Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Hawkeye & Big Ten talk with Scott Dochterman, Kevin Lehman on UNI winning Arch Madness, Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports

Transcript

Hawkeye & Big Ten talk with Scott Dochterman, Kevin Lehman on UNI winning Arch Madness, Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

• 0:01
  Our number 2 Miller and Condon welcome back Iowa Sports Radio
• 0:04
  Network Trenton Ken with you until 2:00 off the bench.
• 0:09
  Lucas Strange, Sean Roberts there at the Rally House in Ames
• 0:13
  for their three hour show starting at 2:00 overtime.
• 0:17
  Iowa 5 until 6 bottom of the hour.
• 0:19
  Kevin Layman will join Trent and I called the Missouri Valley
• 0:22
  Conference tournament TV and radio in Saint Louis over the
• 0:25
  weekend. He will recap you and I's win as
• 0:28
  they punch their ticket to to the NCAA tournament.
• 0:31
  Trent will make some picks and we'll turn things over to the
• 0:34
  boys at the Rally House in Ames right now.
• 0:36
  Scott Dockerman joins us, covers college football, college
• 0:40
  sports, cover sports for the Athletic.
• 0:42
  And he is with us as he does some NFL work leading up to the
• 0:45
  draft as well. Doc, Trent and Ken, thanks for
• 0:47
  coming on. How are you Scott Dockerman?
• 0:50
  Hey, I'm doing. Well, you know, just checking
• 0:51
  out all the signings. It's just I, I go to the store
• 0:56
  for a few minutes and I come back and I find out Tyler
• 0:59
  Lienderbaum agrees to a pretty lucrative deal with the Las
• 1:01
  Vegas, right? Yeah, 60 guaranteed, 3 years, 80
• 1:06
  something, but 60 which is guaranteed and good for him.
• 1:09
  Good for him. I was surprised the Ravens let
• 1:11
  him get to that point, but they did.
• 1:13
  And he stays in the AFC but switches from the North to the
• 1:17
  AFC West. So.
• 1:19
  So Doc, a lot of ground to cover with you.
• 1:20
  I want to go back to last Thursday.
• 1:22
  You were at Carver memory of if I if I have that right.
• 1:26
  In fact, I'm pretty sure you were, you were there during the
• 1:29
  heyday, too, when you were still covering for working for The
• 1:31
  Gazette and you covered some, some big games that Carver
• 1:35
  Hawkeye, some big men's games when the building would be full.
• 1:38
  I thought that was maybe my biggest take away other than
• 1:41
  it's a hell of a game. Michigan.
• 1:42
  I would put on a terrific 40 minutes of entertainment, but it
• 1:46
  was great to see and hear Carver the way that it once wasn't.
• 1:50
  It's been a long time. Yeah, I thought it was a really
• 1:54
  nice, you know, crowd for, for Iowa and Michigan, you know, to
• 1:58
  finish things up. I, I've been there, I don't
• 2:00
  know, two or three times this year.
• 2:02
  And, and I thought that the, the stick, the the probably the best
• 2:06
  part that I witnessed was that the student section is, is full
• 2:10
  and engaged. And it was the other day and it
• 2:13
  has been and, and sometimes I thought, you know, maybe they
• 2:16
  got a little carried away with one of their chants,
• 2:18
  particularly against a Nebraska. It wasn't real fond of that.
• 2:21
  But but I mean, to have the the risers right there and buying
• 2:25
  the end line behind the basket I thought was really important.
• 2:29
  And, you know, and then there's been some other smart things
• 2:32
  that I think have been done at Carver, like having hawkers walk
• 2:36
  around and with the selling beverages and stuff.
• 2:39
  That's just those are small things over the years that you
• 2:42
  know, for what I even brought it up to Gary once in a while.
• 2:45
  I'm like, you know, Ohio State does this.
• 2:48
  You know, it's kind of a shame that your people in your best
• 2:50
  seats aren't getting they, you know, they have to walk the
• 2:53
  farthest for concessions and use the restrooms and stuff.
• 2:56
  And, and they never did it until Beth got there.
• 2:58
  So I think, but overall, I, I think it's been a great
• 3:01
  atmosphere there this year. It's much better than it was
• 3:04
  last year. And and if you know, I think
• 3:07
  good day, good days are ahead. Absolutely, and I think there's
• 3:11
  times I certainly have forgotten this is your #1 it was a rebuild
• 3:16
  and there was work to be had. And yes, yeah, Bennett starts.
• 3:18
  But yesterday we saw some of the other guys step up in a big time
• 3:22
  way. Cooper Koch knocking down shots
• 3:23
  and Kale Combs maybe played offensively, his best game in a
• 3:27
  Hawkeye uniform, including the tire that ascended into
• 3:30
  overtime. What do you kind of look into
• 3:32
  the future of what this looks like?
• 3:33
  People talk about the pace and the way games played currently
• 3:36
  with McCollum. What do you see going forward
• 3:38
  with men's basketball in, say, the next 5-10 years under Ben
• 3:42
  McCollum? Wow, going 10 years, man, I
• 3:46
  can't really think about more than 10 days here.
• 3:49
  I, I, I, I like what he is doing, how he is building the
• 3:54
  program because it is entertaining as friends system
• 3:57
  was offensively and, and I think we can agree that I mean,
• 4:02
  scoring a lot of points is a good thing.
• 4:03
  It's a fun thing in basketball, but it wasn't the the the
• 4:07
  inability to stop opponents really kept them from going to
• 4:12
  higher levels, whether it was in the tournament or as late in the
• 4:15
  season, because you got to get stops and they really couldn't.
• 4:18
  So I think the way Ben McCollum is building this team is, you
• 4:21
  know, it's defense is really important and really impactful.
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  So when you get into games where you're not shooting the ball
• 4:27
  well, you're still able to impact the game on that side of
• 4:31
  the court. And, and when I think we saw
• 4:33
  that against Michigan, where, you know, I was struggling to
• 4:37
  get shots off, especially early, everybody targets Bennett Sturt.
• 4:41
  And rightly so. He's one of the best players in
• 4:42
  the country. And yet their defense kept them
• 4:45
  in the game. And, and I think that was the
• 4:47
  same case yesterday at times when things were starting to
• 4:51
  slip away from them at Nebraska late in the second-half, that
• 4:54
  their defense kept them in the game.
• 4:56
  And, and with that, you know, you have the ability to recruit
• 5:01
  players who can play defense at a place like Iowa rather than
• 5:06
  accumulate 5 stars who could play at both sides of the floor
• 5:10
  with, you know, with equal athletic ability.
• 5:12
  So I, I really think that that's a hallmark that he has that he's
• 5:16
  going to present to Iowa long term.
• 5:19
  And, you know, they're, they're going to have another
• 5:21
  reclamation project because it's going to be comparable.
• 5:23
  And almost every year in basketball, I mean, he had only
• 5:26
  one player return and he's going to lose, you know, one of the
• 5:29
  best players Iowa's ever had. And then it starts and he's
• 5:32
  going to have to replace a few others.
• 5:34
  So it's, you know, I imagine he's going to have to go out the
• 5:37
  portal and, and grab some really good guys and, you know, make
• 5:40
  some other personnel decisions. I mean, Alvaro Fogaris at times
• 5:44
  has been really good and other times has been, you know -15 on
• 5:48
  plus minus at the end of the game.
• 5:49
  You can't have that from somebody like him who you spend
• 5:52
  a lot of money on. Doc, from your perspective and
• 5:56
  I, I think it and Stretch said this many times, it depends
• 5:58
  where you grew up in the state as to who Iowa's rivalry.
• 6:03
  It truly is. But from where I said as an
• 6:06
  outsider, admittedly, I'm starting to see Nebraska maybe
• 6:11
  more people lining up behind. That's our rival.
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  And I get it. There's still that.
• 6:15
  I love the Illinois Iowa basketball and Wisconsin Iowan
• 6:18
  football was car Iowa, Minnesota in football is is great.
• 6:22
  But from your perspective, is Nebraska become Public Enemy #1
• 6:27
  if you want to put it that way, for the Hawks?
• 6:30
  That's probably a really good way to put it, Ken.
• 6:32
  And I would say that that is probably the case.
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  And I did a poll a few years ago when we when we were the Big 10
• 6:39
  was experimenting with, you know, expansion and who need to
• 6:42
  protect and everything like that.
• 6:43
  And, and it was kind of A2 sided poll.
• 6:46
  And it shows you kind of how polarizing Iowa pans can be
• 6:48
  about this. And I said, who's your biggest
• 6:50
  rival? And there were, you know, three
• 6:52
  teams in the Big 10 particularly that kind of came out and they
• 6:56
  were all close together. Wisconsin wanted, but Nebraska
• 7:00
  was right there and Minnesota went far behind.
• 7:02
  And but when I said, which team do you hate the most, it's no
• 7:05
  question it's Nebraska. And I think that's the
• 7:08
  interaction with fans really intensifies that.
• 7:11
  And you know, there's there's an oil water mix to it, You know,
• 7:14
  kind of the self righteousness on one side, the insecurity a
• 7:18
  little bit on the other. And it just doesn't mix well,
• 7:20
  which makes great rivalries. As long as Nebraska basketball
• 7:24
  is is playing the way it is. You know, you know, I'm not
• 7:27
  saying they're going to be second the big tenant every
• 7:29
  year, but like competing for the Big 10 tournament, that sort of
• 7:33
  thing. I mean, the national tournament
• 7:34
  NCAA then I think that it has a chance to be kind of the all
• 7:38
  sports rival for Iowa in the Big 10, you know, and then football,
• 7:44
  you know, that I think that could be a rival no matter what.
• 7:46
  So but yeah, as Trit said, living in different parts of the
• 7:50
  state is how you value rivalries a little bit differently, I
• 7:54
  would say. You know, I have friends on both
• 7:57
  sides of the fence, Central Iowa and the Cyhawk is the paramount
• 8:01
  rivalry and completely understand it.
• 8:04
  Living on the eastern side of the state, it is a big deal, but
• 8:07
  it kind of fades out after the games.
• 8:10
  So you know, but that's because you don't interact as much Iowa
• 8:14
  fans within Iowa State fans. I mean, if you're in the same
• 8:17
  cubicle office, church, school, you're going to talk about that
• 8:21
  a lot more, you know, in the proximity of central Iowa.
• 8:23
  So, but it's it's certainly possible also with Big 10's
• 8:28
  expansion that Illinois and basketball might fade a little
• 8:32
  bit with, you know, and and maybe a few others that normally
• 8:35
  would be entering that conversation.
• 8:37
  Doc, you're going to be in Chicago this week for the Big 10
• 8:40
  tournament. It begins tomorrow.
• 8:42
  Just absolutely crazy. And it will conclude on Sunday
• 8:46
  with the Big 10 championship game.
• 8:48
  Oregon, Maryland will get things going and it'll be Northwestern,
• 8:52
  Penn State. After that, I will face as
• 8:54
  though the winner of the Ducks and the Terrapins.
• 8:57
  Either way, it'd be a bad loss. Even though Biddles back.
• 9:00
  The committee's probably not going to dig under the hood that
• 9:02
  much there. How important do you believe
• 9:05
  that first game is for Iowa? The resume looks good in
• 9:08
  comparison to the rest of the bubble, but another Quad 2 or
• 9:11
  maybe even quad three loss there at the end of the season could
• 9:14
  be a demerit. How important is what will be in
• 9:17
  two days for the Hawkeyes? I don't think it would knock
• 9:20
  them out if they were to lose to one of those two teams.
• 9:24
  You know, I think Oregon is playing a little bit better, as
• 9:27
  you mentioned with with Biddle and who knows if, if they're
• 9:30
  playing Iowa, you could be a a bigger challenge than you would
• 9:33
  expect. But I, I think they were still
• 9:36
  in. The only thing that would have
• 9:37
  to change that is if you see teams that like like, let's say
• 9:41
  USC goes on a run and wins the big 10 or or Cincinnati wins the
• 9:44
  Big 12 or something like that, that that could push them down.
• 9:48
  I would think it I think it actually would be the worst
• 9:51
  thing in the world if they wouldn't one and one beat like
• 9:55
  Oregon and then to Ohio State because you might get you to the
• 9:58
  10 line and today's college basketball this year, the worst
• 10:02
  place to be is the 8-9 game because you're then you're
• 10:05
  playing you play Michigan, Arizona, Duke, probably Florida
• 10:11
  and all four of those teams have just.
• 10:14
  I mean, I think they are really poised to have great years.
• 10:16
  Doesn't mean they can't get upset, but it's just going to be
• 10:18
  really tough and versus, you know, some of the twos.
• 10:22
  I mean, if you know, let's say Nebraska gets to Sunday and
• 10:25
  maybe ends up on the two line or or Illinois or even Iowa State,
• 10:29
  you've seen some inconsistencies there that a team, if you're on
• 10:33
  A7 or A10, you have a chance to get through.
• 10:36
  So I think Iowa's safe even if they get upset on Wednesday.
• 10:42
  You obviously don't want that to happen.
• 10:44
  But I think if they could slip to the 10, even the 11 there, I
• 10:47
  say you're not dictating. It's not the worst thing in the
• 10:51
  world and the way this tournament's shaping out.
• 10:52
  Yeah, couldn't agree with you more.
• 10:54
  I like the way I like your line of thinking there.
• 10:56
  Doc, I want to go back to your time in Indianapolis and the
• 10:58
  follow up that you wrote pursuant to to the Big 10 in
• 11:03
  2026. Some of the stuff that you heard
• 11:06
  regarding getting some of the, you know, some of the what we
• 11:10
  perceive we're going to be major, major impact players in
• 11:13
  2026. I'm just going to turn it over
• 11:16
  to you, Doc. Just you know, you wrote a long,
• 11:18
  long piece and I love your long form writing.
• 11:20
  Just a take away or two from what you heard in Indianapolis
• 11:24
  regarding football in the Big 10 in 2026.
• 11:28
  It wouldn't surprise me at all if this is just as strong of a
• 11:30
  year, if not stronger in the Big 10 coming up.
• 11:33
  Yeah, I think when you I talked to a lot of Oregon players and
• 11:37
  when you look scrimmage wise, they're going to be every bit as
• 11:41
  challenging for people to go out against as they were last year.
• 11:45
  They have one of the best centers in the country and I
• 11:47
  think Iowa is right there with them offensive line wise.
• 11:51
  So you don't you're both teams. Everybody kind of talked about
• 11:54
  those guys come back and and so that that's probably 1.
• 11:59
  On the flip side, Ohio State, you know, the Ohio State guys
• 12:04
  are very high on Kenyatta Jackson kind of being in the
• 12:07
  next great defensive lineman for for Ohio State.
• 12:11
  You look at some of the guys going in at stepping in at
• 12:14
  linebacker, there's a little bit of a drop off, but I think
• 12:16
  everybody seems pretty excited about that.
• 12:18
  And then likewise in the secondary, you look at, you
• 12:22
  know, probably two of the best players coming back, Brandon
• 12:26
  Finney, junior from Oregon and Zach from Iowa.
• 12:30
  I think both of them are are going to be elite players.
• 12:33
  And Ohio State will have a cadre of players as well.
• 12:36
  And I think one of the most interesting guys I'm going to
• 12:39
  watch, though, is running back from Penn State, Cam Wallace.
• 12:42
  He was kind of tucked behind two really good ones previously.
• 12:47
  And now with Matt Campbell, is he going to be the next day the
• 12:50
  guy that kind of becomes his version of Breece Hall?
• 12:55
  I'm not saying that he's going to be as good, but can he be
• 12:58
  that next, you know, really good Penn State running back in the
• 13:01
  next really good running back under Matt Campbell?
• 13:04
  So he's going to be the guy I watched there.
• 13:07
  And and then likewise a quarterback.
• 13:11
  I I don't know if any league can even come close to matching this
• 13:14
  even without the Heisman Trophy winner.
• 13:15
  Julian saying, Dante Moore, Jayden Maiava, I mean, there
• 13:20
  there's a lot of faith that that the Big 10 is going to be every
• 13:23
  bit as strong last year as it was or this year as it was last.
• 13:26
  Year and I can't wait to watch Hoover now he fits in in
• 13:30
  Indiana. That'll be fascinating.
• 13:31
  Absolutely. And the guy that maybe even had
• 13:33
  a better resume than Mendoza by the time that Mendoza got there.
• 13:36
  And obviously we saw what happened this season, Doc, you
• 13:39
  talked about the Iowa offensive line, Cade Peeper moving inside
• 13:43
  to center. And obviously what we saw out of
• 13:45
  Trevor Lout this year, just absolutely tremendous there in
• 13:48
  his first year as a starter. What do you look through with
• 13:50
  the rest of that offensive line? There's some guys with some
• 13:52
  experience. They won the Joe Moore Award
• 13:55
  this past season. You got to stalwarts and
• 13:57
  potentially 2 All Americans to start up that offensive line.
• 14:00
  How do you shape up the rest of the offensive line for the
• 14:03
  Hawkeyes though this season? It's pretty early.
• 14:07
  I haven't given that a lot of thought Trent on on yet.
• 14:11
  I mean, I think Cade Peeper, obviously Cade Peeper, if he
• 14:14
  ends up being the center, which is is probably what they were
• 14:17
  planning on that he will be, you know, then Mike Maslinski will
• 14:21
  probably be a guard. He would be the other candidate
• 14:25
  at center at least going into this year.
• 14:27
  And then Leighton Jones came in and had a nice season.
• 14:31
  You know, it's kind of a backup that they really start looking
• 14:33
  at as a guy that they feel like can can start.
• 14:36
  And then at the other tackle, I, I mean, I'd say Jack Dozler is,
• 14:40
  is your best bet as a starter opposite Trevor Lauke.
• 14:44
  He was really close before, you know, losing the spot, I guess
• 14:50
  before Trevor Lauke won the spot.
• 14:52
  So I mean, they're all upperclassmen out of that.
• 14:55
  They would all be juniors or higher.
• 14:56
  So I think they would have more of a veteran front, but then you
• 14:59
  can go beyond them. You know, Lucas Alguire really
• 15:02
  impressed them as a true freshman and he's going to push
• 15:05
  for time and that. And one of the things Iowa has
• 15:07
  done really well in the past is kind of when when they were, you
• 15:12
  know, going as a unit pretty strongly is rotating a young
• 15:16
  player with a veteran. And so I can see Lucas Alguire,
• 15:19
  for instance, rotating with Mike Mieslinski guard if that's the
• 15:23
  case. And then that way he's fully
• 15:25
  prepared when he takes over. Plus, you know what, 4 out of
• 15:28
  the five incoming freshmen are on campus right now lifting and
• 15:32
  and going to participate in spring football.
• 15:34
  So, and and then I wouldn't rule out Trent Wilson, the guy from
• 15:39
  from James Madison who played a lot of snaps last year or went
• 15:42
  to the playoff for him challenging.
• 15:44
  So I mean, and none of this is it's all kind of written right
• 15:48
  now in an express spreadsheet that I've got.
• 15:51
  You know, peeper LAUK to me are automatics.
• 15:54
  The others are going to have to earn it.
• 15:56
  But I think they like the unit and they finally have reached
• 15:59
  that point where they used to, which was they'd have veterans
• 16:04
  and then they'd have young guys and they just kind of keep
• 16:06
  rotating them. Every other year, you know, you
• 16:09
  get kind of a new batch of both. Scott Doctorman from The
• 16:12
  Athletic You'll be in Chicago covering the men's basketball
• 16:14
  tournament. What else, Doc?
• 16:15
  What? What have you been working on
• 16:17
  that will publish at The Athletic while you're there or
• 16:20
  in advance of you getting to Chicago?
• 16:24
  Yeah, I I'm working on something about the travel and the Big 10
• 16:28
  basketball wives. I mean, this is the second year
• 16:31
  that they've gone, you know, that these teams have gone east.
• 16:35
  And I tell you what, the the numbers are pretty astounding as
• 16:38
  far as how bad those teams are playing when they go east.
• 16:41
  And I'm wondering if something needs to either change or if
• 16:45
  they have any recommendations. So I'm working on that.
• 16:47
  I don't know if I'll get that written in time for me to get
• 16:50
  there or if I have to supplement some stuff while I'm there.
• 16:52
  But that, that is one thing I'm looking at is, is there anything
• 16:56
  that they need to to do differently from the travel ball
• 16:59
  game? Scott Dockerman, Doc, thanks for
• 17:01
  doing this. Appreciate it.
• 17:02
  If your schedule allows, we'll run you down next Monday.
• 17:04
  Thank you, Doc and joy. Chicago all.
• 17:07
  Right. Thanks for having me.
• 17:08
  Appreciate it. Scott Dockerman as we check in
• 17:11
  with a friend from The Athletic. I love Chicago.
• 17:13
  I it's, it's a great place. I wish football media day were
• 17:17
  there more. Often it's.
• 17:18
  Just whatever. I just Indianapolis is fine.
• 17:20
  Yeah, it's fine. Chicago's a different level,
• 17:22
  right? What do you like to do in?
• 17:23
  Chicago. I like to stay at the Drake and
• 17:25
  I like to, I'd like to eat and drink in the in the hotel and
• 17:28
  the there's a bar at the it's on street level, but the Drake's
• 17:32
  been there since over 100 years. Did you ever stay there?
• 17:36
  The Drake Drake Hotel. It's an old Hilton.
• 17:38
  Property it's. A The old Hilton I have, I
• 17:41
  don't. Know no, the no, that's I know
• 17:42
  the one you're talking about. That's where the where the
• 17:44
  fugitive was built, and they did hold media data.
• 17:46
  They did. We were there.
• 17:47
  Yes, but the Drake Hotel is just spectacular.
• 17:51
  I I just love it. And just to to look around and
• 17:55
  some of the characters that must have come through those doors
• 17:59
  over the decades that it's been there.
• 18:01
  I mean, who knows, Capone and you know, all of these guys.
• 18:05
  But I love the Drake. I love the they call it the
• 18:07
  Viagra triangle. You heard of that?
• 18:09
  Yes, I have. There's a bunch of great
• 18:12
  restaurants in that area, Carmine's and Gibson's.
• 18:18
  There's a couple of others, but I just, I just love Chicago.
• 18:21
  And then rigged the field. Not hard to take.
• 18:24
  And the fact that it's drivable. Would you though?
• 18:27
  What I what go to the tournament this year, would you?
• 18:31
  Go to Chicago before retirement. What are we doing?
• 18:35
  Ball game. Yeah.
• 18:39
  Bus trip. Tuesday or Wednesday or
• 18:41
  Thursday? Probably not on the weekends or
• 18:44
  maybe maybe Monday. Yeah.
• 18:46
  You love Chicago. I love Chicago.
• 18:49
  Chicago, maybe my big, maybe my favorite big city in the
• 18:52
  summertime. When's the last time you been to
• 18:54
  Wrigley? Five years, OK, not too long.
• 19:00
  Not too long. You know, I've never been to a
• 19:02
  game, never been to a White Sox home game.
• 19:04
  I wish I would have seen old Comiskey.
• 19:06
  No, you don't. I know I don't I mean I'm know
• 19:08
  I'm based by says that, but just just I've seen it right like
• 19:12
  Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Yes, I would have loved to have
• 19:15
  seen Tiger Stadium. I've been to what are they
• 19:18
  called Comerica. It's fine, but some of these
• 19:21
  ballparks that are no longer the character and, and some of the
• 19:25
  players back in there, back in the day that came through there.
• 19:31
  I love Chicago. Chicago's great what, 5 1/2
• 19:33
  hours? And now, apparently, you don't
• 19:35
  have to stop at the tolls. Now you just zip right through.
• 19:38
  And they bill you, is that it? But they can.
• 19:41
  Then they got. Up charge you, right?
• 19:43
  I think so. Yeah, you got to do.
• 19:45
  That you pay beforehand, or you can do it in the car while
• 19:47
  you're going. You have your navigator next to
• 19:49
  you doing that. Yeah.
• 19:51
  Now you prefer to drive. I do.
• 19:53
  Well, I shouldn't say that, Eaton.
• 19:55
  Like, let's say you and I. So when you and I, you know,
• 19:57
  when last time in Chicago was there for the Northwestern game,
• 19:59
  we did our show there. That's right.
• 20:01
  And I flew and you drove, yes. So that and I stayed at the
• 20:06
  Drake. You stayed at the Drake.
• 20:09
  Where did you oh you stayed out of town?
• 20:10
  Because remember we had dinner 2 doors down from the Drake hotel
• 20:13
  at that Rosemont. Is it Rosemont Steakhouse?
• 20:16
  Rose something steakhouse? Remember with the the circuit
• 20:18
  crew? Yes absolutely.
• 20:20
  That was 2 doors down from the Drake.
• 20:22
  OK, so I wasn't out of town though I was in downtown.
• 20:25
  I was just a little ways away from where you.
• 20:27
  Were oh, I'm thinking of where you stayed when we covered
• 20:29
  football, Big 10 media. Yes, I was out of Arlington
• 20:32
  Heights with my buddies out there.
• 20:33
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a disaster.
• 20:34
  That was a Trek. That was a Trek, right?
• 20:36
  Yeah. So that was the last time I was
• 20:38
  there. Here's Joe.
• 20:39
  He wants to join us. Hello, Thunder.
• 20:41
  Joe, how are you, Sir? Hey, good afternoon.
• 20:45
  I'm going to take us a totally different direction.
• 20:47
  I apologize about that. That's fine First off 1st off.
• 20:50
  My dad took us back in the day to the final home game at Old
• 20:53
  Comiskey and he sat right behind a damn pole.
• 20:56
  Memories. But The thing is, he he let us
• 20:59
  kids have the view. He took the pole on a bathroom
• 21:02
  about that. But I know I missed out on that.
• 21:04
  Thunder breaking the record that for you, Trent.
• 21:06
  But I got a sure bet for you tonight, OK?
• 21:09
  He needs one. 100 percent 100% STA 20 plus because if he does
• 21:15
  it, he ties World Chamberlain's consecutive streak of 126.
• 21:20
  Oh, OK. That's a good angle.
• 21:21
  Now, what kind of price are we looking at here?
• 21:24
  I haven't looked at it yet. I'm going to guess it's going to
• 21:26
  be hefty. Well, add the UCLA women to cut
• 21:28
  down the Nets. Now you're coming back around
• 21:30
  that way. I'm just saying, if you think
• 21:32
  that that's not much difference between them and Yukon, maybe
• 21:35
  that's how you enhance you. Might be able to add a Yokich
• 21:39
  triple double with it tonight. You know, it might pay a little
• 21:41
  bit better. That would be a good price.
• 21:44
  You throw that on top of it, all right?
• 21:45
  So Thunder Joe, on a scale of 1 to 1010 being you're incredibly
• 21:49
  confident, there's no doubt in your mind they're going to
• 21:51
  repeat what, what would you give the Thunder in your confidence
• 21:55
  rankings right now? Well, banged up Thunder.
• 22:00
  I give them a 7. OK.
• 22:02
  Healthy Thunder 910. All right.
• 22:04
  And will they be a healthy Thunder?
• 22:07
  I think so. And the only way that I say that
• 22:09
  is if they are healthy going to the playoffs, they're still
• 22:11
  going to be tough to beat four games.
• 22:13
  Yep. Yeah.
• 22:15
  So. I found the price here, Thunder
• 22:17
  Joe. Hang on, Joe, hang on.
• 22:18
  What is it, Trent? 20 or more points, that's what
• 22:21
  you said. Yep, yeah.
• 22:23
  You have to lay -4300 yeah, he's going to get that.
• 22:29
  Just put the house on it, right? Right.
• 22:31
  Thanks Joe Appreciate you listening.
• 22:33
  See you buddy. Now add UCLA.
• 22:37
  And then add UCLA on top of it. All right, So you take that 4300
• 22:40
  and then we jump over to the women's side here and we go over
• 22:43
  to Team Futures and you get UKLA at 6:00 to 1:00.
• 22:47
  So that 6 to 1 ticket becomes plus 616.
• 22:50
  Well, just a little bit more. Yeah, no, it's not worth it.
• 22:55
  Not. At all?
• 22:56
  No, not. Six to one UCLA, though, after
• 22:59
  yesterday. Well, they because they were
• 23:00
  7:00 to 1:00 because I was messing around with it on
• 23:02
  Saturday night, OK, trying to find some.
• 23:04
  If it's not, if it's not going to be Yukon.
• 23:06
  Kind of help yourself a little. Bit yeah, yeah, just a just a
• 23:09
  little buffer, right. Exactly because I got so much
• 23:12
  what I thought was a free square.
• 23:14
  And then I watched the beat Iowa by 50.
• 23:16
  By this 27, he's still on the UConn women.
• 23:19
  Still overwhelming, but not quite the same.
• 23:22
  Kevin Layman covered the valley this weekend.
• 23:24
  We always covers the valley, but he was in Saint Louis, covered
• 23:26
  every single one of those games. He joins a Miller and Condon
• 23:29
  Nexus. The Iowa Sports Radio Network
• 23:31
  just passed 1:30 on a Monday. Miller and Condon, welcome back.
• 23:34
  Iowa Sports Radio Network tomorrow for you Chicago sports
• 23:39
  fans. David Kaplan will join me
• 23:40
  tomorrow. Normal time, 1:00.
• 23:42
  We're moving up a day. We don't believe we'll have much
• 23:45
  of an audience on Wednesday, but who knows, we might be wrong.
• 23:48
  But Cappy, tomorrow at 1:00, Kevin Lehman right now.
• 23:51
  He spent the weekend in Saint Louis.
• 23:52
  Did you call every single game either radio or TV, Kevin?
• 23:56
  Yes, I had. I lost count and I think maybe
• 23:59
  it was 10 of them or one game left this year because, you
• 24:02
  know, Missouri State left the league.
• 24:03
  So I was down one game, but what?
• 24:06
  What a great four days of basketball.
• 24:09
  It really is. And you know what, I know that
• 24:11
  it's probably will never have, you know, the Creighton fan base
• 24:14
  and the Wichita State fan base, as you well know, they brought
• 24:18
  thousands of people. It was great back in the day.
• 24:20
  It's still it's still a really important place on on the map as
• 24:25
  far as the kind of the curtain goes up when it comes to men's
• 24:28
  college basketball March Madness, right?
• 24:30
  I'm glad it's not losing its place.
• 24:31
  CBS is still doing it, which is great that they come in there
• 24:35
  and really elevate. I think the tournament sold
• 24:37
  that's a that that's a real feather in the cap for the for
• 24:40
  the conference overall. How about that give?
• 24:43
  Yeah, no question, Ken. They thought Murray State, they
• 24:45
  may still do it, would replace one of those fan bases of which
• 24:49
  caused State and Creighton. You know, they got knocked out
• 24:52
  first round, but that's a huge fan base that would come in
• 24:55
  there. Of course, Southern Illinois,
• 24:56
  they have the biggest alumni base in Saint Louis, so they're
• 25:00
  always hoping they do well. But I thought the Panther turn
• 25:03
  out was pretty good and we had a lot of people from Drake down
• 25:05
  there, especially when they got that first win.
• 25:08
  Got that one done and certainly maybe the biggest surprise of
• 25:11
  the tournament, and not just beating Belmont, but doing it in
• 25:15
  a fashion that they did, just absolutely obliterating them and
• 25:19
  take us back to that one and what has been a trying year #1
• 25:22
  and many times for Eric Henderson.
• 25:24
  It got that feel good moment certainly going into the
• 25:26
  offseason. Eric Henderson, if you guys
• 25:29
  know, and he's the most positive person I've ever been around and
• 25:32
  they lost nine straight to get his players focus and their
• 25:36
  heads straight and going against the number one seed Belmont.
• 25:39
  And you're right, Trent, that was total domination from like
• 25:43
  25, the last 25 minutes of that game.
• 25:45
  And Belmont, you can see that deer in headlight look when they
• 25:49
  got in the, you know, about 12 minutes late that they couldn't
• 25:52
  get this, get that margin cut. The big question I have is where
• 25:55
  does this Belmont program go from here?
• 25:57
  Because fourth year in the league they figured out they had
• 26:00
  to get more physical. They've always been highly
• 26:03
  skilled offensively. They built this great team.
• 26:06
  You know, they go through the league and win it by a number of
• 26:08
  games. But they get down there, it's a
• 26:09
  first round exit. They're going to lose some guys
• 26:11
  in the portal because they're really, really talented players.
• 26:14
  So I'm thinking, geez, what? You know, if you're Belmont,
• 26:17
  we've always worked four years, got the top.
• 26:19
  We didn't punch our tickets. What's the next step for the
• 26:22
  Bruins? Yeah, fair questions to ask, no
• 26:24
  doubt about it. Well, let's Fast forward to
• 26:26
  yesterday's Champions Championship Sunday.
• 26:29
  You and I's out there. They had to be a little bit
• 26:31
  tired, Kevin. I know that, you know, whenever
• 26:34
  they were interviewed, I think it was Schweiger that was on at
• 26:36
  halftime. We're going to do what it takes.
• 26:38
  We've got enough, blah, blah, blah.
• 26:39
  Of course he's going to say that.
• 26:41
  Did you notice a difference, Kevin, or was a pure adrenaline
• 26:44
  at that point as they pulled away late?
• 26:46
  It seemed like every time UIC got close, and they did a couple
• 26:49
  of times within a bucket, you and I had an answer.
• 26:52
  They'd score and then a couple get a couple more stops,
• 26:54
  continue to score. Did you notice a different you
• 26:57
  and I team was as far as the fatigue factor setting in maybe
• 27:00
  at any point yesterday? Oh, yes, and I got to tell you
• 27:04
  what Coach Jakeson did when I get down with this story.
• 27:05
  But I thought when Leon Bond had that breakaway dump, that
• 27:08
  windmill dunk, it energized them because they were kind of, you
• 27:12
  know, they were treading water at that point.
• 27:13
  You I see was coming on. Elijah Crawford was becoming a
• 27:16
  real. He was so good.
• 27:18
  Yeah, I saw him, you know, when he got healthy, he was at BYU.
• 27:23
  He's a top 100 recruit out of Atlanta area, big time player
• 27:28
  and he can change the game. But I thought the other expert
• 27:31
  move by Ben Jacobson was the four minute mark.
• 27:33
  He was his big lineup and he put Leon Bond on him because Elijah
• 27:39
  Crawford Taylor couldn't guard him and then he was starting to
• 27:42
  own Trey Campbell a little bit, but that moved down the last
• 27:44
  four minutes with Bond at six foot, 5-6 foot 6 was a problem
• 27:49
  for Crawford. But let me get back the story.
• 27:51
  Here's what Ben Jason did. You know this guy?
• 27:54
  I think it was his best coaching job I've ever seen because of
• 27:57
  what they had to do to win four games and the short turn arounds
• 28:01
  as soon as they had lost that game at home to Illinois State
• 28:06
  before they went to Drake. He pulls out that 20,011 Kimball
• 28:10
  Walker UConn run where they won what 5 or 6, I think 5 in the
• 28:16
  Big East tournament and then went into the won the national
• 28:18
  champion and he he showed that to his team.
• 28:20
  He said why not us? And he never brought up again.
• 28:24
  You got to win four or four days in the time issues they're
• 28:26
  running into. But that was a stroke of genius
• 28:29
  by Ben Jacobson. They were clicking at many
• 28:32
  different times. The hot starts against both
• 28:34
  Bradley and UIC or what they did in the first half offensively,
• 28:38
  we know that's not the quickest pace, but when you're playing
• 28:41
  that efficiently, boy, you're going to look really good on the
• 28:43
  offensive end. You know, take us back a little
• 28:46
  bit and throughout this run here, what they did and using
• 28:49
  nine different guys at different times, using those minutes,
• 28:52
  knowing that it's going to be 4 and four if you're going to get
• 28:54
  it done. Just how he managed his bench it
• 28:56
  and how they came out clicking seemingly every single night.
• 29:00
  Well, I'll go back to I had their game at Illinois State,
• 29:06
  January 21st pregame workout in the morning, Ben, Jake said.
• 29:11
  Don't even come near me, I'm sick.
• 29:13
  The halftime score was 24 to 16. Ouch.
• 29:17
  I mean, it was a rock fight. We were thought we were going to
• 29:19
  get hit by shards of glass and for this team to put up the
• 29:23
  points they did and all and all those games down there to get
• 29:27
  off to good starts was huge because you don't want to be
• 29:31
  tired and have to play from behind.
• 29:33
  So I thought it was very important that they got to great
• 29:35
  starts. But the biggest point is I think
• 29:38
  Coach Jake and his team knew this.
• 29:41
  They had to get healthy because you had guys missing throughout
• 29:44
  the year and you go right down the list.
• 29:46
  The Hornstep missed a couple games with bad shoulder, Smith
• 29:49
  Missiles 8 games, they went two and six.
• 29:51
  Weisbrook had modeled back in the summer and missed four
• 29:54
  games. Taylor missed with the broken
• 29:56
  hand. So I think this team, once we
• 29:58
  got healthy, we could be really good.
• 30:00
  And Coach Jake kept telling me we're going to try and play
• 30:03
  faster when we get healthy. And we saw that in those four
• 30:05
  games, especially the last three.
• 30:08
  They're playing with much more urgency at the offensive end.
• 30:11
  Was that why best game of the of his senior season do you think?
• 30:15
  I think so When I tell you when he's healthy and I think he's
• 30:19
  the biggest matchup problem I have his 68, he can be a little
• 30:23
  bit like Titan Anderson last year.
• 30:24
  He can take the ball off the board and lead the break, which
• 30:26
  becomes a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
• 30:29
  They'll post him up. They look for mismatches with
• 30:31
  him. He's another guy that said, you
• 30:33
  know, he's had hamstring pulls, He's had a quiet confusion.
• 30:36
  He played through. He's been playing on a bad foot,
• 30:38
  just getting healthy now. So I think he's really hard to
• 30:42
  game plan for because of his size and he could play 5
• 30:45
  positions if he needed to. You and I projected to be a 13
• 30:49
  seed by most of the bracketologist out there
• 30:51
  currently. That's going to change with a
• 30:53
  different major mid, major, low major conferences happening, but
• 30:56
  possibility maybe as high as a 12.
• 30:58
  What's the type of team that you're looking that this is the
• 31:02
  one that you and I has got a chance?
• 31:03
  Is it a team that plays more of that kind of style?
• 31:06
  Is it somebody that wants to run knowing that you and I usually
• 31:09
  can slow teams down? What kind of style of team is
• 31:11
  you and I I built to beat in the first round?
• 31:14
  A team wants to run. I would go back to last year
• 31:16
  Drake getting joined Missouri you and I need something like
• 31:19
  that team wants to play fast because they can cut their heart
• 31:23
  up. Do you remember last year that
• 31:24
  Missouri team started looking up like we can't speed up this
• 31:27
  Drake team and they were they were cooked at some point.
• 31:30
  So we know this guys, when you get in that tournament, defense
• 31:34
  travels and that's whether this team, what they did in the
• 31:38
  tournament throughout the season, they always had scoring
• 31:41
  lapses. We didn't see it much in this
• 31:43
  tournament, but their defense was so good.
• 31:45
  It carried them through the scoring lapses.
• 31:47
  Now I think they're getting because the health they're
• 31:50
  playing better offensively and the defense is still there.
• 31:53
  There's a couple possessions. I looked at my my broadcast
• 31:56
  partner. I said you could put that on a
• 31:58
  defensive clinic. That was the most unbelievable
• 32:00
  defensive possession, the ability to communicate and
• 32:03
  rotate. And here's what else transient.
• 32:05
  They don't turn it over. So those two factors, the stout
• 32:10
  defense, elite in some areas, the fact they don't turn the
• 32:12
  ball over much, they did some against UIC, makes him a
• 32:16
  dangerous team when you get in the NCAA tournament.
• 32:18
  So to answer your question, yeah, I look for somebody who
• 32:20
  wants to play fast. Yeah, I think the turnovers
• 32:22
  yesterday may be a product of four games in four days, right?
• 32:25
  Fair to say. Yeah, I think so.
• 32:27
  I saw, you know, Trey Campbell throw a couple.
• 32:29
  He threw one to me there in the first row.
• 32:31
  I think you got some FaceTime during that when they showed you
• 32:34
  at one point, yeah. I've never seen they had a few
• 32:39
  of them I've never seen, but that, yeah, I think you're
• 32:42
  right. Probably a little bit of some
• 32:45
  some fatigue issues there. But you think about that was we
• 32:47
  lost an hour daylight savings time.
• 32:50
  They came up from 1:00 to 11:00 the women's Big 10 tournament.
• 32:54
  And I know a lot of coaches were upset with it.
• 32:56
  But I think again, Ben Jackson, like these guys doesn't make
• 32:59
  much deal about that thing because you're going to have to
• 33:01
  play with it. So don't don't let it become an
• 33:03
  excuse for your team. I think that's the 20 many years
• 33:06
  of Coach Jake coaching it that that came through big time in
• 33:10
  this tournament. How many more years do you think
• 33:12
  he's got? He's under contract through
• 33:13
  2000. Thirties, 55 years old.
• 33:15
  I'd looked at just looked. That's how old he is.
• 33:18
  I don't think he's going to go anywhere.
• 33:19
  He shouldn't have many opportunities to leave and and
• 33:22
  loves it there. How long do you think he coaches
• 33:24
  Kev you? Know that's a great question.
• 33:27
  I spent a lot of time with him. I've I've talked about a lot of
• 33:30
  things We had we talked about that the other day because we
• 33:33
  were comparing ages in the locker room a couple weeks ago.
• 33:36
  Here's a cool thing about it. And he did this with his son
• 33:40
  playing for him. He didn't get much notoriety
• 33:43
  because his son's a walk off son had two ACL surgeries.
• 33:46
  You know, he's the same high school class as Trey Campbell.
• 33:49
  So I want that might change some of his thought patterns now that
• 33:52
  his oldest son has graduated has done playing.
• 33:55
  His younger son is at University of Nebraska.
• 33:58
  So I bet you, I hate to start this rumor, but I bet you see
• 34:01
  his name get flowed out there a little bit for for for other
• 34:05
  jobs. Again, it's been pretty quiet
• 34:07
  since that 2016 run that they had.
• 34:08
  And here's another thing, guys, that omen of 2016 meltdown
• 34:12
  against Texas A&M is finally gone, because that was kind of a
• 34:17
  that piece of toilet paper on the shoe that you can never get,
• 34:20
  never lose if you're a Panther fan.
• 34:22
  What who go to the other side of the game yesterday and UIC much
• 34:26
  like when Loyola was brought in, I said what are they doing and
• 34:29
  the same thing with UIC. What are they doing?
• 34:31
  Well, Rob Ison's done a nice job with this team.
• 34:33
  Obviously getting to the championship game.
• 34:36
  Is there sustainability there? Is this a program that not the
• 34:40
  heights of Loyola and getting to a final four, but be can can
• 34:43
  become a year in year out contender in the NBC.
• 34:46
  Do you see that out of the flames?
• 34:48
  I think I do just because of Rob Easton.
• 34:50
  If you look at his past, he was successfully AP kind of got
• 34:53
  pushed out when Andy Kennedy want to get back into it after
• 34:56
  he lost his job at Ole Miss because he is Andy Kennedy is a
• 34:59
  hero at UAB as a player, as a former Co star.
• 35:02
  I had that conversation with Rob and, you know, he just kind of
• 35:06
  told me what the story was, but his ability, and I had this
• 35:09
  question with it in back in September.
• 35:12
  Is the Valley getting a better class, a better, more talent in
• 35:16
  the freshman class because the major conferences are going
• 35:19
  portal instead of high school kids?
• 35:22
  And he said definitely. I found some tournaments in the
• 35:24
  summer that had outstanding players and you saw that team.
• 35:27
  He's got a number of freshmen on that team.
• 35:29
  Andy Johnson, a couple other guys are really talented.
• 35:33
  Can he keep them is the question.
• 35:35
  He's also getting some guys coming back that are that are
• 35:39
  Chicago kids coming back into the area like Mikael Lowry was.
• 35:44
  Him getting into foul issues yesterday was a big help for the
• 35:49
  Panthers because that young man was really telling.
• 35:51
  He had 12 and 12 the day before. What does your season over now,
• 35:54
  Kevin? What have you got lined up?
• 35:56
  I'm knocking the wood here, Ken. I'm hoping I get the NIT bid or
• 36:01
  NIT game next week. We'll see if Belmont, I'm
• 36:03
  assuming they would go NIT. I'm not so sure we might not.
• 36:07
  The Valley might not get 2 teams and maybe Bradley might want to
• 36:10
  go NIT. Here's the problem with Bradley
• 36:12
  though. Every time they play in NIT,
• 36:14
  that team takes their players really.
• 36:17
  As in rank Mask going to Nebraska.
• 36:19
  Nebraska two years ago and Connor Hickman went to
• 36:22
  Cincinnati after they played in the NIT.
• 36:24
  Brian well told me that it's become a it's.
• 36:27
  Become a audition out, Yeah. Yes, audition for the major
• 36:31
  teams, but most of I think you're going to see the NIT guys
• 36:34
  become a mid major in the tournament as some of these
• 36:36
  other teams will go to the crown like Nebraska did a year ago.
• 36:40
  Good stuff. Kevin Layman, thanks for doing
• 36:42
  this. Appreciate it.
• 36:43
  Go rest your voice. Thanks for jumping on with us
• 36:45
  after a busy weekend. We recalled every one of the
• 36:47
  games in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
• 36:49
  Thanks Kev all. Right guys, always a pleasure.
• 36:52
  Yep, good to talk to you Kevin Layman, as we check in on one
• 36:55
  more time on the Valley Tournament as you and I moves
• 36:58
  on. Good for them.
• 37:00
  You know what are the job openings that is being rumored
• 37:03
  for Coach Jacobs? Oh, I didn't.
• 37:04
  Know that is there one out there?
• 37:06
  What is it A. Little bit to the South of us, a
• 37:08
  little bit W which one in the Big 12?
• 37:11
  K State. That has been out.
• 37:14
  There has it. As a potential landing spot.
• 37:17
  Do you think he would leave? Yeah, he's had so many chances.
• 37:20
  Before he has, the kids are growing.
• 37:23
  Though. Yeah, fair, fair.
• 37:25
  And maybe looks at it is this could be it?
• 37:29
  Well, it took him since 2016 to get back there.
• 37:32
  Boys had. A hell of a run.
• 37:33
  It's so hard in the NBC and not the conference it was 20 years
• 37:37
  ago or that they got four teams into 2004 like that.
• 37:40
  That's. Just never gonna happen.
• 37:42
  Ever. Two, we've seen two plenty of
• 37:44
  times, but that's probably the high watermark.
• 37:48
  Yeah, I think possibility, I guess maybe 3 in a perfect, but
• 37:53
  if 2. But the way they, the world that
• 37:55
  we live in, their rosters get plucked after every year.
• 37:57
  Every single season, yes, and it's completely different than
• 38:00
  the environment that we once did.
• 38:02
  So because of that the NBC had a good year overall.
• 38:05
  It ranked 9th in conference in overall this season.
• 38:08
  So it's had a good year. But Coach Jacobson, how did you
• 38:12
  say, how old did you say he was, 5555?
• 38:14
  This would maybe be. The last one.
• 38:16
  I don't think he's at the top of K State's list.
• 38:19
  But he's on their list. You think?
• 38:20
  I believe so. Well, the AD knows him,
• 38:22
  certainly. Yep, Gene Taylor.
• 38:24
  Yep. Devin Bush, linebacker from the
• 38:27
  Browns. He's a Chicago Bear three-year
• 38:29
  deal. Mike Evans, Well, Brock Purdy's
• 38:31
  got a new target to throw to. It's not a bad pick up for the
• 38:35
  Niners. Now, you have to know that
• 38:36
  you're going to have that four or five game stretch in the
• 38:38
  middle of the year that Mike Evans won't play.
• 38:40
  Yeah, but it'll still probably approach 1000 yards.
• 38:42
  Yep. And catch.
• 38:43
  Does every year. 7 to 10 touchdowns and say just get back
• 38:47
  out there and he does, and then he's really good.
• 38:49
  They're just in such a tough division.
• 38:51
  I mean, see, Allen, the Rams aren't going anywhere, right?
• 38:55
  Niners are. I think that there were 22 to
• 38:58
  one over the weekend, memory serves.
• 39:00
  So I tried to find somebody to go with UCLA in UConn.
• 39:05
  Building your championship. Yes, I I got to stay off that
• 39:09
  damn thing. Miller and Condon Trent's plays
• 39:11
  of the day are next. I got it to stay off that thing.
• 39:14
  Circus Sports sponsors, it's the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
• 39:29
  Hi Miller and Condon, welcome back.
• 39:31
  Iowa Sports Radio Network. Trenton can our final segment
• 39:34
  for today. Trent will be calling hoops
• 39:37
  tomorrow. I will fly slowly until 2:00,
• 39:40
  although you may join me late in the show.
• 39:42
  Yes, yeah, depending on how things are going, but 4
• 39:46
  basketball games here over the next two days starting tonight,
• 39:48
  530 Dowling Catholic against Dubuque Senior, 715 Urbandale
• 39:53
  against #1 Cedar Falls and tomorrow we'll see both Waukee
• 39:56
  schools in action along with Johnston and Waukee Purple.
• 40:00
  They'll be going up against Cedar Rapids Prairie and the
• 40:03
  Battle of Northwest against Johnston in the other game.
• 40:07
  I want to. I meant to do this early in the
• 40:08
  program. Did you hear Bruce Pro yesterday
• 40:11
  at all? Talking about Ava Ava Hayden and
• 40:15
  talking about Caitlin Smith and talking about Lisa Blunder.
• 40:19
  Yeah, there was. I heard it.
• 40:21
  I heard it. I was.
• 40:22
  Watching I was too, and I think I was doing was this.
• 40:25
  Halftime. Yes.
• 40:26
  Was it on purpose? I don't know.
• 40:29
  I wondered if he was talking about Crystal Smith for a while,
• 40:31
  who was a former great player. Not.
• 40:33
  Because he brought up C Vivian Stringer, so I thought he was
• 40:35
  going back in the day, you know? He was talking about Caitlin
• 40:37
  Smith thinking #22. He's he's got problems.
• 40:42
  But was it on? I mean, that's three faux pas
• 40:44
  like Bing bang boom and the Illinois eye was tough.
• 40:47
  And I think I don't know. He was just going off maybe the
• 40:49
  top of his head. Whatever it was, it was a bad
• 40:52
  look and a lot of bad looks for Bruce Pearl, you know, and
• 40:55
  Illinois fans over on the other side of the river in the Quad
• 40:58
  Cities, you're used to us. Absolutely are.
• 41:00
  All right, let's make some plays.
• 41:02
  Let's. I'm guessing you'll be all
• 41:04
  college hooping tonight. Yeah, it was looking.
• 41:07
  Got the Big East championship game on the women's side.
• 41:09
  Villanova, who's good? They're 25 and six this year.
• 41:12
  Yukon's favored by 30 and a. Half jeez 20 over a 25 and 6 of.
• 41:17
  It but as we learned yesterday in the Big 10 Championship game.
• 41:20
  Where UCLA won by 5050. 50 Unthinkable.
• 41:25
  It is the game of the night. If you could watch. 1 You like
• 41:29
  to play that game. Yes, I do.
• 41:31
  There was 1 I believe you got to tune into.
• 41:35
  Is it the 10:30 affair from Orleans Arena?
• 41:37
  That is the best game of the night and I like Santa Claire in
• 41:40
  the points. Yeah, where is it?
• 41:44
  It is. Well, I don't know where it is.
• 41:45
  Let's see, it's in Pensacola, FL.
• 41:48
  OK. Is it?
• 41:49
  Is it Troy? It is the.
• 41:51
  Georgia Southern. The Sunbelt Championship Troy
• 41:54
  who earned the number one seed, meaning that they got a run all
• 41:57
  the way to the semifinals. They just had to win one to get
• 41:59
  to tonight. Taking on Georgia Southern, who
• 42:02
  will be playing their 6th game in six nights.
• 42:07
  And yet they're they're only a 5 1/2 point dog in the number open
• 42:11
  at 5:00 and anonymous action. It's getting right, but it
• 42:14
  hasn't. Moved so yesterday our buddy
• 42:16
  Ryan, who you know well texted me said what am I missing with
• 42:20
  Georgia Southern? I meant to remember this is
• 42:21
  their fifth game in a row. So we did a little family play
• 42:24
  together. We both played the first half.
• 42:26
  Now Georgia Southern end up winning outright obviously to be
• 42:28
  here tonight. What if the same kind of angle
• 42:31
  would make sense. I I was thinking about that last
• 42:33
  night and then today I am going to play Troy, though I'm going
• 42:37
  to lay it six games and six against the It's another thing
• 42:42
  too, or if the other team, even if they played three, this is
• 42:46
  their. This is their second their. 2nd.
• 42:49
  Game. And what was the other one you
• 42:50
  like? Santa Clara.
• 42:51
  Santa Clara plus 4 1/2 against Saint Mary should be a great,
• 42:53
  great game tonight. So.
• 42:54
  That's a late game. It is 1030 tip off.
• 42:57
  Absolutely love that. I'll be getting home for
• 42:59
  basketball and jumping on that one.
• 43:01
  Longworth, Northern Colorado, I got a future on, you know, their
• 43:05
  conference and the Big Sky will lead the 3 1/2 tonight against
• 43:08
  the Grizz of Montana. All right, that'll do it.
• 43:10
  Good stuff. There are names.
• 43:12
  They're at the Rally house. They are off the bench.
• 43:15
  Sean and Lucas. Coming up next, we're Miller and
• 43:17
  Condon. Ben Jacobson, by the way, joins
• 43:19
  them at 3. Miller and Condon, noon to 2:00,
• 43:21
  Monday through Friday. Thanks for being with us.
• 43:22
  I have a sports radio network.