Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Women's Hoops Run Ends in BTT, Why they are POISED for NCAA Tournament Run
Episode Date: March 8, 2025Can the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball teams overcome recent challenges and rise to the top? With the men's team facing a tough loss to Michigan State and questions swirling around head coach Fran McCaffrey...'s future, the stakes are high. Meanwhile, the women's team, led by standout players like Hannah Stuelke and Lucy Olsen, is making waves in the Big Ten tournament, eyeing a strong NCAA tournament run.Host Trent Condon and guest Tom Kakert from hawkeyereport.com break down the men's team's performance, fan reactions, and the potential impact of coaching changes. They also explore the women's impressive tournament journey and their chances against top contenders. The discussion is rich with insights into team dynamics, coaching strategies, and the road ahead for both squads.Tune in for an in-depth analysis of the Iowa Hawkeyes' basketball landscape and discover what lies ahead for these determined teamsFollow Trent Condon on X: https://twitter.com/trentcondonLISTEN TO THE PODCAST: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-hawkeyes-daily-podcast-on-iowa-hawkeyes-football/id1441592240SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0GTyz5ygevcGXdTF6QSoEoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnHawkeyesSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!NissanTake your adventures to new heights in the All-New Nissan Armada PRO-4X. Learn more at NissanUSA.com.Disclaimers: Optional features. Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner’s Manual for additional information. Always secure cargo. Supply HouseJoin the Trade Master program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code SH5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com! ROYDownload the Roy app now from the App Store and start backing your favorite athletes the way they deserve—with transparency, trust, and a real impact. This is the future of college sports. Join it now by downloading Roy and supporting your favorite players!FanDuelRight now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.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)
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Did we just witness the end of the Fram McCaffrey era?
At least a Carver Hawkeye arena.
Plus a great run in the Big Ten Tournament comes to a close for the Iowa women.
A lot of hoops 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. Hey, welcome in. 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 find podcasts. You can also watch us
on YouTube. While you're there, make sure you hit the subscribe
button. Just takes a moment and helps us get in front of more Hawkeye
fans. Today's episode of Lockdown Hawkeyes is brought
to you by the all-new 2025 Nisa Armada. Stay with us for the
Armada team of the week later in the episode. We are off and
running and plenty to get into here today as we open things up.
The Iowa Women Friday night, their season
comes to a close, at least the part of the regular season before the NCAA tournament
with the loss to Ohio State, a tough one. We are going to get into that on Thursday
evening. It looks like the end of Iowa at Carver Hawkeye Arena on the men's side and
on top of it, very well could be the end of Framon Caffrey and a lot of odd circumstances
on that one took my son to the game. So we'll talk about that as well. A lot of basketball talk to
get into plus we're going to be joined by Tom Cakert from HawkeyeReport.com and we'll
talk with Tom a little bit about everything happening in the world of Hawkeye athletics.
But we open things up today with what we saw on Thursday. It was a loss to Michigan State
another one where Iowa controlled the game during the first half looked
incredibly good. Defensively were getting a few stops also
helped that Michigan State wasn't shooting the ball
particularly well and outside of Jason Richardson just wasn't
there. You know, we talked about this at the top leading into
the ball game. How does Iowa compete? How does Iowa hang with
one of the top teams in the Big 10 or the regular season
champion and one of the hottest teams in
all of college basketball. Well, I got to start with a little bit
of luck, right? You got to have a few things going your way and
that was the case for Iowa. I think a lot of things were going
their way and a lot of things that eventually went well for
them on the defensive end. But then the word turned and
something that has happened with this Iowa team really throughout the course of the year
It's just the second half, you know there with the entries
Cooper Koch being lost for the season Owen Freeman shutting it down when you have
Those kind of guys go down and just the construction of this team
You're left with what you are good enough to compete with good teams for a half
But that's all you're going to get. And we saw it again. Now there are reasons for that and there's reasons that it plays out in that
fashion, but with this squad, the way that they're built and the way that they're going to be,
you can't afford to have poor performances out of your top two scores. And Josh Dix was okay.
We continue to ask for more out of him,
be more aggressive, be more assertive,
do the things that we know that he can do.
But also, Peyton Sanford,
and for this to be his final game in Carver,
you know, he finishes with 15 points
before 12 from the field,
one to five from the three point line.
And it wasn't just missing shots.
There were a couple of different times
when Iowa had momentum, Iowa was playing well and just ill-advised, poorly timed shots,
and it was frustrating. So, took my son to Carver. He's been to Carver before, but this
is the first time. He really has gotten into basketball this year. And he's five and a
half. Not five, five and a half. He tells me five and a half. And with that, we go over, stop off,
get a bite to eat at Wig and Pen, take the walk up the hill then to Carver. And just
to see the joy in his eyes, you know, see how excited he was to see the Hawkeyes, to
meet Herky, to do all those things, see the guys that he watches on television, to see
the big building, the big court in person, all those different things through a kid's eyes. It was great. But also I remember my
first experience at Carver Hawkeye Arena and going back to what it was and an environment
on Thursday where I was shocked at the number of Michigan State fans that were in attendance.
They gobbled up not just seats,
but excellent seats, mid-court seats, not the ones behind the bench that Michigan State
gets and visiting fans always get, not just those, is it in the middle? But when you got
a building that's at best 60% capacity, probably less than that, we got tickets for 12 bucks. 12 rose up. Good seats. I tell you, I did not sit
that close my first time in Carver Hawkeye 30-some years ago. But the environment and
then the weirdness. So we're going to get to that because there's just so many elements.
We know that Carver can still be a special place. I mean, you go to a wrestling meet,
you go to a duel, you see obviously what it's. I mean, you go to a wrestling meet, you go to a duel,
you see obviously what it's like for that.
You go to a women's basketball game, the excitement,
the buzz, just the elation,
and hearing national commentators talk about
what a special environment Carver Hawkeye Arena is.
The arena is old, it's over 40 years old.
Somebody else over 40 years old, I can understand. Showing
its age. It needs to be renovated. You know, when it was built, it made sense in the era.
It doesn't anymore. And no luxury boxes, those kinds of things don't make sense, the big
bowl. Does Iowa need to have an arena that seats 15,000 people anymore? Will it create
demand? Probably not. That number likely is more
in the 10 to 12,000 range. If you look at arenas that have been built, arenas in a similar ilk
as an athletic department and population base as Iowa, 15,500 when it was built, doesn't make
sense in today's environment. All those things have to be done. However, there were times where
have to be done. However, there were times where it just, it was a dead environment. And the old tired burrito lift and the same things and here comes the t-shirt cannon and
the hot dog gun. Okay. It doesn't even feel like the effort's even there anymore. Maybe
they don't want to put in the effort. And maybe this is just a program in the effort's even there anymore. Maybe they don't want to put in the effort. Maybe this is just a program in the men's basketball team that is just that. But it seemed
at all levels, coaching, players, fans, engagement,
basketball operations, everything. It just, it was very blah it was
in today's world
All the athletics and with so many people having so many different things that they can go to for entertainment
Wasn't a whole lot of extra entertainment value there. You might have a basketball team that's struggling
You have a program that's struggling. What can you do?
Now just thought of an idea what's being done with this program to get people out?
And what can be done?
And that's why we look at this thing big picture.
We wonder, Ephraim McCaffrey, based on what he's done as a basketball coach during the
15 years, would he deserve more time?
Last year, they were a bubble team, right to the end.
And a win against Illinois in the regular season finale probably would have put them in the NCAA
tournament. They didn't get it. I'm gonna get beat by Ohio State in the first round
of the Big Ten tournament and it was off to the NIT. But when you go through it
and you look at this program as a whole and what Freyba Caffrey's done, yes we
know Sweet 60 is not there, hasn't got after the second weekend. He's the all time winningest coach.
He's done a lot with the program.
And based on that alone, coupled with
a very good recruiting class coming in,
he would probably deserve another season.
But that's not the reality that we live in.
The reality is that the fan base is done.
They have said no more to Framicaffrey.
Fair, unfair, whatever your determination is, that's the reality. The fan base is not coming.
And short of Iowa winning at an incredibly high level next year than at conference,
you're going to see another Big Ten season that is at best half full for games. It's unthinkable
at Carver Hawkeye Arena, but that is our reality.
I believe that Beth Getz has to make the choice of firing Fray McCaffrey.
And whatever verbiage that they come together, Fray has let it be known.
He's getting that full buyout.
If I was going to move on, he's not going to just be a nice guy and leave $4.2 million on the table.
No. Pay that man his money.
Gary Barta, sign the contract.
Frank McCaffrey, sign the contract.
He's not just gonna walk away.
If you're ready to move on,
and we know the fan base certainly is,
then you're going to have to pay.
I keep hearing, can Iowa pay?
Can they afford it?
Yes, they can afford it.
Look, there's buyouts at a much higher level at athletic departments that have a lot less money that have been able to make it work.
Now, over this last month, plus Beth Getz has need to be in front of the big donors, has need to go out to the people that can write the kind of checks to make these things happen? That work already needs to be done. I mean, that hay needs to be in the barn. She needs to know, and she needed to know weeks ago, if that was a realistic possibility.
And she should have that answer. And if it ends Sunday against Nebraska, if they do get
a win against the Huskers and it continues to the Big Ten tournament, and then whenever
their season comes to a close, it needs to be swift, it needs to be decisive, and it needs to happen quickly.
That's what Iowa has to do.
We haven't gone through a lot of major coaching changes.
For me, I've seen two coaches in football.
Two.
Basketball, quite a few more.
Loot, Ravelin, Dr. Tom, Wonder Boy Steve Alford,
The Disaster That Was Todd Licklider, and
Alfred McCaffrey.
And they've gone a very, very, very different ways throughout the course of the basketball
program.
It seems to be done right.
There's going to be other major jobs that are out there.
There are going to be candidates that make a lot of sense.
There are candidates that are simple, and there's ones that are a little bit more difficult.
But make it quick. Make it happen. And if you're ready to move on, you have to go do
it. We're going to talk some more basketball coming up. Tom Kaker is going to join us.
Plus a deeper look at the women. Nice win against Michigan State on Thursday night for them.
And then last night it comes to a close against the Buckeyes and a lot of what ifs in that game against Ohio State as Iowa falls in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten.
However, the Iowa team put themselves in really, really good shape going forward for them to make
a run in the NCAA tournament and why I believe this team could get back once again to the Sweet 16.
We'll talk about that as we continue this is locked on Hawkeyes.
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Tom Kekert in here.
He joins the program.
Tom, Trent and Ken, thank you for coming on.
Tom, I want to start.
It was uncomfortable to read
and it stuck with me ever since you tweeted
on the Sanford death threats thread on your message
board. The fact that a player's parents got a call in the
middle of the night, claiming that their son had been killed.
What kind of sick son of a unit? I mean, that just makes my
blood boil, Tom. I don't need to know who it was. I don't ask that.
I would never do that. That's how it was. But there was another parent who got a call that
their son was in jail from a drunk driving kid who doesn't even drink. And they got that call
in the middle of the night. And then, yeah, and then another one, your son's dead.
Who does that at 2.30 in the morning?
Really?
And who answers the phone at 2.30 in the morning?
Oh, this is good news.
Yeah.
Know it.
That's usually never good news, but it's 2.30 in the morning.
So that just tells you there's some sick and twisted people out there in this world.
I wonder if it's happening more than we even know about, across the gambling landscape.
Because I have to assume that's what it is.
I want to be wrong on that, that somebody's parlay didn't hit because they had over eight
and a half and that player only got eight or whatever.
I don't know what is behind it, but anyways, uh, so the game
last night was really a tale of, uh, two different games, right?
The first 20 minutes in the second 20 minutes, is this all about adjustments
from Izzo who's, you know, historically, and especially on this run that they
are on FS one put up a graphic just how much better they are in the
second half of these games.
Um, is it all about adjustments?
Yeah. Well, it's just they seem to have something in the second half and Iowa seems to have
something in the second half that's not so good because they've faded in the second half of a lot
of games and I think that's just due to guys getting tired, guys getting worn out, guys playing
a lot of minutes. And there's times where friends, I think, kind
of rode the same lineup that's been effective for a little bit. And he just kind of rides
them a little longer than maybe he should. But he doesn't have a lot of options. So he
just got to play who he's got. Yeah, those teams just boy, they're just playing well.
And the weird thing is, I don't know that they've got, other
than Richardson, do they have a pro on that team? I don't know. Yeah, good question.
But they're really just, the thing that jumped out at me when I was writing my game preview
and looking at their stats more in depth was they had two guys with over 100 assists this year.
And that just jumps out at me,
but that's a team that's unselfish
and sharing the basketball.
That is an eye opening one.
This is a deep Michigan state team.
I don't know if they're good enough
to make a deep run in the tournament.
I don't know if anybody is in the big 10.
I think that's where we-
They don't shoot well enough.
Yeah.
They don't shoot well enough.
And you saw that in the first half.
Yeah.
I would play played okay defensively
But they also missed some open shots and outside Richardson. You just can't do that
So I was in the building. I was sending you pictures of you and bowling camp, you know again, okay
Yeah being goobers over there. Oh
the environment though for a senior day I
Just I shouldn't have been shocked. I've only been there a couple of times this year, but I was how many Michigan State fans were in the building.
I thought that was IO2.
But Tom.
There can't be a path to bring frame a cat free back financially.
Yes, buyouts cost money.
Yes, bringing a new coach costs money,
but you can't let the men's basketball program basically die
because bringing frame a cat free back isn't that what you'd be doing? cost money, but you can't let the men's basketball program
basically die because bringing Fram McAffrey back,
isn't that what you'd be doing?
Yeah, in essence, unless they start winning
and they get interest back, but all things being equal,
I really do believe that if the fans were still showing up and they had this year, I
think he'd probably get be given some grace in the next year.
But I think it's just it's a butts in seats thing that you just can't ignore at this point.
And I'm curious, what was your view of the wife of the head coach heading down to the sidelines
to offer counsel when it was 5850 and then Michigan State went on a, what was it, 24
to four run or something?
So I saw Mark because she was really close in front of us.
We had pretty decent seats there basically right right across from you, Tom. And I saw her, so I just thought when I saw her
pacing quickly, we'll just put it that way,
I thought she was going back to that tunnel
because don't they have something back there in that tunnel
where you can grab food if you're a donor,
things like that?
That's what I anticipated it was.
And until I saw the pictures online,
I didn't realize that,
no, she wasn't going to grab some popcorn.
She had other ideas.
Yeah, she went over to the,
and I think she was telling Fran to yell at the refs
or yelling at the refs herself
behind the bench during the timeout.
Hadn't seen that one before.
And it was odd.
And I'm not sure how Fran felt about it,
but wasn't about to touch that rail last night
in the post game, especially with Margaret sitting there
in the post game as she usually is.
Oh, she is, okay.
That was a question we had, we didn't know.
She is usually at the post game,
but this time she usually stands at the back of the room.
This time she sat in one of the two rows of seats and was with us.
I thought maybe she would ask a question.
You know, just the behalf didn't get that question.
But it was odd.
And I was told maybe she may have...
Flipped off officials?
Yeah.
May have had a... at halftime when they were coming down the tunnel, may have flipped off officials. Yeah. May have had a, um, at, before that halftime when they were coming down the
tunnel may have, they've had some words with them.
So I did not see that, but I was told by somebody that I trust that
that may have, may have happened.
I was told by an Iowa official that she was simply that when she went behind
the bench, she was simply pointing to remind Fran to stay in the coaching
box. If you believe that I've got, uh,'ve got some land I'd like to sell you too.
Sit up straight when you're on the bench. Please. Yeah, that's not what's going on.
Well, the game itself, there were a couple of moments, right? Obviously a couple of highlights
for guys who were playing on the floor for the final time. You know what senior might've had the best night bronze because it was
unexpected. Those two dunks, uh, the, uh, enthusiasm that he shows once he
makes a play. I love that about him.
Uh, Peyton Sanford struggled to shoot the ball, uh, as he has the time
Stelwell really never got it going.
Uh, but I thought bronze might've been the senior that, uh, uh, that had
the best senior night. How about that one? Yeah, I think you might have been the senior that had the best senior night.
How about that one?
Yeah, I think you might be right.
Boy, he's fun to watch play and he just goes up and he'll dump stuff and he just plays
physical, plays tough, plays hard, high effort guy.
Unfortunately, I think Thelwell rolled his ankle again and I'm wondering if he's probably
not going to be available on Sunday when they go to Nebraska for a must
win game if you're going to make the big 10 tournament, it's a win and you're in for both
teams.
So, you know, they've they've got to, they got to win that one.
Otherwise, season over.
Do you see enough left in the tank that give them a fighter's chance over there for 40
minutes? Not for 20, for 40 minutes against the Huskers on the road. The fact that the
Huskers have dropped four straight gives you a little bit of hope I guess, but
you follow Iowa basketball, you know, that wins at Pinnacle Bank, very few and far between. So
wins at Pinnacle Bank, very few and far between. So I just don't win over there.
And it's gonna be awfully hard
because you know Nebraska's gonna be fired up to play.
And without Bellwell, I mean,
now you're just down another guard.
It's gonna be difficult for them to,
they're gonna have to have Josh Dix in Sanford
and Price are gonna have to have Josh Dix and in Sanford and Price are
going to have to have 20 each probably to give Iowa a chance.
I know Bart is gone but I believe the way he handled the Licklider dismissal
I don't think that even let him get back to Iowa City before he knew right didn't
he get told? No it was no it was they finished up the season and, and then it was a Monday morning when
he, uh, he went into meet with, uh, to meet with Todd and, uh, yeah.
Next time you have document on next week.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I agree with that story because he was there.
That's what you said.
Does he camped out there?
Do you anticipate if there is some news regarding the coaching position that we get it relatively
quickly after this, assuming they get beat by Nebraska?
Yeah, I would, I would think it'd probably come on a Tuesday.
You gotta say something.
If you're going to keep on, you gotta say, Hey, we're, we're going to run it back and
he's going to make a couple changes or you just say, Hey, we're, we're moving on. And, uh, but
Fran made it clear he is not, he's not looking to retire. So,
that is off the table at this point. So he, I know he wants
to continue to coach, um, be it at Iowa or elsewhere, he wants
to, he wants to continue to coach.
There's some jobs open in Philly. I know LaSalle's open. LaSalle's open. Yeah, over there. It's like
an Allford parachute, right? Go back home, finish things up, bring Jack with you and
Jack in the in the 810, he'd be pretty good at LaSalle. He would be a very effective player there.
He would be a very effective player there. He might get a fight from his son Connor to get Jack. That's right. Yeah, that would go over. That would make for some interesting table-side manner, right?
Who's a better recruiter, Connor or Dad? That would be a tough one.
Well, that's Tom Kaker from HawkeyeReport.com. We continue here Lockdown Hawkeyes and we finish things up with
the end of the Big Ten Tournament run from the Iowa
Women. It was a deep one. It was a fun one. Two wins and
nearly a third. Instead, Iowa sees their Big Ten Tournament
run come to a close. We talk about that and what is next
for this Iowa Women's Basketball team on the Lockdown
Hawkeyes podcast?
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Trey Konna back with you one final time on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day.
A lot of men's basketball talk. Let's get into the ladies.
Starting on Thursday night, the win against Michigan State.
A Michigan State team that got them earlier this season.
The revenge angle was definitely there.
And I would jump out to the early lead.
So as I mentioned, I was at Carver Hawkeye Arena,
was able just to listen to the second half on the way home.
But going back and watching, I'm fast forward a little bit
and kind of cruising through the first half of the game
that I missed.
I will tell you, it felt like by the time
they got to halftime,
it felt like Iowa should have had a bigger lead.
And then the third quarter starts,
and it's not going very well.
But Jan Jensen picks up her first career technical foul,
and it ignited the team.
You know, hearing the post game and a couple of the players,
I know Taylor McCabe mentioned it,
that it was something that kind of got them going,
got them pushed forward, right?
And got a nice
win against Michigan State. Now, I believe that win against the Spartans is going to be enough
for Iowa to get into the top 24 teams in the bracketology. And with it, going to get them the
ability to get a top six seed in the NCAA tournament. So then we go to what proves to be the finale, finale last night against Ohio State. And one that obviously,
Iowa was right there. You hold this Ohio State team to 60, you
think you're going to be in good shape. And now a couple of great
stretches of the game, Hannah Stolke was a monster inside. She
had a double double and a night where offensively it wasn't
there. And you have to credit also Ohio State. You know this Buckeye team, they are physical, they are
tough and it's a tough matchup for Iowa. Cody McMahon, she talks a lot. If you're not a
Buckeye fan, she's going to annoy you. Hawkeye fans, yes. Right point by her. Right. And
got a call late. She puts her head down. She's an effective ball player though.
She's a talented player. And stands up and gets free throw that proves to be the difference
in this one. There wasn't a whole lot else there. And the reason that I'm hopeful. Final
play. Point seven on the clock. Get it into Stalky. She's got the baseline jumper. Misses.
Okay. Now I know there's people the baseline jumper, misses. Okay.
Now, I know there's people saying,
well, why is Lucy Olsen inbounding there?
Don't you want to have Lucy Olsen to have that one?
And I kind of agree with that part.
I think you want to have her as a weapon.
Hit a Stalky was not the first option though
in that inbound play.
And that's gonna happen.
Remember, the other team, they get scholarships too.
They're trying as well. And a lot of
times, your first and even second options are covered up.
I wouldn't had Olson inbound but we're picking this.
Gia Jensen's done a great job with this squad. She knows this
team better than we do and there's so many great stories
and you know, Folter with those back to back threes, those were
absolutely huge in the game. She's just playing so well and
coming off that knee injury, the slow start to the season, she's rounding into form.
Lucy Olson through the back half of the season, she has, I think, stopped worrying about everybody
else and just gone out there and played her game. She's playing at a high level. What
you've been able to get these last two games from Ava Hyde. How about that? Hyde has just
been tremendous of what she's been able to do. A Guyton coming in and being able to slow down that pressure defense at times a little
bit.
Just on and on and on.
We've talked about Kyler Fierbach and what she does on ball and the defend and she had
an open three.
McCabe didn't have it last night.
And Taylor McCabe's not going to have many nights like that when the three point shot
and good three point looks are just not falling.
I wouldn't play great last night and they're a bucket away from
beating a top 10 Ohio State team. I think that shows you how well this Iowa team
is playing, how good they're playing and in the grand scheme of things, yeah it
would have been great to get another shot against UCLA and see if he could
take down the behemoth after beating USC earlier this season. It would have been
fun no doubt. But this loss here,
this is what Iowa's resume is going to look like now
going into the NCAA tournament.
When the committee gets together,
this is what they're going to see.
Iowa sitting at 22 and 10 overall.
Six and two in neutral court games.
Six road victories this season.
A net ranking that currently sits at 24,
don't anticipate there's gonna to be a whole lot of
movement there. They went out, they challenged themselves in the non-conference. Their non-conference
strength is scheduled 30th in the country out of 360 some teams. Strength is scheduled overall
ninth in the country. That says a lot. Six quad one victories, six and seven against quad one.
That resume is as good as anybody you're going to find on those fringes.
5, 6, 7 seed. I was going to be in really good conversation with them. You combine Quad 1 and 2
together. They are 9 and 10. These are really, really good marks. Obviously, the huge quality win
against USC, I think that's going to go a long way. I believe that I was going to earn a number 6
seed in the NCAA tournament. And with that, the path to getting to the Sweet
16 is right there. Yes, you're going to have to go on the road.
That round of 32 game on the road, it's going to be
difficult. It's going to be against a good team, but it's
not going to be against one of the elite teams, one of the
who's who of women's college basketball, it will be
attainable. I was probably going to be a four and a half, five and a half point underdog, something like that, when you open up your FanDuel app.
However, think back the last couple of years. What has been some of Iowa's most difficult
games in the NCAA tournament while hosting all three years? It's that matchup in the
round of 32. The struggles that they had losing to Creighton three years ago against West Virginia.
There's been some tough, tough matchups. The Georgia game two years ago in that round of 32.
Now Iowa, they're going to be the team with the shoe on the other foot.
And whoever that number three seed is, a TCU, a West Virginia, whoever it proves to be,
you think those teams want to see the Iowa Hawkeyes and this battle tested championship level roster that has played in big games, been in big moments,
done it in tough environments. You think that that's what they want to see in the second
round? I don't think so. The Iowa team's in really good shape and I think there can be
a run in them. Plus, you never know come the NCAA tournament, crazy things can happen.
Yes, there are not nearly as many upsets as there are in men's basketball, but there is
a chance.
We will keep an eye on that one.
Still another week to go for the women's bracket as well before we will get that one.
Big 10 tournament goes early as the SEC tournament, many others do.
Time for a little rest and get ready for the NCAA tournament and hopefully another deep
run for this women's basketball team. We will be back with you on Sunday after Iowa's matchup against Nebraska.
We will talk about that as the Iowa Hawkeye season very well could come to a close. It
is a win and in scenario. The Hawkeyes have to beat Nebraska to qualify for the Big Ten
tournament. Will they get it done? We'll talk about that and break things down after it goes final against the Huskers. And then the big question, what is
next for Fran McCaffrey? That's coming your way on Sunday. Thanks for being with us. Your
team every day. That's what we do here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes Network. On the Lockdown
Network, we got the Hawkeye side covered for you here each and every day. Hit subscribe
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Greatly appreciate it.
We'll talk to you again tomorrow.
Until then, go Hawks.