Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football & Basketball: What's the ceiling & floor with the Cade McNamara injury & Hoops media day

Episode Date: October 3, 2023

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How good, how bad can this Iowa football team be without Cade McNamara? We get into that here today. It was Men's Basketball Media Day. We talked some hoops. Speaking of ceiling and floors, what's happening with the men's basketball team? We'll do that today. Locked on Hawkeyes. You are locked on Hawkeyes.

Your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Man, I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We're available wherever you get podcasts. You can also watch us on YouTube. While you're there, make sure you hit that subscribe button.

Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Today's episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code LOCKDOWNCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Well, the news will become official later today. Kirk Behrens will be meeting with the media. We'll hear from the players. And as I mentioned earlier in the week,

Cade McNamara's season has come to a close. It is definitely disappointing news for the signal caller for the Hawkeyes. The expectations were huge. And looking back, maybe we overinflated Caden McNamara and what he was going to mean to this Iowa football team. Look, he talked a good game. You go way back to the winter and after he committed to Iowa and he went on a podcast and he said, please tell us we're going to have the crappiest offense in college football again. Well, they do right now. Cade McNamara was banged up. We never got to see the best of Cade McNamara. And that's definitely frustrating. Definitely you're hoping, you know, that the recovery goes well, that he's able to

come back and put together a solid season in 2024 with the Iowa Hawkeyes. I mean, that's still the hope for him. He is a guy that worked to galvanize this offense. He did what he could, but physically it just never worked. And you talk to a number of people inside the program, the expectations were big coming into this year, that we were going to see a big step forward. And after that quad injury that he sustained at Kids Day, the limitations that he put on what Iowa was trying to do, you were left seeing exactly what it was. Iowa couldn't run their full complement of the playbook. Iowa could not do what Iowa does. And we can argue about what they do and how ineffective it is. And I think that's still obviously a big concern.

But when you take what is already a very limited team offensively, a team that just does not compete like other college football programs in 2023, they do it differently. And you can argue the successes and the merits that it is, but it is what it is. And that's where we are. But we never got to see a full Cade McNamara. We'll see if he decides to come back. Look, this is another knee injury. Of course, had a major one last season in Michigan.

Now going through this. Another thing maybe we overstated is exactly what he was. I talked about his numbers statistically at Michigan. They weren't awe-inspiring. They weren't anything that wowed you. A lot of talent at Michigan. A lot of dudes running around. Some good wide receivers. Obviously, a great running game.

A play-action game that worked, and a competent offensive coordinator, and an offensive staff that put the team in position to move the football and to score points. And he didn't have that in Iowa City. I believe it's scheme-based more than anything. I mean, look at the Iowa running game. Look at the passing game.

And look at the way, how difficult it is for them. But that aside, it's about what we're looking at. And we're looking at the rest of this football season. So this is what Iowa has the rest of the year. Obviously, starting this week with Purdue. It is a tighter point spread than I anticipated. I did my power numbers, and I docked Iowa down three and a half points in their power numbers for the loss of Cade McNamara and the insertion of Deacon Hill into the lineup.

And even with that, I still thought Iowa was going to be just shy of a touchdown underdog. That's what my numbers came up to. It opened up at three. It's gone down to two at a couple of spots. People are betting on Purdue and people obviously don't believe in this Iowa football team, this Iowa football offense, and Deacon Hill at the quarterback position. So you have that. What this is is essentially a coin flip game. At 55-45, you can lean Iowa because they're slightly favored. Following week at Wisconsin, Iowa's going to be a decided underdog.

Probably approaching 10 points in that game, which is crazy because Luka headlines this summer and FanDuel had this thing about a three-point point spread, three and four. That was the number. Not the case anymore. It won't be the case next week. After that, Minnesota. The Gophers, I think, have been a disappointment themselves this season.

They got right last week against Louisiana Lafayette, came back and got that victory in the second half with a big second-half performance from the Gophers, I think, have been a disappointment themselves this season. They got right last week against Louisiana Lafayette, came back and got that victory in the second half with a big second half performance from the Gophers. It's at home. Kirk Ferentz owns P.J. Fleck, but boy, diminishing returns, right? And that one, another coin flip game. Iowa likely will be a slight favorite in that one. The Northwestern game in Wrigley Field looks a whole lot more difficult

than it did throughout the summer with the tumult of Fitz and what happened in his firing. That program looked dead on arrival. You watch week one against Rutgers and they look just absolutely awful. Well, since then they bounced back. Had the comeback win against Minnesota. Played well for a half against Penn State. Had the lead late in the first half against the Nittany Lions. We know how good that Penn State team is. Plus, it's a wriggly, weird environment, something a little bit different. That goes from what should have been an easy Iowa victory to not a coin flip,

but maybe 60-40 Iowa. After that, it's Rutgers. This Rutgers team is much improved. And with Iowa's offensive deficiencies, Iowa a slight favorite, but not a major favorite. Certainly not north of a touchdown against Rutgers at home. Illinois after that. Illinois, the biggest disappointment in the West to this point. That team looks brutal.

Rewatching the Purdue-Illinois game the other night. Woof. Illinois has got some problems. Still, would you be surprised if that thing's 13-13 going to the fourth quarter? I wouldn't. Another coin flip type of game. And then at Nebraska, who obviously is not ready for prime time. You saw that against Michigan.

But it's a team that's run the football. It's a team that has shown that their run defense outside of the elites like Michigan, they can slow teams down. And again, with the Iowa offense. So what's the ceiling? What's the floor? How high and how bad can this go? The ceiling is still a division championship.

I still believe that because of the elite special teams, because of a good defense, because of the style of play and the opponents that Iowa faces. I still think the ceiling is winning this division. Now it might need to be seven and two and you get a couple of tiebreakers going your way. That might have to be the way that it goes.

Wisconsin, even if you lose to them and run the table the rest of the way, they lose a couple more games, do the Badgers. They still have Ohio State on the schedule. You need a few more as obviously the Badgers would have the tiebreaker if they get the head to head. I still think that's the upside. I still think they can get there. the tiebreaker if they get the head-to-head.

I still think that's the upside. I still think they can get there. I have the belief in Deacon Hill that if it goes perfectly for him, that we see the full complement of the playbook, that we see the wide receivers involved a little more, the running game gets going with the return of Caleb Johnson and Jazzy on Patterson, that suddenly this team, not great offensively, good enough. And they win. All the 50-50 games go their way. But what is the downside? What is the floor of this football team coming into the season i thought the floor was eight and four

and when the over-unders came out at seven and a half wins i was absolutely shocked and i loaded up on the hawkeyes over win totals throughout the course of the season now this thing could crater in a hurry deacon Hill is not an accurate passer. In a passing game that already struggles, you throw that into it. He's also a guy that loves that big arm, and he can make mistakes. We mentioned all those games and how they're all coin flip. They took on a reeling Michigan State team last week and easily could have lost that football game. Cooper Dejean plays hero. They're moving the football up and down the field. Michigan State, that looked like they didn't have any life left.

A lifeless program. And they took you to the brink at home. Not only could I not get to the win total and not get over the seven and a half wins this year, I believe if this thing goes poorly and if they can't figure out the quarterback position and Deacon Hill, there's a reason he was a fourth teamer at Wisconsin. There was a reason the guy was going to Fordham. Joe Labus is not the answer. And all of a sudden, this team not

only doesn't get to eight wins this season, this team doesn't make a bowl. That's not a stretch. Already with four in the book, we've seen this happen before. Limp to the finish line and things would get ugly in Iowa City. How ugly will they be for the men's basketball team? We'll try to bring some positivity. A basketball program, I'm not overly high on this season, but we will talk about the team a little bit. Fran McCaffrey talked with the media yesterday. We will talk about what we heard from the head man for the Hawkeyes here as we continue on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.

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Last minute tickets. Lowest price guaranteed. Trent Conant back with you again on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. So we talked about the floor and the ceiling for the football team this year. How about the basketball team? They come to the year, lose another first round pick and Chris Murray off to the NBA. Connor McCaffrey, who played a ton of minutes a year ago

and throughout his Iowa career, he has departed. So Iowa basketball's got a little bit of a new look, obviously, this season. Not only the return of four, or not the return, the emergence of four freshmen coming in. Brent Crickey also out of the transfer portal. They bring in Evan Bronze. Frank McCaffrey said in the press conference yesterday, he believes they can go 12 deep.

Now that's a little bit concerning if you remember some of the past teams and at times where it felt like they were going too deep into the rotation and not playing your best guys for the most amount of minutes throughout the course there. I don't think we're going to eventually get to that point. But one thing I want to say here at the start,

and I understand the frustrations of Fran McCaffrey's inability to get to that point. But one thing I want to say here at the start, and I understand the frustrations of Fran McCaffrey's inability to get to the second weekend and the teams that he's had, the players that he has had, and not being able to punch through and get to the Sweet 16. It's not a birthright for Iowa basketball. It has been a long time. We're talking on going on 25 years since their last appearance in the Sweet 16. But also remember the success that Iowa's had. And Iowa now has made the NCAA tournament the last five seasons. Yes, there was not a tournament in 2020. They were going to be an NCAA tournament team. Five straight years. Something that just doesn't happen in Iowa basketball. Certainly didn't happen under Todd Licklider, Steve Alford. Certainly didn't happen under Todd Wicklider, Steve Alford.

Certainly didn't happen before that, even going back to Dr. Tom. Didn't have a run like this. Five straight NCAA tournaments. Eight of the last 10 years. We want to see them get there. We want to see that success. And the frustrations of the loss in the first round a couple of years ago. The loss to richmond brutal

losing to auburn in their backyard tough it's gonna happen you keep rolling it out there it's gonna happen and though they've been a tournament team the last five years though they've been a tournament team eight of the last 10 seasons something that puts them up there in rarefied air in the Big Ten. The expectations usually are not very high for Iowa basketball coming into the year. And there are other programs that are more flashy. There are other programs that get you excited a little bit more. The upside probably of all them is higher too. But the floor is pretty good also. And that's what I get into here. I wonder how this team's going to defend.

We know Fran McCaffrey's teams are year after year brutal defensively, right? I mean, it's just the way that they're built, the way they play offense, they're going to be a bad team on that end of the floor. And I think this team, when you look at the way that they're built, might be the worst that we've seen in a while defensively. But they're also going to be able to score. And I'm excited to see the way that Ben Kricke, who is big guy, 6'9", 245, playing in the post, how his game is going to translate after leading the MVC in scoring a year ago at Valpo,

how that translates. And Iowa played a little differently this year. I think the starting lineup, you're going to see more four perimeter guys, four out, one in with Kricke in the middle. But then the different pieces. And this freshman class I am very excited about. Owen Freeman is going to be a stud. And it's a guy that I just don't understand why he continued to fall down the recruiting services. When you look at his game, the way that he is built, he is just a tough guy in the middle.

Something that Iowa needs. A power forward with physicality, rebounding ability, 31 rebounds in his first two games when they're playing over on their European trip. He's a guy that can get to the basketball. He's a guy that has played well against good competition. You look at his offer list before he committed to Iowa. This is a dude that most of the Big Ten wanted, and yet he chose to be a Hawkeye. This is a high upside guy.

This is a guy I think we're all going to really like his game, and he's going to remind you of some of those old school Iowa power forwards, right? The Greg Bruners, the Jess Settles, those kind of guys that are tough, not flashy, going to get the work, do the work in the paint. That's what you're going to see from Owen Freeman. And we'll hope that the offense catches up. Now, early on, though aforementioned guys, both those guys were not elite level offensive players. Jess Settles was freshman of the year in the Big Ten.

But remember, that was also a really bad Iowa basketball team that season under Dr. Tom. They built up. He was a guy, though, that developed and developed an outside shot and was able to really improve as his career went on. I think Owen Freeman has that kind of upside, that he can be one of the guys we're talking about as one of the really good players in Iowa basketball history. Brock Harding, his teammate his final year over at Moline, Mr. Basketball in the state. He's little. He's probably going to frustrate you with passes, but he's going to be

our little guy, and he likely will be a crowd favorite. Every other team will hate to play against him. There'll be times that defensively he's going to get lost out there, but he's going to make some plays. He's going to push the tempo. He's going to be a fun one. Lajay Mbali, he's a guy that was kind of forgotten, yet some people in recruiting services, I talked to one scout that absolutely loved his game, even before he committed to Iowa, when I found out Iowa was getting involved. And they said, of this group,

and a guy that the scout really liked, Owen Freeman too, but he said he has an opportunity, Laje does, to really be an impactful type of player. It might take a little bit longer. It's more of a developmental kind of guy, but the physicality is already there. He can shoot it from the outside. He was more of a perimeter guy,

even though that size in high school, he's going to be good. And then finally, Price Sanford, a Price Sanford comes in, obviously the younger brother of Peyton Sanford. He can fill it up. And one thing that I,

excuse me. One thing that I've said about him is if you think that this is just going to be a carbon copy of what Peyton San think that this is just going to be a carbon copy of what Peyton Sanford was, you're going to be wrong. Called both their games in high school a ton. Price is a more well-rounded player. There's more to his game. Peyton, sharpshooter.

And as it developed and can put it on the deck a little bit, but that's not his game. It is being a shooter. Price is a more well-rounded player. Now, got not his game. It is being a shooter. Price is a more well-rounded player. Now, got to get tougher, got to get more physical. That's something that is going to be, I think, something that he has to step up in a big time way. But a more well-rounded game, I think, is what you're talking about when you're talking about that. Iowa right now, one of the analytical sites that I use for college basketball is ranked 47th in the country. Again, higher than I would think.

Coming into the year, I thought this team was an NIT team, maybe at best. Looking at the range of a 19 and 15 kind of year, 18 and 16, something like that, after the Big Ten tournament. A tick higher, still likely if you're the 47th best team with all the automatic bids, probably not good enough to be an NCAA tournament team. Right there on the bubble. And I think that's realistic. If Iowa can be a bubble team this year, that is going to be considered a win.

Give yourself a chance going into late February. Now, the late February schedule is pretty daunting in its own right. What they have towards the end of the season. Maryland, Wisconsin, road games at Michigan State and Illinois. Back home for Penn State. They go to Northwestern, who should be pretty good again, and then wrap up with Illinois again at home at the end of the season. Got to pile up those victories early. Now when you play the two Big Ten games, Purdue early on, that's going to be tough on the road. Got to beat Michigan at home though in that December game. Have to get off to a good start when Big Ten play re-emerges with Rutgers,

Wisconsin, Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota early on. Got to pile up those victories early because it's going to be difficult to do it late. I'm more optimistic than I was this summer. Still think they're going to be bad defensively. I think, though, they can be a bubble team, a team that gives us hope, gets us through those cold winter months, and that's a good thing. Wrap up back to a little football here when we come back. It's Purdue this weekend. What do we see with the Boilermakers? We will get into that.

And how are you going to watch this game? That's right. This one is not going to be on your normal television. It's going to be just a little bit different. We'll talk about that as we continue Locked on Hawkeyes. Today's episode is brought to you by Bird Dogs. Bird Dogs are great shorts to wear throughout the summer. And if you're like me, I like wearing my shorts all year long.

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Evening out, you can wear them in the pool, lounge in a roundhouse, even while you're working. Bird dogs are incredible. I love them. I got a couple of pairs, and you should as well. Go to birddogs.com slash lockdowncollege or just enter the promo code lockdowncollege at checkout

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As always, thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Remember, coming up on Friday, it is College Football Live, our live podcast show with the network as we go around and talk about all the big games every Friday on your Locked On feed. So as we look at Purdue, Boilermakers, year number one of Ryan Walters, who did a great

job at Illinois as the defensive coordinator under Brett Bielema. And though it's been inconsistent at times, this is a team that is putting up numbers last week an impressive win Illinois came in there I thought Bielema was gonna maybe five weeks excuse me have the ship righted but it got away in the second half as Purdue put it on them three touchdowns in the third quarter as they pulled away Hudson Card's a really good quarterback it's a guy that was at Texas, obviously a highly recruited guy if he's going to Texas. He's put together a nice season this year, completing 64% of his passes this year, five touchdowns in. On top of it, he can also run the football, averaging nearly 250 yards passing per game. Two touchdowns last week against Illinois.

He can get out there. He's run for three touchdowns this season. And then he got old friend Tyrone Tracy, who's now the running back at Purdue. Now there are people on the Iowa staff that thought that's where he should have started his career, not been a wide receiver at Iowa. But that aside, he's doing it right now. And they can run the football. They can move the football. They got defense that has some warts. But Ryan Walters, obviously, with his defensive background, can do a really good

job. And though last year went well for Iowa, it was a great game plan. They went out to West Lafayette and dominated that football game and then just sat on it and coasted into the victory on a super windy day in West Lafayette. That has not been the case recently in this series. We know that Brahm is no longer there. It a new coaching staff still there's a program that's done a really good job throughout time and what they've been able to do against iowa even when i was been a whole lot better i was had some issues against the boilermakers gonna be a tough matchup we'll uh dig in a little bit deeper but got this question a lot how can i watch this thing it's on peacock well here's something for you in fact we just got a release from the University of Iowa

earlier on Tuesday morning talking just about that. How do we watch football on Peacock? So it's very simple. For you old-timers out there or people like me, it's a nap. And you can watch it on your television, but you have to screen it up there, be with a fire stick, with what's the google one whatever it is you use you can do it that way if you have a smart tv you can get the app there for peacock and it's a subscription-based service so plans start at $5.99 a month or the full year for $59.99 there's no

kickback here we're not getting anything uh for that side just bringing you the information and what you do also remember this is not going to be it for Iowa football. Likely, Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, he said back this summer that the Iowa-Northwestern game very well could also be a Peacock game unless it's picked up by one of the networks. We will see on that front. Basketball games, you're going to see some of those also show up on Peacock. So just be ready for it.

It's going to be out there. It's going to be something that's probably going to be part of your viewing habits, much like Big 12 fans had to jump aboard with ESPN+. Same thing here. Peacock is going to be a part of your viewing, and that's something you're going to have to have if you want to be able to catch a lot more games throughout the course here. $5.99 a month, a month 59 99 for the season and

he can watch the office reruns i love that all right we will come back with you tomorrow biz is traveling he will hopefully get on with us later in the week we got leshawn daniels he'll be stopping by as well breaking things down iowa football can they get it done remains the great question and a full week of practice for deacon hill We'll see how the hefty man can do out there. It is first career start coming up on Saturday against Purdue. This is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We'll talk to you again tomorrow.

Go Hawks.