Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - REVEALED: Hawkeyes Land ReliaQuest Bowl vs Vanderbilt—Can Kirk Ferentz STOP Diego Pavia?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Iowa gears up for Vanderbilt and Heisman finalist Diego Pavia, how the Hawkeyes slow down one of college football's most electric playmakers. Plus, two Big Ten blowout wins for Iowa hoops. What these statement victories tell us about both team's ceilings. 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.

Starting point is 00:00:33 I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Locked-on Hawkeyes podcast. Now, the number one sports podcast network. I've been covering the Hawkeyes for over 20 years on the radio. You can hear me currently on the Iowa Sports Radio Network each weekday from noon to two talk in the world to sports with stations in Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities, and Sioux City. Today's episode of Lockdown Hawkeyes is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code Lockdown College for $20 off your first purchase.

Starting point is 00:01:05 Today we'll talk about the bowl announcement as Iowa has been selected to head to Tampa and the Ralea Quest Bowl to face off against Vader-Belt and Diego Pavia. We'll break down the matchup, give you an early glimpse of that one and all the craziness that's happening with bold affections. We'll also talk some basketball today, men's hoops with the dominating performance at Carver Hawkeye Arena as they knock off Maryland and get their first Big Ten. win of the year. And how about the women? What they did against Rutgers going on the road and one of the more complete performances you'll see setting the stage for this week as both teams will face off against top 10 ranked Iowa state squads on the road at Hilton Coliseum. We'll talk about both those games as well. But we begin today with the news. Iowa has been selected to go back to Tampa place that haven't been in a while. It seems like Iowa on nearly

Starting point is 00:01:54 every other year basis for a while was making their way to Tampa. The old outback bowl same bowl now just with a different corporate sponsor it is now the relia quest bowl and i know there were a lot of people that were hopeful maybe it'd be more of a name brand now we had to wait until the college football playoff was selected Alabama sneaks in even after that dreadful performance against georgia the worst loss out of any of the contenders against florida state they still get in everybody else that lost in their conference championship game moved out at least a spot except for alabama so alabama in the college football playoff texasas is going to go to the Citrus Bowl, they'll get Michigan, and he definitely can understand that.

Starting point is 00:02:33 I know a lot of people would have loved to see a matchup against Arch Manning, an opportunity to see what the Hawkeyes could do against him. He's still got another year of eligibility, and because of that likelihood that he was going to be able to be playing in that game. But Texas, Michigan, in the Citrus Bowl, they'll be headed into Orlando on the 31st. So it will be an appetizer before that one against Diego Pavia and the 14th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. This Vanderbilt team, it's more than just Pavia. You look through this squad, and they are a team that's one of the best tight ends in the country. Eli Stowers, a guy that was

Starting point is 00:03:08 at New Mexico State with Pavia. He's got over 750 yards receiving this season, leads a team with 61 catches this year. He is a dynamic playmaker. They got dudes up and down the field, and this is more than just finding a good schedule. You know, we've seen a lot of teams in the past. People would point to Indiana a year ago. You got a good schedule, didn't have to play the most difficult or daunting schedule, and he had a special year. That's not the case with Vanderbilt. And what Clark Lee has built with this Vandy team and what they are, it is more than just a fun team run around and pulling a few upsets. 11th in the country and total offense.

Starting point is 00:03:45 High powered. Over 465 yards per game for Vanderbilt. 11th in the country and passing offense. 37th in the country in rushing offense at 185 yards per game. and eighth in scoring offense. That's what you get for Vandy. Defensively, though, not a league. 54th in the country in yards allowed per game.

Starting point is 00:04:06 15th against the rush. And I might have to have a game here where they do it through the air. Now, Kirk Ferrence, during his press conference on Sunday, mentioned does not anticipate many, if any, opt-outs of this game. Speculation, you know, because of injuries, would we see Cohen-entringer who left the Nebraska game, getting ready, obviously, for a potential.

Starting point is 00:04:26 for him to leave early. He does still have another year of eligibility and get ready for the draft. We've seen that offensive line with Bo Stevens and Jennings Dunker. Both those guys have been banged up throughout the course. But Kirk Farrance believes that they're going to have the full compliment. Of course, a lot of people are asking about Mark Garnowski. Look, Grinowski came here. He got the money and he needed to play in this game.

Starting point is 00:04:47 And that's something with, coupled with what's happening in college football, throughout the course of Sunday with all these teams opting out. Kansas State, there were rumors. we're going to opt out. No, they're going to play. Now they're opt out. Iowa State, of course, just up the road from us and their decision to leave, to not play the game and what their roster is going to look like. And when the transfer portal opens, what's going to be left after Matt Campbell leaves for the Penn State job? That is certainly something that is head scratching, but also understandable. Look, if you don't got players, you know, what good is it? You're going to be playing a

Starting point is 00:05:22 bunch of third and four teamers, a bunch of freshmen getting their first college action or or have only played a couple of games so far this season, what does that look like and what does that look like for the future of your program? You look at a team that it might go out there and get absolutely blown out in a bowl game. Is that good for a new coaching staff and trying to navigate the waters when the portal opens up a week or so later, you can definitely make that argument. The most disappointing though of the opt-outs is Notre Dame. I mean, play like a champion and today unless it doesn't go your way and then you just quit.

Starting point is 00:05:54 Not surprising out of that program. They've opted out before after a disappointing year. What about 15 years ago? I think they went six and six or maybe destined for the Hawaii Bowl of memory serves. Regardless, and they opted out there, not a surprise from that program, not getting their way,

Starting point is 00:06:09 and they're just going to whine and they're not going to play in a bowl game. Big picture, it's not great news. College football fan. You know, what have you done with my baby boy? This thing, when you got down to the selection, Miami getting in over Notre Dame, absolutely should have happened. Why it took so long.

Starting point is 00:06:29 If you listen to my radio show, you know I have absolutely railed against this idiotic television show. And finally, it feels like there's been some traction after I've screamed about it for the last half decade. But here we are. And finally, people are jumping on board with me. It boxes them in corners. They change their metrics. They change their talking points. It just would whatever they want to say to fit them narrative.

Starting point is 00:06:49 and it's a bad thing for the betterment of our sport. For all the excitement about senior team ranked up there, it doesn't mean anything, as we found with Notre Dame. And they just change it on a whim, change it on the fly year after, year after year, and it's not good for the sport. Now, put a committee together, how they would rank it at this point. It's still going to get a TV number.

Starting point is 00:07:10 It's still going to drive conversation, and that's a huge part of it, and that's why ESPN wants this stupid TV show on every Tuesday for the first final six weeks or something. of the college football season because it drives interest, it drives revenue, and it leads to what we do here on the lockdown network. Number one for podcasts is what do we do on lockdown Hawkeyes. These are a big part of the conversation week in and week out.

Starting point is 00:07:35 That is why it happens, but it's not good for the sport. It's not a good thing for college football as a whole. What does this mean about the future of bowl games? What is the structure of the college football going to look like? And when we bring it back here and localize, things. What does this mean for Iowa football? Now, if we do go to 16 teams into the playoff, if we get what Tony Bettini, the Big Ten Commissioner wants, and a 24 team bracket, there's, I think, a lot of momentum that is definitely building. We had conference championship

Starting point is 00:08:07 weekend, and for the most part, the games didn't mean anything. To think that you have a sport where you're playing games that don't matter. Now, Ohio State and Indiana matter. it mattered, A, Indiana trying to do something historic, winning a conference championship for the first time since 1967, but also, maybe most importantly, there's a say on the other side of the bracket from Georgia, as we now see Ohio State on the same side of the bracket as the SEC champion. That's why that one mattered. We're listening to people that were at the SEC championship, which is such a cultural,

Starting point is 00:08:43 big deal in the South. Not only does it bring in a ton of revenue, it also matters. It's important. It's part of kind of the DNA of the SEC. And when they found that loophole and put it into place, they're in the early 90s and what it's morphed into, it is a huge part of what SEC football is about. However, it would have been better.

Starting point is 00:09:07 Alabama, Georgia, that we find out, didn't mean anything. Or if you had Texas and Vanderbilt playing for a bid to get into the college football playoff. What would have been better? Indiana, Ohio State, that was great. But there weren't real stakes behind it. The best conference championship game was Duke, Virginia. Not because either of those teams are very good.

Starting point is 00:09:31 It was because there were real stakes behind it. Virginia with the wins in the college football playoff. Duke was trying to at least set up an argument for themselves to get in. It turns out to be James Madison that gets that final nod and gets in. But regardless of all that, and as it pertains to Iowa, That's why I have been a proponent, proponent, easy for me to say, of the extension,

Starting point is 00:09:54 Champions Weekend, one versus two, three versus six, four versus five, one of the ideas that Tony Petiti had and those automatic bids that come along with it. Expanded out, have everybody play in the final weekend.

Starting point is 00:10:06 I mean, the TV inventory that could come out of it, potential for a bowl game, moving up the packing order, that matters. Those things will rate. Those are things that actually are going to help your bottom line. And in this world, that everything that matters is money, that's a good thing.

Starting point is 00:10:22 That is definitely a good thing. And for Iowa, what's more realistic? Iowa in a 12-team playoff for 16. Well, they're on the fringes this year. And a bounce here, a bounce there. They're the only four-loss team in the college football playoff top 25. What do they look like if they're 10-2? One of those wins against Indiana, against Oregon.

Starting point is 00:10:44 we'd be having different conversations. Alas, here we are, and we're talking about Tampa. We're talking basketball when we come back here on Lockdown Hawkeyes, the Iowa men with the dominating performance, the women, a historic performance on the road at Rutgers. We'll kick it off and talk some basketball. As we continue, this is Locked on Hawkeyes. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994,

Starting point is 00:11:12 And with 48 teams for the first time ever, it's going to be massive. Let's be honest, getting tickets is usually the hardest part. That's why the GameTime app is clutch. Finally, giving fans a real advantage when it comes to snagging seats. With Game Time, you can track price drops in real time, get alerts when great seats open, and buy tickets the moment they hit the app. It puts the power back in your hands and makes it possible going to the World Cup more realistic instead of what seems impossible.

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Starting point is 00:12:22 your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, download the app, make an account, and use code Lockdown College for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket go game time today. Trent, kind of back with you once again here on the Lockdown. Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked on Hawkeyes, your first listen every day. Got some exciting news as well to tell you about here on Lockdown, a brand new feature that is available to all of our fine listeners at this point in time.

Starting point is 00:12:55 Well, you've heard us talking about our everyday listeners, our everydayers out there every single day. You live your team every day. Now it's time for you to take it up a level and go ad free. Join the Everydayer Club today and get Locked on Hawkeyes with no interruptions, member-only Discord access, and a whole lot more, all for just $5 a month or $50 for the year. Go to locked-on hawkeyes dot supercast.com. That is locked-on hawkeyes dot supercast.com. You can also check the link and the show notes at the bottom of the show notes and learn more

Starting point is 00:13:31 about it each and every day. $5 a month or $50 of the year for our everyday air club. And you can take it one step. Further, the everyday all-access tier is built for you if you're a huge Hawkeye fan. You'll get one-on-one tax access with me, all-access episodes, an exclusive newsletter, and a 15% discount to the locked-on merch store. Head again over to lockdown hawkeyes.com to join their everyday program and unlock all access. You can find the link again on the show notes here. Let's get back into it and jump over to some basketball talk.

Starting point is 00:14:09 Let's start with a look at the men's team and what they did against Maryland in one of the better shooting performances. We've seen early on from this team jumped out to a big lead and really kind of said coasted from there. There were a couple of tense moments overall. Maryland got to the free throw line a ton. It's not very often that you see a team get to the free throw line 38 times on the opposing floor. But that was the case in that one. Iowa, just six at 12 at the free throw line in this. game. But it was a shooting, a hot start, hit their first six three-pointers of the game,

Starting point is 00:14:44 finished nine and 22 overall from behind the arc in this one as Iowa wins at 83-64 and picks their first Big Ten win up of the year. We talked about it last week. This Iowa squad needed something special. It needed something positive to happen in the Big Ten. There's just been so many times that they dug themselves 0-and-2 starts with these early conference games that have played, been played now, what, the last decade or so, so many times you're O and two and even just battling your way back to get to 500 in such a difficult task and certainly going to be the case this year in the Big Ten. I think we see at this point in time that the tier is starting to really separate itself.

Starting point is 00:15:22 You got the top three teams in the Big Ten. Michigan State, who of course the Hawkeye saw last week, and as we know, that one didn't go very well for Iowa on the road at the Breslin Center as we talked about last week. You got them, they are playing at a super high level. From there, also in the Big Ten, Michigan, a lot of people have them as the number one team in the country. They're playing outstanding. They're playing at an incredibly high level at this point in time. And though Purdue got blown out by Iowa State in Mackey at home, still have to feel Purdue kind of in that top tier.

Starting point is 00:15:57 Then you get into the next group of teams and he throw UCLA, been a little inconsistent this year, and Mick Cronin and just how miserable he seems week in and week out. Wisconsin, a little up and down for them. Washington would have come back when they had against USC. USC another team. Of course, Illinois, maybe towards the top of that one. Indiana's starting to pull back a little bit. But I was in that group of teams, in that mix, Ohio State.

Starting point is 00:16:21 Not sure if I mentioned the Buckeyes, that next tier of team and trying to separate them at this point in time, it's kind of a fool's here. Still, you look at the conference standings now. You've got three teams that have already dug themselves that O and two whole with Northwestern, Oregon, and Rutgers. Iowa sits in the middle. You got one team that's two and O, that's UCLA, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Minnesota, you're one and no teams and don't see a whole lot of sustainability for Minnesota. That had a decent win against Indiana. Still, when you go through and you kind of look at this group and the way that it's set up at this point in time, Iowa is right there after that top tier and a great performance.

Starting point is 00:17:01 against Maryland. That's why it was such an important game, even for one that was played on December 6. Bennett starts again controlling things. Talk about shooting the basketball well. I really like what we saw. The assist numbers down a little bit again, just two assists for him in the ball game as a whole, though. How about Iowa with 19 assists against just seven on the other side from Maryland as they jumped out early? I'll also have to talk about the play of the freshman Tate Sage. It's been very interesting. Tate Sage, a guy that, all right, he's long, he's six, seven. He's kind of that two, three, you know, kind of swing type of guy, shooting guards, small forward.

Starting point is 00:17:38 We'll kind of see what he morphs into. He's much springier, much bouncier. I think that anybody probably thought when he decommitted from Drake and decided to come with McCollum here to the University of Iowa. But not just shooting the ball like he did, knocked down a three, but getting to the rim. I had one that was called a goal 10 up against it, but goes back to that athletic. medicism, that's springiness. They need to get Alvaro Fulgaris going again. They just need his scoring punch.

Starting point is 00:18:07 And something we talked about a lot in the game against Michigan State. They need more complimentary scoring to go along with Bennett starts. I think Cooper Kach is going to be there for the most part as he shot the ball well. Cooper's going to be a guy that's going to be able to deliver, you know, 10, 12 points a game. I think you can consistently get that out of him. More though, that consistent score certainly think Fulgaris has to be in the mix. Another thing that needs to be brought up is the lack of minutes from Brendan Housen. So Hosson was a guy that I think a lot of us thought was going to be a starter for this team.

Starting point is 00:18:49 When they got him out of the portal, this was a player that a lot of people wanted. Tremendous shooter, certainly at Kansas State, even before that, at Villanova. And he doesn't get off the bench. in a blowout game. We talked about his first half that he played against Michigan State. I thought he competed on that end of the floor. One thing that I didn't talk about, though,

Starting point is 00:19:11 had a couple of three-pointers that didn't go down after he hit his first one, got to the free throw line, scored seven points in the first half, and then played in the second half. A lot of people point to the defense and certainly has never been an elite defender. I mean, you look through the advanced metrics from him

Starting point is 00:19:25 and definitely can see that that's never been certainly one of his strengths, the way that they measure those defensive metrics. However, I don't think it's just that. I do wonder about just the way the system set up offensively. Yeah, you want shooting out there. I mean, it goes without saying that you want that part of it, but shooting a little quicker than they want

Starting point is 00:19:46 and not going through the set completely. And I think you saw that a couple of times against Michigan State. The easy answer is the defense, but maybe a little bit more as you dig under the surface for the lack of playing time for Brennan, Asson, as he doesn't get out there. Now, Hassan said this is the most fun he's ever had playing college basketball, though he's getting paid well.

Starting point is 00:20:07 And after the game, Ben McCollum has still said. And he said in the past that he's still going to help them win a couple of games. Tough to do coming off, not playing, but something to file away. Thursday night, it's a road trip to Iowa State. The cyclones on the heels of one of the biggest wins in program history, not only beating the number one ranked team in the country, they have the third longest winning streak in the country currently and nine consecutive wins as they've opened up the season at 9 and 0

Starting point is 00:20:35 but also the fashion that they did it just running away from Purdue put 81 points up in Mackey and they do it with shooting they hit 11 to 23 3 pointers we'll talk more about this game it goes from hey can I with steal this one too maybe we need to reimagine our expectations a little bit for that one Speaking of reimagining expectations, the Iowa women's team is off to an undefeated start. Now, it hasn't been the most daunting schedule, and it's going to ramp up here this week as they take on themselves a undefeated and top 10 ranked Iowa State team in Hilton Coliseum. Hawkeye Women, a historic win and some eye-popping numbers.

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Starting point is 00:22:56 Trent, I'm back with you one final time here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked on Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Back to basketball and what we saw from the men's side, a big performance. The women's side was even more wild. Some of the numbers, watching this one. It was great.

Starting point is 00:23:14 I mean, the way it was set up. Got FS1. You go from the men's game right into the women's game, got the SEC championship game that's happening at the same time, then leading into the Big Ten championship. I mean, what a Saturday. It absolutely was. Happy birthday to my wife on that one on Saturday. 7936, Iowa gets the win, and it wasn't that close.

Starting point is 00:23:34 A 43-point road victory against a Big Ten team, and Rutgers was seven to two. That was a crazy thing. The seven teams they beat, I get, are not the most daunting opponents. Still, to do that in that fashion, what we saw defensively out of this group, and I think that's what we've talked about this a little bit in the past, the upside of this team. Now, is this a top 10 team right now in the country? I'm not sure if you can exactly get there. You know, chit-chat, she's been dealing with injury, chit-chat, right?

Starting point is 00:24:08 We've seen that. Emily Rodriguez, the same thing. The team's been a little bit banged up. But with David Hayden, what she's doing inside. with Taylor McCabe in the way that she has been shooting the basketball here recently. Hannah Stolke, you know what you're going to get out of her. Stremlow, just such a consistent performer. You got Fierbach and what she's done on the defensive end.

Starting point is 00:24:28 How about the emergence of Journey Houston and really excited about her? Addie deal, obviously, I'm coming in and giving some good minutes. Just overall, this squad, I think there's even more that they can do, even more that they can do as a team. Rucker shoots 1 to 12 from 3. Rutgers was dreadful. That was an awful, awful performance out of the Scarlet Knights. But I talked about it. This team, now, the ranked 119th over a Bartorvik in the advanced analytics.

Starting point is 00:24:59 Mentioned their 7-2 start. They were wins against Wagner, 351, Quity Piak. They lost to Stony Brook, beat Rhode Island, Fairleigh Dickinson, Sienna, Northeastern, and St. Peter's. Not exactly the who's who. women's college basketball. Still, to do that, that's going to help out your metrics. And when you look at the net rankings, that's something that also helps in a big-time way.

Starting point is 00:25:25 I don't think it tells us anything, but it still says this squad has a ton of upside. Iowa State this week on Wednesday, and an Iowa State team themselves that is playing at a super high level. Iowa State also undefeated, they're 10-0, and they're blistering people. The scoring output coming from this Iowa State team, everybody, Nobody knows about Audie Crooks inside and Addie Brown, kind of that versatile, rugged type of power forward that plays along with her. But the difference has been Jada Williams, who Iowa also was recruiting out of the transfer

Starting point is 00:25:56 portal. She is quick. She is tough. She's knocking down shots. She's doing a little bit of everything. She gets to the rim at a super high level, and that's something that I was going to have to combat on top of it. She shoot 96% from the free throw line.

Starting point is 00:26:11 Keep her off the foul line in that one. We'll break the game down more as the. week goes on. Again, that will be Wednesday on the women's side and then on Thursday for the men's side should be a big, big week of basketball. Looking forward to that. And with that big week again, want to mention one more time, thank you for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes, your first listen every day here on the Lockdown Network, the number one sports podcast network. But now with your team every day, it's a chance to go up a level. We have a couple of things for you. Our everyday club for Lockdown Hawkeyes with no interruptions,

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Starting point is 00:27:08 Locked on Hawkeyes.com is where you can find all the information for this, an opportunity for you to get involved. and find out exactly what we're doing. Lockdown hawkeyes. Dot supercast.com. Lockdown hawkeyes. Dot supercast. com for your chance to look around,

Starting point is 00:27:24 see what we have going on. I'm going to be doing a couple of different things. Also, going to be doing a weekly, a walk and talk with you, our members. You can text me through this lineup and a whole lot more. You'll have instant access with all that. I'm looking forward to people jumping on our everydayer club. Thanks for being with us for everyday listeners.

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Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - REVEALED: Hawkeyes Land ReliaQuest Bowl vs Vanderbilt—Can Kirk Ferentz STOP Diego Pavia?

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