Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - HEARTBREAK: Illinois Overpowers Iowa Hawkeyes—Bennett Stirtz SPARKS but Rebounds & Size Decide Elite 8
Episode Date: March 30, 2026Iowa Hawkeyes’ thrilling NCAA Tournament run ends with a hard-fought Elite Eight loss to Illinois, but the future looks brighter than ever. Can Ben McCollum’s squad build on this historic season a...nd turn heartbreak into a new era of Iowa basketball dominance? Trent Condon breaks down Iowa’s 71-59 defeat, spotlighting Bennett Stirtz’s standout performance and the challenges posed by Illinois’ size and rebounding edge. The analysis explores key moments—from Iowa’s hot start to struggles in the paint—and evaluates the growth of young players like Tate Sage and Isaia Howard. Attention turns to portal needs, the search for a new point guard, and impact recruits like Jaidyn Coon and Trey Thompson. With memories of marquee victories over Florida and Nebraska still fresh, Condon discusses roster changes, McCollum’s winning culture, and why Hawkeye fans have every reason to stay excited for what’s ahead. Follow Trent Condon on X: https://twitter.com/trentcondon LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-hawkeyes-daily-podcast-on-iowa-hawkeyes-football/id1441592240 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0GTyz5ygevcGXdTF6QSoEo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnHawkeyes Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 5-Hour ENERGY Have your cake & drink it too. Birthday cake-flavor is back, no fork needed. Vanilla-y cakey flavor, caffeinated kick, and no sugar. It's party time. Order Now at https://5-hourENERGY.com or Amazon. Mazda Like our players, we’re driven by the details. Highlights make the reel. But the work behind them makes it count. The all-new Mazda CX-5. More to move every side of you. TurboTax This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Robinhood You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. SupplyHouse Visit https://SupplyHouse.com/tm to learn more about becoming a Trade Master. Use promo code S-H Five College for 5% off your first order at https://supplyhouse.com. SupplyHouse. Real people. Real service. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. During the tournament FanDuel is offering $300 back in Bonus Bets every day for ten days. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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We're back from Houston after Iowa falls to Illinois in the elite aid.
A disappointing end that is it always is, but great hope for the future and Iowa hoops.
You are Locked on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.
I'm Trent Condon.
This episode of Lockdown Hawkeyes is brought to you by Mazda.
Like our players were driven by the details, highlights make the real.
but the work behind them makes it count.
Stay tuned for this week's moving the game forward,
the all-new Mazda CX-5,
more to move every side of you.
Well, we got a lot of basketball talk here today
as sadly it comes to an end in Houston in the elite eight
as Iowa falls to Illinois 7159.
We'll talk a little bit later on
about the future of Iowa basketball
why the excitement level needs to continue to be high for this program
and continuing to build what Ben McCollum did in year number one.
I'll look back at how we'll remember this season and accomplishing something that a team from Iowa basketball hasn't done in 39 years getting to an elite eight.
The big victories along the way and really setting the path for what we think is going to be a bright future for Iowa basketball.
But first, a look back at Saturday night as Iowa goes down 71, 59 to Illinois.
A lot of just heartbreak, angst, what could have been.
and going back to the show that I did from Houston on Saturday morning
and some of the keys to the game,
some of the things that I looked at and said,
if I was going to have a shot in this game,
and if you're going to feel good about this one,
a couple of things needed to happen.
Now, number one, needed them not to shoot well from the outside,
and that was definitely the case.
They went three of 17, Illinois did from behind the arc.
You feel great about that.
Wogler had a couple of three-pointers.
If it had one, Thomas Love, the starter of the two out there,
But that was it.
They were 317 from behind the art.
The second thing is I said, keep it close.
You know, give yourself a chance.
Give yourself an opportunity late.
We've seen Illinois where they've struggled the most this year has been an overtime.
They have lost a bunch of OT games and when games have been tight.
That is not when the line I have been the best.
And I said, give yourself a shot with eight minutes to go.
They did.
They had the lead.
And then, of course, Illinois just took over from there.
And the other one that I mentioned was the rebounding component.
And that was the big advantage.
for Illinois. They out rebound Iowa 38 to 21. They get 16 offensive rebounds against the
eight from Iowa. Big discrepancy there and certainly one that you look at and kind of the
easiest thing to point to, is they're just too big? That was a big team. And though Iwas played
big teams before, it was a big team coupled with good guard play, a bunch of guys.
We saw in this one, Bennett Sturts played an incredibly high level. And he,
controlled the pace as he normally does.
He was able to knock down a bunch of shots
during the course of this game.
Went cold late in the game.
Didn't score in the final eight minutes,
but really nobody scored in the final eight minutes,
unfortunately of the game.
Iowa finishes 18 of 47 from the floor,
11 of 30 from behind the arc.
Yet when they raced out to the 12 to 2 lead,
even after Illinois came back,
and you're going just tooth-and-nail with this squad.
And there's so much to be proud of with this group,
not just in this game, but just overall this season.
and the joy that it's brought so many of us.
And we'll talk about that a little bit later on.
But as a final minute is ticking away,
I was still chucking up some threes,
trying to give themselves a chance,
got it to what, five at one point in the final couple of minutes of that window,
down to four at one point,
but just never could get over the hump.
And it was Thomas Lavizovich,
he was too big inside on what you saw from Murkavik.
I thought he was really good,
dominated on the boards.
He had not just 12 rebounds,
but also force six fouls against the Iowa defenders in the course of this one.
Stoyakovich off the bench, he was really good.
And, you know, he has transformed his game from a guy that probably took too many three-pointers
early in his career.
Like when he was at Cal, you look at the numbers back then.
This year we talked about it coming in, not a great three-point shooter.
Doesn't even attempt one.
I mean, the game plan was really simple for Illinois.
They were going to use that size advantage.
They were going to go inside.
And then the offensive rebounds, when they did miss, was a big part.
of that one as well. But Stoyakovich, just I wouldn't have a defender that was able to go there and a
defender that could really slow them down. Going through, mentioned Bennett starts obviously at the top
and the performance that he had in his final game in a Hawkeye uniform and the frustration that was there.
I know there's a lot of talk about why we didn't see more Elvaryl Fulgaris after the last two
performances certainly in early last three going back to even the Clemson game, but in the
wins against Clemson and Florida, Nebraska.
And we saw him playing at such a high level.
Afterwards, Ben McCollum talked about that.
And I know Elverro also mentioned it.
And he just didn't have it.
And we've seen that so much throughout the course of this season.
You can tell early on when he doesn't.
Now, I would argue, I would like to get another opportunity for him in the second half.
He only played two minutes in the second half.
Maybe one more run out there.
Just see if it can click.
Elverro mentioned after the game, the coach just didn't think that I was ready.
And he said, I always will be ready for the lead eight game.
But he was disappointed, as they all were.
You fall like that.
You have a 10-point lead early in the game.
You have a four-point lead at the half.
You have an opportunity going to the final eight minutes.
You could understand it.
And that leads to, boy, what it could have been.
Because the environment was incredible.
And being able to be there.
And if you miss a show over the weekend, I mentioned this, that I woke up Friday morning,
with the text from a buddy that you want to go like i don't think i can pull it off flights a little
expensive um just making it happen's going to be difficult and just don't think i can swing it well i
look a little bit further down my list and my wife had got me a ticket for my birthday so got to go
down there it was awesome talk about a great birthday present uh my wife is a great gift giver and that was
yet another example of that one the environment and being able to walk down there early on
seeing down on the floor just the build up the anticipation. Look, I've been to NCAA tournaments.
I've covered final fours before. I've been in big environments for college basketball, but there is
something special. And certainly credit to the NCAA, they do make it the big event. Now, we had the
goofy stoppage in the first half as the buzzer wouldn't stop buzzing. And unfortunately, it also led to
them having to shut down the big main scoreboard in the middle of the arena, the big hang down scoreboard
that you have there because, A, it was really cool in the Rockets Arena and the way that it's set up.
And even, you know, if you're close to the floor, you're able to see all the action unfolding
and all these different screens that they had set up.
So that was disappointing.
Also didn't get many reviews and the Wi-Fi in there for both media and just normal people
was terrible.
I mean, it was absolutely brutal for the fans and for the media.
So that didn't help at all as you weren't able to see some different things there.
And, you know, as I went back here, getting home on Sunday night and rewatching the game one more time,
that environment definitely stood out also.
It was probably 60, 40 Illinois fans, maybe 65, 35, 35, but I'll tell you one thing,
I think the Hawkeye fans were louder.
I mean, you could tell there was a lot of, especially with the great start for Iowa,
there was a lot of angst there, there was a lot of nervous moments from the Illinois fans.
I mean, they were a big favorite.
They're the three-seat, Iowa's the nine.
I was playing with house money, and certainly early on, Iowa played loose,
Iowa played free.
and we talk more later on about big picture about this.
A couple of other guys in the game I want to bring up
and we talk about Sturts and Fool Garris.
Again, we go back to Tate Sage.
This young freshman, the way that he has just continued to progress
throughout the course of the season,
knocks down a couple of three pointers,
makes all his free throws, and that was just a couple of the points
late in the game that they were able to get to.
Three rebounds in the game.
I thought he was okay on the defensive end of the floor,
he's just going to get better there.
Really thought you got some good moments.
Isaiah Howard was out there, really busting on the defensive end.
And we know they need to see improvement out of Isaiah,
certainly offensively going forward and becoming a more consistent three-point shooter.
He had another three-pointer in the game after knocking one down the previous game in the Sweet 16 against Nebraska.
Got to get more consistency there.
But just, you know, that 6-5 athletic dude, really good defender,
love what you have out of Howard and obviously going to get another opportunity for him to come back.
next season. Kill Combs will be back next year. Again, we'll talk about that a little bit more.
I thought you saw some good things out of him. And we saw stretches. And it was really the defense from
Combs, from Howard, from Sage. I thought you saw some good things out of those guys on that end of the
floor. Cam Manuel. Once again, Cam battling against giving up a ton of size. And when we talk about
the future, getting another big in there, another guy that can help him out, get him to be able to
play in more of that power forward position, I think would be great for him. Loved what we saw to
Cooper Koch again. Would I like to see some more opportunities, but you could see Illinois
part of their game plan. Now they're going to give up shots from the outside, but they were not
going to let Cooper Koch get many good looks there. They really worked hard to defend him out on the
three-point arc and didn't give him the opportunity from the corner on those types of things.
Tavian Banks just didn't have it offensively. One of eight from the floor, had his only shot
from the floor that he made was a three-pointer, but they needed more. And it really breaks down
like this. All right. Illinois is big. Dominated on the boards. Yes.
Absolutely. But the other component and what we've seen during this run, going back to the game against Florida,
and Tavian Banks is great. And going into the game against Nebraska where we saw the emergence of Tate Sage and how he played.
And of course, Bull Garis, how well he played in that game is it wasn't just Bennett Sturts.
Other guys, a bunch of guys, were able to step up specifically offensively.
And that just wasn't the case in this one. It was a little bit too reliant probably on Bennett's starts when it got to the final moments of the game.
It was Bennett bail us out.
And we just, we saw it too many times this year.
As good as Bennett Sturts is, he needs more help and wasn't able to get it in this one.
In the end, Iowa falls 40 points in the paint for Illinois against 12 from Iowa.
During the second half, Iowa only had one made field goal from inside the three point arc.
That shows you that kind of defense that was being played obviously by Illinois in that size.
Definitely was a big advantage as Iowa finished this one from the,
two-point line just with one field goal in the second half as they go one of eight inside the arc.
Disappointing end, but what a season that it was.
Year number one of the Ben McCollum era, so much to be excited about, certainly about that.
We're going to talk about that a little bit more.
What went wrong and how we're going to remember your number one of the Ben McCollum era.
We're also going to talk a little bit later on about the future of Iowa basketball and maybe
some names we need to know as a transfer portal is going to.
to be opening up on April 1st.
Stay right there. We continue. This is Locked on Hawkeyes.
This is moving the game forward by Mazda.
For those who know the score never tells the whole story.
Our highlight player of the game going back to the matchup against Illinois,
certainly was Bennett Sturts and what we saw out of Bennett Sturts
and it what turned out to be his final game in a Hawkeye uniform.
Finishes with 24 points, four three-pointers,
knocking it down from the outside.
The engine made it go all season long.
the case for Iowa in the elite aid. There's more to these players than the highlights. The early
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Trent, kind of back with you once again here on Lockdown Hawkeyes.
Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes,
your first listen every day, your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast, back at it.
after the quick trip down to Houston back in tow for the week ahead.
And it's going to be an exciting time, certainly for Iowa basketball.
Now, as we go through and look at this and look at the way that this season's going to be remembered.
Now, there are going to be those things that pop up from time to time.
I mean, when we talk about some of the great teams of the past, 86, 87, you talk about that first loss of the season.
That seems to come up.
And it, of course, is always going to end with the loss of UNLV.
But the great moments before that, Kevin Gamble hitting the shot to,
move on from the Sweet 16 to the elite eight, the buzzer beater to knock off Oklahoma in that one.
But they're able to do at different points, putting 100 points up. And I believe the first team ever
to score 100 points on a Bobby Knight coach team in Indiana. Those things are going to live,
and this season's going to live. And I think we're going to remember, obviously, what they did in the
round of 32. That victory against Florida is going to resonate. Beating the defending national
champion, a number one seed, that's going to stay with us a long time, culminating with a
trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years.
And then to be able to take a step further and take the rubber match against Nebraska,
absolutely.
And it's crazy what we see now these last couple of seasons and these one-year players
at the University of Iowa on the football field this year, Mark Bernowski.
And the way the season ended as we finally saw him working his way back into health and
just what a high level he was playing at at the end of the year, big physical, rugged
quarterback and bringing that physicality to the position and something.
that we just haven't seen like that in so long.
And that was a lot of fun.
And Mark Rennowski's going to be, I think, a beloved Hawkeye,
even after only being there for a season.
We saw Lucy Olson on the women's team a year ago and what she met,
that impact one year player.
And definitely that was a big one.
And now for Bennett starts.
And we will remember him in just his only season as a Hawkeye.
That storybook tale that people wouldn't believe, like you try to make this into a movie.
Come on.
A guy's going to go from D2.
and suddenly two years later, he's going to be leading an Iowa team that hasn't been to an elite eight and 39 years to an elite eight.
He can't even make that story up.
Yep, they did it.
And Bennett starts it and just the way he was able to play, put it the team on his shoulder so many times.
And a guy that I think we're going to see for a long time playing at the next level.
And that definitely is going to help out the impact too, just remembering this great season.
And Tabion Banks, another guy.
We'll see where his future goes.
But that's the other component of the squad.
And when we talk about the building of this organization and what Ben McCollum is doing and laying the groundwork for it,
just hearing these guys talk about him and hearing his past players.
So at the Hawkeye Huddle on Saturday, there was a huge group of guys from Northwest Missouri State,
guys that played under him that made the trip to Houston to support their former coach.
And to hear them talk just about Ben McCollum, the coach, and how much they sacrifice.
advice and want to give and give to him in that program.
I don't think that Iowa going forward is going to be a huge portal team.
Now, they got work to do this year.
Going into year number two, we definitely know.
They need a rim protector.
We talked about it all season long.
They just didn't have that consistent big guy in the middle that could block shots,
patrol the paint, and even post up.
I mean, how many post-ups did we see this year from Iowa basketball?
It was a huge rarity.
I know that's not a big component of what they do.
It's more about the ball movement, the side of side things, but still to be able to have a post presence, a guy that every once in a while at minimum, you could dump it into back to the basket, draw some fouls, those kind of things.
And they just didn't have that this year.
And of course, they need a replacement at the point card position because, you know, Kail Combs is nice and a good complimentary piece.
Certainly, in a guy that's going to be able to alleviate and help a little bit of whatever they decide to do at that point guard position.
But I don't think you feel comfortable with him just being the only guy, right?
the full-time guy running things there.
They're going to need another guy, another ball-dominant type of player like Bennett-Stertz was,
and we'll see what they're able to do in the portal on that front.
But, you know, we look at the squad, the way that it was done.
Brendan Hassan, I mean, just that story of a guy that came here expecting to play a lot,
and it didn't happen.
Yet, what a good leader he was in hearing about all the things that he did behind the scenes
to make it happen.
And that is another one of those things, and that culture,
building that Ben McCollum does that gets you excited about the future and the way that it is.
This will be an all-timer.
And if Iowa goes on and becomes a consistent winner, it becomes a power program, that
Sweet 16s are coming with regularity and they're a tournament team every single year,
you know they're going to be a tough out, and they build themselves up to that.
There's always something about that first year, that first year.
And even if you surpass it and Iowa eventually gets to a final.
4 and is able to break down that wall and get there for the first time since 1980.
This first team, I think, is always going to be special for us because we're going to
learn more about Ben McCollum.
We're going to learn more about him as a coach and what he's looking to do and building
this organization and all the different components that go into it.
But year number one, definitely a special one.
And if you would have told, I think a lot of us going into the tournament, this is where it was
going to end, we all would have taken it.
We all would have taken an elite eight run out of the.
this group and they were able to do that.
Not only that, the notoriety that came along with it, just hearing people nationally
talk about the Iowa basketball program and bringing up some of the past years.
And what a historic winner.
Iowa basketball has been.
And I know there's a generation now that that's lost upon because Iowa basketball has been
out in the wilderness wandered around for 27 years waiting just to get to the second
weekend and think about the people lost.
And that's what I get excited about.
I'm excited because though I was in Houston at the game, my wife was.
as invested as I've ever seen her for Iowa basketball.
And hearing from friends and family members
and people that throughout the last couple of decades
have just checked out.
And yeah, they'll watch from time to time.
There's a big game.
Of course, they're going to be there.
But seeing what it's done of reinvigorating
what was as good of a fan base for basketball
as you're going to find in the country
and selling out Carver Hawkeye Arena every single game
and being there and supporting and traveling
and those kind of things.
And the Hawkeye fans traveled,
short turnaround to get to Houston.
Not the easiest place, not a easy one just to hop in the car,
though I know there was a lot of you out there that did that.
It took the 14, 15 hour drive down to Houston,
and apologies on your drive back,
because that couldn't have been a very fun one.
And certainly if you were imbibing just a little bit
throughout the course of the weekend.
Still a great year, number one.
So successful.
So many great memories.
And this is, I think, just the start.
So let's talk about that future.
And when we look to the future of the future,
Iowa basketball under Ben McCollum, what this is going to be in.
How different it could look, not just from this year's team, but how this thing's going to evolve.
We're going to get into that.
Some big picture looks at the future of Iowa basketball.
We continue.
This is Locked on Hawkeyes.
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Trent, kind of back with you one final time here.
Lockdown Hawkeyes.
Thanks for being with us.
And making Lockdown Hawkeyes, your first listener.
every day. We are your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast and we got a lot coming up this week. Of course,
we're going to finally hear from Kirk Ferrence coming up on Tuesday. Didn't get to hear him after
the season concluded. Didn't get a traditional signing day because signing day is not really a thing.
So the new transfers that have come in, we'll get thoughts on that, the new schedule that's been
released. So there's a ton out there obviously from Kirk Ferrence. We'll have more football
coming up later this week. And on top of that, the portal will officially open on April 1st.
So we'll have that component.
That comes up on Wednesday.
A lot of names out there.
That leads to the future.
We talked about it earlier.
Need a rim protector, need a point guard.
Jaden Coon, all indications are pointing to that Jaden Coon is going to become an Iowa Hawkeye,
the future Creighton commit from up at Storm Lake.
You saw him, boy, he just feels like he has the skill set that Ben McCollum would like.
Of course, they have the connection back to Storm Lake also.
And I know this is something that has been bandied about, rumored about for quite a while,
even going back after he committed to Creighton that this could be a possibility.
And certainly when the season didn't go very well for Creighton, those rumors ratcheted up.
But guy six foot six, six seven, good size, strong frame to him.
I equated him a little bit to kind of Joey range.
If you remember Joey as a freshman, now Joey's a couple inches shorter, but just thick.
Now, Coons stronger.
Joey had a little bit more, a little bit more girth to him, I guess, is the way to put it.
that kind of player, more of a slasher, but a guy that I think can shoot it and will become more consistent with that shot.
If that happens, that's going to be a big coup, obviously for Iowa.
Heard great things also this weekend about Trey Thompson, the redshirt, a redshirting freshman this season that came in a year early.
What he was able to do, they'll also bring in Ethan Harris, a guy that they beat Gonzaga for, a Washington kid that they beat Gonzagia for.
I think that says a whole lot.
Trey Thompson, a guy that they beat Purdue and Yukon and a lot of other power programs.
to get his services. But it's the back court, I think, along with that center that are going to be the
biggest need positions. There's been some talk potentially the freshman point guard out of Colorado that
has already entered the transfer portal. Maybe that could be a connection. Let me find his name here as I had
that a little bit earlier. Isaiah Johnson, if you want to look up him, a six foot one kid. Now he's from
LA. Again, don't know if there is anything happening. There's been rumblings also that Iowa has identified
some point guards that they want to get involved with right away,
something that could happen very quickly.
Bennett Sturt said it a couple of times during the press conferences
after the Sweet 16 and before the elite eight, come to Iowa, be a point guard.
Ben McCollum's going to make you great.
All those columns also that came out, some of them were old columns too,
talking about Ben McCollum leading into this game.
And one that I was reading, and apologies, I can't remember which one.
but it was a assistant coach from another squad and said,
well, every year he's got the best point guard in our league or the best point guard in D2.
Is that because they recruit the best?
It's because he develops the best every single year.
And that has to get you incredibly excited.
And now the power of the cell that Iowa basketball is going to have
and the ability to, A, open up maybe some doors that they wouldn't be in the past.
I know it's a transactional environment.
It's about the bottom line.
it's about money. I was going to be in good shape there. Not at the elite, but they're going to be
in good shape, certainly as it pertains to that in the portal and what they're going to be able to
spend. And this run is only going to help that too. I mean, you're looking at some of those big
ticket power people out there with the money. A little bit easier to open up the checkbook after
an elite eight run and tell you, we saw a few of those people, certainly in Houston that definitely
have that kind of cash that can make things like that definitely happen. It's an exciting time.
And I can't wait to see the way that this roster is built and what it can be with yet another year of development for this program.
This was learning on the fly.
Talked to Coach Williams, who, if you remember, about two months ago, he jumped on here, locked on Hawkeyes.
And we talked with Bryson.
And he, at the time, they were struggling just trying to figure out the Big Ten as a whole.
You know, the officiating that went with it, the way the game was called, some things that they can do, what they need to do to get over the hump.
There was a lot of that at that time.
And, well, now they went through it.
You know, they went through the rigors of year number one.
And they understood that, yeah, even going to Penn State and Maryland, how tough that can be,
even if you got a good squad.
So as good as year number one was, and it was great, certainly when we got to March in the NCAA tournament,
are still more there.
Ben McCollum will not leave any stone on overturned.
He is just the kind of guy that is going to get the most.
he is going to
he can get the most out of a group
that you're going to find
and we got the guy
and we got the right guy
and after years and years of frustration
it is a great great place to be
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March.
Back with you on tomorrow's episode of Lockdown, Hawkeyes.
We will be covering a little bit of football, excited to get into that.
portal season, potentially some other names that are going to be there and the restructuring
and reshaping of the roster all here ahead on Lockdown Hawkeyes.
Glad to be back from Houston.
Wish I could have brought back a Final Four birth along with it.
Oh yeah, the talk, and certainly when you're up by 10, where are we staying, who's going,
a road trip to Indianapolis, an easy place to get to from Iowa.
It would have been incredible.
We're going to have to wait, but we're going to get there.
Ben McCollum is the man.
That'll do it for today.
We'll talk to you again tomorrow.
Until then, go Hawks.
