Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - MEMORIES: Iowa Hawkeyes, Mark Gronowski & Bennett Stirtz DOMINATE as Top 15 Games Analyzed and RANKED

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today we're wishing you a thoughtful Memorial Day, and we're taking things a different direction. We're talking about our favorite Hawkeye memories from this past season. You are Locked-on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. And I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Lockdown Hawkeye's podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes, your first listen every day. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Head to fanduel.com to get started. Today is Memorial Day and with it, we of course think of the people that pay the ultimate sacrifice here. And that's obviously not what our conversation is going to be. Don't definitely want to be flipping about things or anything like that. But we're going to take this opportunity to do things a little bit different. We're going to go through our favorite Hawkeye memories from, this past school year, starting with the football season, running all the way through the end of the regular season. And really, we're going to break this down by the three major sports. We're going to

Starting point is 00:01:12 talk about our top 15 games, the memories that we'll have from this school year with football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. Now, there's other factors that are going to be there. I'll certainly remember the sweep at the end of the regular season in Des Moines that the Iowa baseball team had some great memories that were out there. The wrestling team, I'll bounce it back with their nice victory that they had against Oklahoma State during the national duels on what they did beating Nebraska during the regular season in a very down year and plenty of other things out there. But to simplify things, we cut it down to our top three sports that we talk about the most here, lockdown Hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:01:47 It'll be football, women's basketball, and men's basketball today. And I'd rate these one through 15. Now, these are not the greatest accomplishments. These are ones, I think, though, when we look back at time, when we look back at the 2025, 26 season. These are going to be the games that we remember the most and remember them for a myriad of different ways. We kick things off at number 15 on the list with a little football.

Starting point is 00:02:11 It was the regular season finale over in Lincoln as Iowa gets it done, 46 over the Huskers. It was a nip and tuck affair early on in the first half. It was a whole lot of Ernst Johnson. Iowa was struggling at times, certainly a stop at the ground game as he went for over 200 yards in this one. But another game, and this is going to be something that is going to be commonplace during our conversation talking about Iowa football throughout the course of the season. Mark Radowski with his legs, touchdown run late in the game to really put it on ice. DJ Vonime had a coming out party as he was outstanding on nearly 100 yards receiving in that game and really came into the spotlight.

Starting point is 00:02:49 Number 15 on the list, always good when he can take the 10th out of the 11th games between Iowa, Nebraska on the football field. Number 14, well, this one is a little bit in the doldrums, but it's going to be remembered for a long time. What happened to the Iowa women in the round of 32 against Virginia? The double overtime lost, had control of the game in the fourth quarter and just never could put it away. They let Virginia hang around. They made some plays for us overtime. And, of course, in double overtime, Virginia pulls away.

Starting point is 00:03:21 Really the big conversation coming out of that was the struggles out of the guards, inability to get shots in late game situations and as good as Ava Hayden can be and what we saw at different times, certainly from this group. The one question that we had a lot throughout the course of the season was the guard play and it showed up in a big time way in that loss as Johnson went off in overtime as Iowa Falls to Virginia in the round of 32 as a two seed. And for the first time, a team coming out of the playing round, the first four makes it to the sweet 16 with Virginia knocking off the Hawkeyes. That's number 14. the list. We go to number 13. Let's go back into the positive vibes. Now, maybe this should just be

Starting point is 00:04:00 selfishly because it was so crazy, the 10 o'clock central time tip off with Iowa and Washington. Iowa played awful in the first half. Defensively just look completely lost out there. They're down 48, 41 at the half. You're kind of wondering how this thing was even that close as poorly as Iowa played on the defensive end of the floor. Come roaring back, though, Cooper Katch started to see the signs of him in that game starting to pull out of his slump a little bit at a couple of big three three pointers in that one alveral fool garris was really good in that one iwa comes back gets a nice road victory against washington 84 74 number 13 on the list as we look back at last season from there let's go back to the women's basketball let's go with some good vibes and maybe the best

Starting point is 00:04:45 vibes that we had maybe all season long is what they did with ohio state coming to town now This has become a very good rivalry in women's basketball, Iowa against Ohio State. But this game will be remembered for a couple of different factors. A, in the first minute of the ball game, Taylor McCabe going down with the injury, the torn ACL as her career came to a close and just a sad part about that. But also remember who came off the bench and played incredibly well, and that was Addy deal. And probably the signature moment of her one season in Iowa City was that game,

Starting point is 00:05:17 how well she played, looked really comfortable out there. was inserted into the starting lineup for the next couple of games. Iowa went on a losing streak after that. But that was the Adi Deal game that will remember as Iowa gets it done there, 91-270 against Ohio State. Number 11, this one is a loss. We're going to be thinking about this one for a long time. It was the final loss of the season for the Iowa men as they fall in the elite eight to

Starting point is 00:05:42 Illinois, 71-259. Great start from the Hawkeyes. They jump out 9-0 and have a 12-2 lead. They take the lead into the second half and lead the game with eight minutes to play. In the end, just obviously too much size for Illinois. We know how those final eight minutes played out. And maybe things will be a little bit different this season with Andrew McKeever in there at seven foot three patrolling the middle. But that's another game that will linger for a long time.

Starting point is 00:06:07 How the season ends, that's also a part of it. And that's the way that it goes. But Iowa getting to the lead eight for the first time since 1987, the floor is going to be now at Carver Hawkeye Arena, the one where they got the win against Nebraska and the Sweet 16. We'll get to that game a little bit later on. And, of course, the loss here to Illinois. Tate Sage had a really good game, another one late in the season for the freshman and just how he came onto the scene.

Starting point is 00:06:31 But had an opportunity, had the lead, what ifs? We're going to be playing those for a long time, and that's going to be the case. I mean, if you've been listening here for a while, you know, we bring up 1987 and UNLV and the 18-point lead and everything that goes with it. When you're that close and you're eight minutes away from a final four, a final four in Indianapolis, that was the last place that Iowa went to a final four in 1980. And to be that close,

Starting point is 00:06:55 that's going to linger for a very long time. So those are 11 through 15 of the games to remember from this past season. We go next to 10 through 6. We continue our countdown here on Memorial Day as we get into the top 10. That's next. Stay right there. This is Lockdown. Hawkeyes. The NBA playoffs are here and every possession matters. If you're looking to get even

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Starting point is 00:08:36 Thanks for being with this as always, I'm making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Get your daily lockdown Hawkeye fix completely ad-free by joining the every day or club today. Start your seven-day free trial right now and get closer to your team without the interruptions. Click the link in the show notes or go to locked on hawkeyes. That supercast.com. Lockdown hawkeyes.com to claim your free trial. Let's get back into it here on this Memorial Day as we are remembering in a different way. No, not our fallen heroes, but we are talking about some Hawkeye heroes today and some of the great moments from this past season of Iowa athletics. We're talking about the big three football, men's basketball, and

Starting point is 00:09:18 women's basketball here today. And we're to number 10 on my list of games to remember. Let's jump back into some football. Iowa, Penn State coming into the season, we thought this was going to be a monster matchup. And though Penn State certainly did not live up to the expectations, many people had for them, preseason top five team, not the case for them. They had fired their coaches. James Franklin was gone before he made it. his way to Iowa City and yet still a big time game. I was down at the half. They had the long field goal that was blocked in return for a touchdown, left a lot of people shaking their heads about what was happening there, down 2110 in the second half of the game, yet Iowa comes roaring back.

Starting point is 00:09:59 And talking about the big runs out of Mark Garnowski. Setting up what turned out to be the game winner and the big run that got him inside the 10 yard line, a run up the middle. Of course, the clincher on third down and six, the bootleg play. up the left side and comes out the back door for the score there. And another touchdown, the exact same way coming out the back door on the bootleg. His running in this one, what, 130 yards if memory serves in that one, Iowa gets it done 25, 24. Xavier Wampo with the big interception in that game, a big one. Anytime you beat Penn State feels good.

Starting point is 00:10:34 And we know for Kirk Farrants, a Pennsylvania native, that one always has a little extra juice for the captain as they get it done. Number 10, Arlesst, Iowa 25. Penn State 24. Number nine, I kind of put together. It's women's basketball, and it was the two wins at the end of the season against Michigan. One at Carver Hawkeye Arena, the other in the Big Ten tournament that solidified their spot as a number two seed in the NCAA tournament. We know how it went, as we talked about earlier, and that loss against Virginia in the

Starting point is 00:11:04 round of 32. But those two wins and the defense that Iowa played in both of those games, just absolutely outstanding and gave you a glimpse of maybe what this team can be on the defensive end of the floor against a very talented Michigan team. I would definitely held their own. We put those two together at number nine of our wins of the year for Iowa and the games of the year for this season. Number eight, now this one maybe is a little bit selfish to me because I took my little guy with me. My six-year-old Jack and I made our way over to Carver Hawkeye Arena, though he didn't have his gold tie. He had his black and gold Zubaz on as he likes to do. And we see I

Starting point is 00:11:40 Iowa beat UCLA 7461. Bennett Sturts was outstanding. Probably the highlight as the shot clock was running down inside of a minute left. He hoists up another one, knocks down another three-pointer in that one to culminate a nice victory against a good team. Well, we're still wondering in January, how good is this Iowa basketball team going to be? That was a nice victory against UCLA, and I got that number eight on my list. Number seven, it's another basketball win on the men's side of things.

Starting point is 00:12:07 And that's when Iowa went into Indiana and just absolutely throttled the Hoosiers. This was a game from start to finish that Iowa was just better. Sturts had 27, 26 points from Tavion Banks. And you also had the extra intrigue of this game where so many people wanted Darren DeVries to be the next Hawkeye head coach. After the departure of Fran McCaffery, making the decision a year ago, as Beth gets fired the all-time winningest coach in Iowa basketball history, there were a lot of people that were in the DeVries camp.

Starting point is 00:12:39 His connections to the state, his older brother playing football at the University of Iowa, all his connections that he has. That's who a lot of people wanted to see. Beth gets, though, had different ideas. Now, you could argue if it should have been at the top of the list or if it was just the deal that Indiana gave DeVries. Regardless, I think Iowa got the right guy. Now, it's one year in.

Starting point is 00:13:00 Things can definitely change. But I think most of us are very, very happy with the way this played out as Iowa. would dominate 7457 over the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall. Number six, this one is going to be remembered for a long time. This is a game of what ifs. And this one still stings. Had Oregon beat, had the Ducks beat an Oregon team that the year previous went undefeated during the regular season,

Starting point is 00:13:29 lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl during the college football playoff. But Iowa falls by two, 1816. You had the rain, swept game, chilly, cold, ugly. It's Iowa football. And everything was set up to make it happen. And for that glimmer, that moment when Mark Garnowski ran it in and gave Iowa the lead, 16, 15, you're just saying to yourself, by golly, they're going to do it again. We're going to get another fair and special.

Starting point is 00:13:57 There were times where Oregon definitely looked like the better team, they were able to control the lines of scrimmage for long swath of this one. Yet Iowa was hanging out there. And if T.J. Hall's arm goes up another two inches and deflects that ball up the right side away, we might be having a different conversation. Alas, that's not the case. Oregon gets the field goal late and gets the win 1816. But I think we'll be remembering that game for a very long time.

Starting point is 00:14:22 We go next to our top five, our five most memorable games from this past season. We got some good ones. We got a frustrating one in there as well. The top five coming up next as we look back at the Iowa football season. basketball season, men's and women's. That's next, the top five on Lockdown Hawkeyes. Trentana back with you again here, wrapping things up as we go through our top 15 games of this season, Iowa football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. Number five on the list, it was another down one. Iowa had the defending the national champion beat. Team that went undefeated this year. And Iowa had them on the ropes. And they did it with their quarterback on the sideline for a long portion of this one as Mark Gornowski went down.

Starting point is 00:15:11 with an injury. Final score, Indiana, 20, Iowa, 15. Now, I know some people look at this and say, come on, Indiana gave up the safety in the final play of the game. They had Mendoza running backwards. It wasn't as close as even 20 to 15. Iowa shouldn't even covered as they were a six and a half point dog. Well, then you did not watch that football game. After an early interception, Indiana jumps out, seven nothing and like, oh boy, the way Indiana had been playing what they did the week previous against Illinois, I felt like maybe an onslaught was coming. And then Iowa started to ratchet things up. The defense played incredibly well.

Starting point is 00:15:46 And when Zach Lutmer had the interception and had that feeling once again, much like we talked about in the Oregon game, that Iowa was going to pull one off, that Iowa was going to pull off this huge upset. That Lutmer interception, Kinnick Stadium, was absolutely raucous at that time. And as we know, if Hank Brown on third down can just complete that screen pass out to the left side, it's game over.

Starting point is 00:16:08 there is not a doubt in my mind that Kamari Moulton gets the first down on the reception, probably runs it up inside the 20-yard line, maybe even inside the 10. Iowa drains the clock, they get a chip-shot field goal, they walk it off. Iowa 16, Indiana 13, and we're not talking about the undefeated Hoosiers. We still might be talking about the national champion Hoosiers, but we're not talking about an undefeated team. That's how close it was, but Iowa doesn't get it done. 2015, the final there, that is one.

Starting point is 00:16:38 you have the team that won the national championship on the ropes. Yeah, that's going to linger for a long time. Much like 1997 when Iowa had Michigan beat. And I thought it was the better team on the field that day. I don't know if I'm going to go that far with Iowa, Indiana, but Iowa had them. I just couldn't get it done. Let's go next to some positive vibes in our final four games of the season.

Starting point is 00:16:59 All of these are victories. Let's go back inside Carver Hawkeye Arena. And let's go to the win against Nebraska. Now we got a couple of these coming up here on the hardwood. The first one, Price, Price, Sanford's return to Carver Hawkeye Arena. Obviously, the boo birds were out for that one. Iowa needed a quality victory, a quad one win, and they got it. Tough, tenacious.

Starting point is 00:17:22 Defensive intensity was incredible throughout this one. And the Carver Hawkeye Arena environment also needs to be talked about. Just how good the environment was inside the building that night. Just a great scene. The fans rushing the floor. the smiles, the jubulations, and just it felt like that moment that Iowa basketball was really trending back into that positive direction and so much of the negativity that it seeped in. And the frustrations of years of disappointment started to dissipate just a little bit with that

Starting point is 00:17:52 victory. The scene was incredible. Bennett starts on the defensive end, what he did against Price Sanford. He was great in that one as well. Iowa holds on and gets the win, 5752 against the Huskers at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Number three on my list, let's go back to football, and it was the bull win against Vanderbilt. Now, it's Vanderbilt. This isn't beaten Tennessee or Florida or Alabama. It's not one of the heavyweights, but still, this was a very good Vanderbilt team, a team that a lot of people thought was going to mop the floor with little old Iowa,

Starting point is 00:18:24 and we know what happened. 3427, and it wasn't just the win, but it was also the way that it played out. starting early on where we saw the passing game, actually showing signs of life and maybe the best passing game that we saw all season long out of this Iowa team. The early hits from Carson Shire getting after Diego Pavia and getting him uncomfortable, the Heisman trophy finalist and what they were able to do against him.

Starting point is 00:18:48 DJ Vonime, again, what kind of performance he put together. He was really good in this one. And that coming out party we talked about earlier in the Nebraska game, taking that a step further that he did in this bowl game. going over 100 yards receiving in this one. 34, 27, they get the win. And again, gained a little bit of respect, I think, across college football, doing against a very good SEC team and getting the victory in Tampa.

Starting point is 00:19:14 Plus, it's a win in Tampa. We know Kirk loves going to Tampa. That's number three on the list. The final two are both men's basketball. First, let's go to the Sweet 16. Iowa 77, Nebraska 71, down 43, 46-43 at the half and I was sitting there saying, how are they only down three? Nebraska felt like they played almost a perfect half of basketball.

Starting point is 00:19:40 And yet Iowa was right there, gave you a little bit of hope. Of course, we had the late game situation. Nebraska, only four guys on the floor. Elverro beats him down the floor. Bennett Sturts points it out. They get it done. Throw it up to him. And Iowa gets the victory.

Starting point is 00:19:54 Moving on to the lead aid for the first time since 1987. and to do it against Nebraska and their best season in program history. The first time ever, Nebraska had won an NCAA tournament game came in this season, and yet their season comes to a close against Iowa. That one felt very, very good. But we go back a game before for number one on my list.

Starting point is 00:20:18 Round of 32 in Florida, here it is the Florida Gators. A team many people thought was a national championship contender, a front line as good as anybody in college basketball, yet Iowa goes toe to toe with them. The play of Tavion Banks playing inside against guys much bigger, much more physical, and yet he was able to get it going in that one. They hold their own on the boards, go 2727 in total rebounds in the game against the best front line and the best rebounding team in the country. They do it in Florida's backyard.

Starting point is 00:20:50 Another incredible aspect of this one. They went toe to toe with a team that thought they could win a national chance. championship, Iowa punches their ticket to the Sweet 16. We don't have to hear that anymore. 1999. It is dead like Prince. That wasn't very nice. Regardless, this game will live on forever. That play at the end. The bounce pass. We go back to Dr. Tom, the love of the bounce pass from Bennett starts. Instead of taking himself, that's what they're looking for. Yet Alvaro is right there. And he was ready. And he knocked it down. He goes into not just Iowa basketball, but NCAA tournament lore with the three-pointer from the corner.

Starting point is 00:21:31 The defense was outstanding at the end. Just enough. How about the pass that Cooper Couch made to get Bennett Sturts in motion, get moving forward to set up that three-pointer, just everything perfect, everything that you're hoping for, and Iowa gets to the Sweet 16 with the win against Florida, 73, 72, and holds on for the victory, number one on my list. Again, wishing you a thoughtful Memorial Day.

Starting point is 00:21:55 We did things a little bit different here today. Our Hawkeye memories on Memorial Day. Make it a thoughtful one. Think about those people that paid the ultimate sacrifice and all the people that have been with us in the military throughout the years. I definitely will be doing that. Hope you have a great Memorial Day. We will talk to again tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:22:12 We'll get back to a little bit normal topics and get back in to the wild world of Hawkeye Athletics. Thanks for being with this and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Again, you can get locked on Hawkeyes. add free by joining the everyday or club for free. Start your seven-day free trial right now and get closer to your team without the interruptions.

Starting point is 00:22:31 Click the link of the show notes or you can go to locked on hawkeyes. dot supercast.com, locked on hawkeyes. That supercast.com to claim your free trial. We'll talk to again tomorrow until then. Go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - MEMORIES: Iowa Hawkeyes, Mark Gronowski & Bennett Stirtz DOMINATE as Top 15 Games Analyzed and RANKED

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