duncan on the show today.

That's right. We have the GOAT, Keith Duncan, joining the show. And then finally, we're going to break down the women's seed. I'm recording most of this before that. So segment number three is're going to break down the women's seed that has, I'm recording most of this before that. So the segment number three is going to be all about the women's basketball team and their path to an elite eight in the final four. Seeing what seed they got and where they fit into that bracket. We're going to be talking about that all on segment number three,

before we get into the Keith Duncan interview though, I want to talk to you a little bit about Liddell bets. And actually before I even get to that, let's just, let's just get to the basketball talk real quick. Fran McCaffrey signs a four year extension. And I am very excited about that.ell Betts. And actually, before I even get to that, let's just get to the basketball talk real quick. Fran McCaffrey signs a four-year extension, and I am very excited about that. He deserves it. What he has done has been truly phenomenal with this program. And I've been hard on him at times, but at the end of the day, I trust what the players are saying, and they love

him as a coach. And he's doing really great stuff, And he really built this program up from the scrap heap that Todd Licklider left it in. So good on him. Really love to see that. Also, the Iowa Hawkeyes got a commitment in the class of 2022. They landed a center out of New York. 6'11", 230-pound Riley Mulvey. He has ranked the 221st player in the nation, according to 24-7 Sports Composite.

Also had offers to Penn State and Syracuse. So big-time offer, big-time commitment for the Iowa Hawkeyes. But let's get our attention to the Liddell Betts hire that was announced a couple days ago. Liddell Betts joining the Iowa Hawkeyes as the newest running back coach. And that is a big-time hire, and here's why. Liddell Betts has that legacy value. He has been a part of this Iowa offense before. He has been a part of the Hayden Fry era and the Kirk Ferentz era and that is huge.

He understands what it takes to be a Hawkeye. He understands how to be a good man and how to lead under Kirk Ferentz and then now you factor in the fact that he was one of the most successful if not the most successful Iowa backs in the past 20 years, both collegiately and professionally being drafted in the second round by the Washington Redskins, or now the Washington football team, and spending nine seasons in the NFL. That's huge. That's huge for the Hawks. He is the highest ranked or the highest picked running back in the Kirk Ferentz era. Now they have Tyler Goodson.

What can Liddell Bett do to coach up Tyler Goodson to be an even better player than he already is? We saw what happened under Derek Foster. Derek Foster was a beast. He was great at recruiting. He did a great job of getting this running back program or running back stable to be as strong and successful as it has been. And now Liddell Betts is going to carry that torch and hopefully build on that as well. Why this is such a good hire though. Liddell Betts, again to carry that torch and hopefully build on that as well. Why this is such a good hire though. Liddell Betts, again, a legacy guy, a guy who understands the Hawkeye way, a guy who understands what it means to be an Iowa Hawkeye and loves and cares for the program.

That passion does translate to recruits. It does show when you're doing recruiting, when you love the team that you're recruiting for as much as Liddell Betts clearly does. Secondly, what he was doing before this was he was a head coach down in Pinecrest High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Why that's important is that the Iowa Hawkeyes have been building a recruiting pipeline down in the southeast. Look at Tyler Goodson. Look at Brandon Smith, Dane Belton, the Tampa area, areas down in Florida. Iowa has done a much better job as of late as recruiting that area. And with Liddell Betts having those connections, that can only strengthen Iowa's pipeline down there. We've seen them get some amazing athletes to come up to the University of Iowa

and perform very well for the Hawks. So to me, it's a great hire from a building standpoint, a teaching and a tutelage standpoint for the running back stable of the Iowa Hawkeyes. And it's an even better hire from a recruiting standpoint for the Iowa Hawkeyes. That's how big of a deal this hire is. It's going to really impact the recruiting front for Iowa significantly. So big fan of those Dell Betts hire. Can't wait to see what he can do with that running back position.

We're going to quickly get into a break. I know it's a little bit earlier than we typically do with segment number one. We're going to be coming back, though, with a 12 to 13-minute segment, specifically with Keith Duncan. So we're going to take a quick break now, and then we're going to get into a very long segment with the GOAT, Keith Duncan. You know, though, I got to tell you about the sponsors of the show today, and it starts with rockauto.com.

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in the history of the Iowa Hawkeyes. We've got Keith Duncan on the show. All right, I'm honored to be joined here by what should have been the 2019 Lou Groza Award winner, Keith Duncan. Keith, how's it going, man? It's good. How are you guys? I'm doing well, man. Well, thank you for coming on. Sounds like you are in Iowa right now. How is your training going? Yeah, it's going well. I've been bouncing around all across the United States, just

meeting with different coaches, trying to perfect my craft, getting stronger mentally and physically. So yeah, I've been out to Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix. Now I'm back in Iowa and I'll be here until pro day on March 22nd. So exciting stuff. So what are you working on then? So what are you working on with each of those coaches? What are you trying to perfect and get ready for, for the combine or not the combine, but the pro day? Yeah. So it's, it's basically, um, locking in fundamentals, um, whether that's tweaking something or just recognizing that, um, something's working or not working. Um, and then, um, I'm competing with other guys that are there. Um, so different kickers that are like top ranked guys coming out, um, they're there and we're kicking. So it's good

to have that competitive atmosphere, um, but also advance your, uh, kicking. So it's good to have that competitive atmosphere, but also advance your kicking. So yeah, it's, it's been fun so far. It's, it's a crazy process, but I'm glad I'm going through it and I'm excited. Yeah. Exciting stuff for sure. I mean, you talked a little bit about this on the washed up walk-ons, but the competitiveness is something you really like to have. You competed with Miguel Racinos and Caleb for the last five years. And clearly that it sounds like you made you a better kicker. So, um, as far as what you're doing on a day to day, then what does your daily schedule look like from a training perspective? Yeah, it's, um, so I'm still in grad school. I'm getting my master's

right now. Um, so that, that kind of takes some time out of my day. Um, but usually it's, it's waking up, um, going to lift and that's, that takes about two hours, I'm making sure nutrition is always right. Been going crazy on the supplements and food. And another thing that I've implemented, which I love, and I'm so glad I started was yoga, actually. Hothouse yoga here in Iowa City. And it's like one of the best things that I've ever done for my body. And like, it sounds silly and everything, but it actually is unreal. So that's another thing that I've kind of added to my schedule. Um, so yeah, it's, it's fun to go to and it's definitely different, but it works different parts of your body and yeah, it's helped out a lot so far. Dude, yoga is amazing. Although yoga hungover is one of the worst things in the

entire world. So that's why I didn't go today. So yeah. Yeah. Good call, man. Um, so as far as, uh, you know, talk about gaining your weight and putting in supplements and whatnot, what is your ideal weight for, um, pro day? Yeah. Um, I just kind of want to hover around one 80 to one 85. Um, I think that's where I'm healthiest at, um, physically, um, that goes into leg strength, mobility, all that stuff. Um, that's kind of where I was around the season, maybe a little bit lighter, high 170s. But yeah, 180, 185 is kind of where I want to flutter at. So yeah. I love it.

And you mentioned the leg strength, and I think we know how accurate you are. From a leg strength perspective, how far are you kicking field goals right now? What is your comfortable range at this point? Yeah, back in Dallas, we did have a little bit of wind, but I hit a 65 yarder and I, yeah, wind helps a little bit, but just speaking, speaking some fundamentals and again, the mobility has been huge. Something that I wish I figured out earlier in my career. But comfortably, comfortably, I'd feel good going

back 58. And I feel pretty consistent there. So yeah, I've, I've made some improvements, um, once the season has ended and yeah, I'm excited to see what I can do it, uh, pro day. That's exciting stuff. And I'm sure you're going to be doing some kickoffs as well at pro day. What does your pro day schedule look like? And is that something you tailor or is it, how does, how does that pro day schedule for you get tailored out so you can make sure you're showing all the skills you want to show to NFL teams? Yeah, for sure. It's, it's kind of hand in hand with, um, myself, agent, the scouts and, um, the strength staff who, who will help run the pro day. Um, so I'll, yeah, I'll basically make my own script and kick, um, do my thing. And then you never know the scouts may say,

Hey, we want to see you punt. We want to see you do this, throw a new ball in there. So they try to throw some tricks up your sleeve and, and see if they can kind of get you off mentally. But again, that's my job to kind of go in there and execute. So I can prepare only so much, but that's, that's what I'm doing now. And then we'll we'll go in when the time comes. Can you punt? You mentioned punting, have you punted in a while? I haven't punted since high school, but I do feel fairly confident punting. Um,

I was trying to try and get coach woods to get me in a game, uh, one time, but you know, with Tori back there, it's, it's kind of hard to make that argument. Yeah. I was, I was seeing if we can, maybe I'll, I was going to let Tori kick an extra point I'll get a punt but against Wisconsin closer game I don't think Coach France would have liked that so much so we stayed away from that absolutely it makes sense yeah Torrey had a phenomenal season as well one of the best special teams unit in the country a lot of fun as you know Iowa fans love their special teams I think more so than any other college in the entire country, which is awesome.

You mentioned Wisconsin. I know I've heard you talk a lot about the Nebraska game, which I'm sure you get asked about a ton. And I know you get asked about the Michigan game. Outside of Nebraska and Michigan, what was your favorite game or your favorite moment on an Iowa Hawkeye field? Yeah, I've got a couple. And yeah, it's so much fun to talk about the other games where I didn't have a have a game-winning kick one of my favorite games was my first game actually just just super um ingrained in my mind uh just first game was being in Iowa Hawkeyes first time I've ever been in Kinnick so that was kind of like an eye-opening experience I never came on an official visit or I never came to a game. So yeah, that was, that was very again, ingrained in my head.

That was fun against Miami of Ohio 2016. And then this past year against Penn state where coach France got his a hundredth big 10 win, just that atmosphere after the game, we dominated them the whole, the whole game. And that was just a big win for us. Yeah, that was, that was a lot of fun. And then I'll, I guess, cap it off with Wisconsin this past year. That was awesome. Just being able to play in the snow one. And finally being able to beat Wisconsin. They've had our number, but you know,

we came out and played more physical, played more complete football game. And yeah, that's, that's a lot of fun to do. And little did we know it was our last game together. So that was, that was another thing. Yeah. What a way to end your career, getting to beat Penn state, getting to beat Wisconsin, two teams that kind of evaded you for the last couple of years. I will say Wisconsin, man,

I drank way too many beers because I was stressed out for the first half of that. That was, that was a bit rough, man. I do want to touch on Nebraska a little bit. I got to tell you a story. I think you'll enjoy this. So last year I was at, or two years ago, I was at the Las Vegas Invitational covering Iowa basketball. And you were obviously kicking against Nebraska. I put $300 on Iowa to cover plus or plus three and a half minus three and a half, excuse me. And so that kind of went away and I was like, crap, I'm down, down 300 bucks. This sucks. There's this really, really mouthy Nebraska guy in the bar that I was at.

And he's like, I bet you Nebraska wins. I was like, okay, bet you 150 bucks on it. So put 150 bucks on Nebraska losing. So that looked pretty good. And then we come down and you're about to kick the football. And he's like, there's no way he makes this. I was like, this is K big Dick Duncan. He's going to hit this kick. No matter what, put another 150 on. He's like like I guarantee he doesn't kick it kick it I wouldn't run around the bar screaming everyone was laughing at this guy it was it was fantastic so thank you for winning me $300 I 100% appreciate it man that's good no I'm

glad that that happened I actually have a funny story about that too um I guess we're technically not really supposed to know about like the lines or whatever um like going into the iowa state game two years ago yeah two years ago 2019 um we were out kicking in the on a grass field um to get ready for the iowa state game because they're grass we only have turf um i think it was a women's soccer field and someone came up he's like so who's the kicker here and i like raised my hand he goes you know what the spread is it? It's minus like half a point. At the time, it was minus half a point. He's like, I'm putting money on you guys.

So all I need you to do is win by a point. Next thing you know, we win by a point. So a crazy, crazy event that happens. And Vegas always knows what they're doing. It's impressive, man. I don't know how they do it almost every single time. And I usually end up on the wrong side of it, which is not ideal. But I appreciate you helping me out in that instance, man. I don't know how they do it almost every single time. And I usually end up on the wrong side of it, which is not ideal, but I appreciate you helped me out in that, that instance, man.

I actually talked to my buddy. He was a huge Nebraska fan. And I was like, yeah, I'm about to actually talk to Keith Duncan. He's like, I hate Keith so much. So you have plenty of fans over in Nebraska, man. Love it. Love it. Yeah. My uncle's one of them. So, oh yeah, I think I actually saw some stuff on Twitter from that. Yeah, he's a big Nebraska fan. He got to come to the Wisconsin game this past year, and Nebraska, actually. So, yeah, that was fun for us to beat him. And, of course, you know, just having him there.

He had his Nebraska jacket on, and then I made him wear his Iowa gear over the Nebraska stuff. So we kind of we made even there so that was fun i can get down with that all right i just have a couple more questions i know you're busy obviously in grad school getting ready for the nfl draft what was the worst field you ever played on in terms of conditions i know northwestern has the bad wind iowa state was some bad weather uh it sounds like purdue was some bad weather as well what was the worst conditions you ever played in yeah um so So Iowa State was interesting. The conditions weren't bad, but the field was bad.

Of course, everyone knows the story of the four delays that we had, whatever it was, for about three hours. Their student section came down and had a slip and slide party on the field, so it was torn up. There was actually one field goal that I had after all of the the pauses in the game there was a big mud pit right where I was supposed to kick and I looked over to coach wood coach wood I'm like hey can we scoot over so you can see on film I'm actually like a foot to the right of where I'm supposed to be kicking. So yeah, that was, that was interesting, but I've 100% Northwestern is the hardest, hardest place to play condition wise. They're right next to a body of water, the stadium small. So the wind just sweeps in and their grass is super thick. So yeah,

that was tough. Missed a field goal there and yeah, not fun. The wind got it and it went away. Yeah. And yeah, not fun. The wind got it and it went away. Yeah. Was the, was the locker rooms Northwestern just as bad as the field conditions? Absolutely horrible. Locker rooms in the big 10, there was like a curtain. And of course I had the locker right next to the door. So there, I was just like butt naked sitting there and people were just walking by and it was like, okay, I really don't care. But the locker rooms were horrible. Like, like you can't fit. That was my okay i really don't care but the locker rooms are horrible like like you can't fit that was my problem i don't care about the curtain problem was that no so that yeah them and purdue need to need to have a little bit of an upgrade so

minnesota minnesota has the nicest away locker rooms ever um I think they had to upgrade them because the Vikings played there. Yeah. I love it. Minnesota is awesome. I love to play Minnesota. Yeah. Minnesota finally doing something right. Cause I really just don't like Minnesota as a school,

man, the school and the fan base. I mean that year, two years ago where they just felt like they were the best team in the nation. I was like, maybe Minnesota is solid. Like,

don't get me wrong, but you haven't beaten anyone or done anything important. So no. Yeah. They had the, they had the high school schedule. Yeah. Easy, right? Easy. If you can play a high school schedule, I think I would go undefeated every year. Yeah. Right. Oh man. So last two questions for you. Um, what have you heard from NFL teams? Yeah. Um, so I've, I've had some, uh, conversation with some, um, I guess I can't really, you can't tell a lot of things. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah, basically I've just had some conversations with some and them just

saying, yeah, we'll, we'll be a pro day. Um, so yeah, it's, it's been a fun process being able to talk to them. Um, yeah, it's, it's something that, you know, if I look back a couple of years ago, I never really thought that I would be in this position. So I'm very grateful to be again in this position. Yeah. It's a lot of fun. I'm just enjoying the process. I love man. And finally, what is your, what are your draft weekend plans? I know it's going to be obviously the, the first round, second round, third round, not going to be really in the consideration for a kicker, but what are your draft weekend plans after that?

Oh, honestly, I, we haven't even talked about it. I think we're just right now we're just focused on pro day. Um, haven't spoken to my parents or anyone about that. I'm just trying to get locked in for pro day and, you know, hopefully execute there. So there hopefully will be a draft party. So, yeah, I love man. All right. Anything else you want to say to Hawkeye nation before we close it out? Yeah. I mean, of course, Iowa fans are the best fans in the nation. Um, And I'm not just saying that. Like, I truly believe it.

We've been to every single Big Ten stadium except for Ohio State. I have personally. And there's no other atmosphere like Kinnick. And I think that speaks volumes to not only the state of Iowa, but the fans. Even the rivalries, they're great to be at. And, again, like like kids from North Carolina, I'm just so fortunate to be kind of thrown in the state of Iowa and it's I

call it home now. So yeah, I've loved it here and I love the people. Yeah. If you see me out, please come talk to me because I love those conversations. That's awesome, man. Well, Keith, we, I know, I know for sure. I've appreciated you as a kicker for Iowa and as a person representing the Iowa city community and the Iowa Hawkeye athletic community. So thank you so much, man. We'll be rooting for you on draft day and at pro day as well.

Have a fantastic weekend, buddy. And we'll talk to you later. Appreciate it. Talk to you soon. I see pal. All right. And that concludes our conversation with Keith Duncan. Just a reminder that in segment number three,

we are going to be bringing in and talking, not bringing in. We're going to be talking about the women's basketball team and what they are doing, what they did from a seating perspective, how their bracket looks like in the NCAA tournament because the women's selection took place yesterday. So we're going to be talking all about that on segment number three. Before we get into that, though, you know I got to tell you about BetOnline.ag because BetOnline.ag is the fastest and the easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Football might be over, but the NBA, college basketball, and the NHL are in full swing. You got to go to betonline.ag because not only do they have sports, they got awards, TV shows, and reality televisions. Real-time odds updated all the time. You can place live bets.

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And there is simply no better place to get all the news on the Big Ten Conference than with Big Ten Ben Stevens and the Locked On Big Ten podcast. Whether it's football, basketball, baseball, if it's happening in the Big Ten, Ben's got you covered with an in-depth look at the conference every Monday through Friday. Follow the Locked On Big Ten podcast on the Radio.com app or wherever you get your podcast at. Now let's turn our attention back to the women's or to the women's basketball team for our final segment of the day. The women's basketball team gets the five seed. You love to see it. This women's basketball team,

the Iowa women's basketball team started off the season, basically in a rebuilding year. There was, there were no expectations for them to get that far or even make the tournament. They have an incredibly young team. And I think that does not, that's something that needs to be taken very importantly. That's not something to take, not something to be taken lightly, I should say.

Sorry, excuse me there. They start a true freshman in Kaitlyn Clark. Kate Martin, a redshirt sophomore. McKenna Warnick, a true sophomore. Monica Shinano, a junior. And Gabby Marshall, a sophomore. This is a team that is built to compete for several years. And again, if you think about

the fact that these women can also play an extra year, they have an extra year of eligibility, this team could be around for some time and they could dominate some teams here in a couple years. The fact they are the five seed after going most of the season, kind of being in that seven, eight, nine, 10 range is phenomenal. All spurred by that big Ten title game run, ultimately falling to Maryland. But they get an interesting draw. This is the very first game. They get a 12th seeded Central Michigan. When I look at this on paper, it is going to be quite the perimeter battle.

The Chippewas are 18-8, and they have two guards who are absolutely dominant, Mikayla Kelly and Molly Davis. Mikayla Kelly is shooting 35% from three, averaging 23.9 points per game and 48.8% shooting overall. Molly Davis shooting 39% from three and is averaging 20.9 points per game, 49.6 field percentage overall as well. So those are the two people to watch out for from the Chippewas. Outside of that, there's no one scoring in double digits for the Central Michigan squad. And this is a team that, again, it's going to be very interesting. Right now ranked 90th in net. They are 0-3 in quad one win. So is it just a lack of competition, right? Or is it something we need to be concerned about?

Obviously, anytime you have a 5 and a 12 seed, that is something to watch out for. However, what I think is going to be interesting about this game is how high scoring it's going to be because when I look at this on paper, this is an offensive-minded matchup. Defensively speaking, Central Michigan is ranked 328th in defensive rating. Iowa is ranked 350th in defensive rating. Offensive rating, Iowa is ranked 2nd. Central Michigan is ranked 350th in defensive rating. Offensive rating, Iowa is ranked second. Central Michigan is ranked 13th. The only difference between these two teams, and I'll go through the similarities,

the only differences is defensive rebounding where Central Michigan is ranked 78th and Iowa is ranked 224th. So Central Michigan has an advantage getting defensive rebounds and pace of play where Iowa likes to push it even more. They are 27th. Central Michigan is 140th. Outside of that, these teams do not play a lot of defense. They are not good at stopping anyone from shooting the ball through the hoop.

Iowa right now, 331st in field goal percentage allowed. Central Michigan, 207th in field goal percentage allowed. Central Michigan, 296th in three-point field goal percentage allowed. Iowa, 303rd. Iowa, 338th in two-point field goal percentage allowed. Central Michigan, 296 and 3-point field goal percentage allowed. Iowa, 303rd. Iowa, 338th and 2-point field goal percentage allowed. Central Michigan, 311th. And these teams don't even force steals. They're both in the 200s in steals.

Offensive rebounding is also atrocious, both in the mid-240s, 250s. That's not good. Now, the only thing I can think here, and again, Central Michigan, the only advantages they have is the defensive rebounding. They also don't turn over the ball as much, but Iowa's not that bad at keeping the ball in their possession. Sometimes they get a little sloppy, but overall, not bad. There's not a lot of differences here.

So this is going to be a high-scoring game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Central Michigan Chippewas, and it's going to be an interesting matchup, one that I do think Iowa can win. You look at the competition that they are going up against Iowa is doing this offensively against top tier big 10 competition Central Michigan not so much you also have to factor especially when it comes to the March Madness tournament men's and women's when they when teams are evenly matched you go with the team that has the best player that strategy has worked very well for me in picking teams. And the best player on this court, undoubtedly, is Kaitlin Clark.

So to me, Kaitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to easily win this game. It's going to be high scoring, but they're going to easily win this game. If they win this game, though, they end up getting Kentucky. 17-8, 18th in net. Kentucky is a team that has struggled a little bit on the road compared to where they are at home. They're 11-2 at home, 5-5 on the road, 1-1 in neutral courts, and 6-7 in quad one wins. So there is a chance here that Iowa can make a sweet 16 run,

which would be honestly blow past every expectation I think any of us possibly had coming into this season about this young squad. But that path all goes through UConn, and what a battle that would be between Kaitlyn Clark and Paige Buckers that is one where I feel like Kaitlyn continually loses because she goes to Iowa and Paige goes to UConn in terms of National Player of the Year conversation in terms of National Point Guard of the Year conversation

in terms of Freshman of the Year conversation Kaitlyn Clark misses the ball because she doesn't go to UConn like Paige so that would be a really fun matchup. Even though I don't think Iowa has a chance in hell of winning that game, it would be a fantastic matchup to watch Kaitlyn and Page go up against each other. Now I think Iowa's tournament run ends at the Sweet 16. I think they should be able to take care of Central Michigan.

I think offensively, Iowa can take care of Kentucky and get up on a lead there. UConn, I don't think they have a chance against, but that's where we're battling at. And the fact that Iowa got a 5 seed in a year that we all thought was a rebuilding year is absolutely phenomenal. I'm excited to watch this women's basketball team. It's going to be a lot of fun watching them play in this tournament. Their first game takes place on Sunday, from what everything I'm gathering. So it should be a lot of fun there.

And as I've said throughout the show, we're going to be breaking down not just the men's game, but also the women's game as well. So make sure to tune into that. I know a little bit shorter of a segment as we get closer to that game. We'll go into a little bit more detail. But the big takeaway here is Iowa has an opportunity to get to the Sweet 16 in a rebuilding year. Iowa is going up against a team that is very similar to them,

a strong three-point shooting team a strong guard play type of team now there's going to be opportunities for Monica Shinano to get hers down low against a team that struggles so much in defending the post now the big thing will be can Iowa control the control the tempo and get Central Michigan running can Kaitlyn Clark play the dominant style basketball that she hasn't played can Gabby Marshall go off because Gabby Marshall being that third scorer makes it very difficult for teams to defend the Iowa Hawkeyes. Because typically you think Kaitlin Clark, Monica Shinano. But if Gabby Marshall can get going again, or at least just be a strong scorer in that first game, there's no way Central Michigan can defend the plethora of weapons that Iowa has.

Meanwhile, guard play is going to be huge. Kaitlin Clark is going to have her hands full. Gabby Marshall as well. Can they shut down Central Michigan's perimeter players? I think they can bring it, but we will see come on Sunday. So lots of fun here. We have such amazing sports teams. We have the Iowa Hawkeyes men's squad ranked top 10

and seeded second in the NCAA tournament. We got the women's squad seeded fifth and barely missing out on the top 25. They were the 26th team in the top 25 rankings. And then we had the wrestling squad ranked number one. So this is a great time to be in Iowa Hawkeye. And we're going to be covering all that on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast.

So stay tuned for that. If you haven't already done this, please make sure to subscribe and give us that five-star review wherever you downloaded this podcast at and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Have a fantastic Tuesday, Hawkeye Nation. And just a reminder that Frank Garza is coming on the show tomorrow,

so stay tuned for that as well. Let's go Hawks, baby.