Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Bill Capaldo Joins Trent previewing Iowa/Nebraska & a look back at the ISU win, David Eickholt joins talking Hawkeyes & Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports

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Bill Capaldo Joins Trent previewing Iowa/Nebraska & a look back at the ISU win, David Eickholt joins talking Hawkeyes & Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

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Our number 2, Miller and Connor continues on the Iowa Sports
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Radio Network. Trent Condon here, Ken on
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vacation one final week. We'll be back with us next
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Monday and I can't wait to find out the road trip for him with
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Jet Cindy. And it never goes well for Mr.
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Miller as who's sitting in for him today certainly knows he is
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Bill Capaldo as he's hanging out with me today.
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And Bill, you've been listening to sports talk radio here for
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quite a while in this market, so you've heard plenty of the
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stories from Kenny. I have and some of them probably
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shouldn't have been on the. Air back in the day, yeah.
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Yeah, that's true too. I, I, he's been around for a
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long time and done a great job for local sports radio.
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Who would have thought back in the day that Des Moines would
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have had a sports radio station not just syndicated, but to
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actually have three local sports shows throughout the day?
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And then to reach now over to the eastern part of the state
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and with the Iowa Sports Radio Network and all the all of that
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Ken's been around seeing it all adapted to all of it, ups and
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downs. And, you know, it's not easy to
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sit here knowing that you're, you know, listen to a legend for
1:30
a long time. And, and I love the hockey
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stories and everything. I actually, there's a guy that
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lived in Polk City that's an old hockey guy that Ken probably
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knows and he was quite a character.
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And it was at the Bucks there for a while, what is called the
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Oak Leafs. So Ken probably knows him and
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maybe someday I'll talk to Kenny about that.
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But I hope the trip went well for him.
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It's a very good to get out and and be with your family and
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rejuvenate, but I'm I'm sure he's going to be ready to get
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back. Yes, yes, that is definitely the
2:06
case and no, he can he likes to be in a spot he doesn't like his
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routine to be bothered very often.
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So he's going to be certainly excited about that when he gets
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back home. With that, let's get into we got
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a bunch of things to talk about here and I want to start with
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Iowa, Nebraska, talk about that. Of course, recap what we saw
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last night with Houston. But before that, we got a phone
2:25
call waiting online. It is self-proclaimed.
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Heck, Hawkeye, Andy, I think this is a character that you
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know. Hello, Andrew.
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Trent, Bill, how's it going? Aren't you supposed to be
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working? Today, yeah.
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You just talked to another, well marketplace, I'm here, of course
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I'm working always a couple of Hawkeye things and one that I
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think Bill or not like maybe we should talk about, maybe brag a
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little bit. But one is your, you talked
2:53
about your nephew running at Iowa.
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You talk about that Bill, he's been awesome.
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Yeah, we haven't got to that yet, but yeah, that's pretty.
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It's pretty cool having Sal over there, a multi athlete running
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track in Iowa. He's been phenomenal and got the
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Big 10 indoor coming up in a couple of weeks.
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So we wish him well, fun coaching him when he was here at
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North Pole. But yeah, it's been fun watching
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him and he's he's doing great. And then I'll be at the game
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tonight. I obviously failed on Saturday,
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but question for you. Question from the lights go
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brought up yesterday. I know the answer, but I still
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want to know. Do we Boo Price Sanford during
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the game or do we not? That's my question.
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He's a. Turtle, yeah.
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Of course I will go Hawk, thank. You Andy?
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Yeah, you have to. I mean, that's college
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athletics, right? That's what you do.
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You're going to leave and not just leave, but go over to those
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ugly red clad neighbors to our W Yes, you're going to get booed.
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Does anybody expect anything different?
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He's going to get booed and he should get booed.
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Not because he's a bad person, he's not.
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I love the Sanford's. I called.
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I don't know how many of his games in high school met the
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family, great people, but that is the way it goes.
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And he knows that too, right? I think he probably does.
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I'm kind of in between. He's going to get moved.
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I mean, he left and and for whatever reasons, great for him.
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Like you said, he's he's a great kid, his brothers a great kid,
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great family. I actually know his mom.
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His mom is a North Pole grad. His grandfather lived a couple
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of houses down for my mom and dad in Polk City, so I know
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them. I see him when I go over to the
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games when he was playing at Iowa, and I'm sure tonight too.
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But he's probably going to get booed.
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Whether I agree with it or not doesn't really matter.
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I wouldn't be doing that, but he will get booed.
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He's going to hear it and that's OK because this Nebraska team,
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you mentioned this earlier, Bill, when we look at this match
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up, Nebraska comes in obviously playing in an incredibly high
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level. They are 22 and 3 on the year.
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They are playing on the defensive end of the floor, I
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think better than anybody could have anticipated.
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You know when you're throwing out Price, not exactly known as
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a defensive stopper, though I think a better defender than his
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brother. He's an offensive guy, right?
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And then you throw in, you got a little point guard and Sam
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Hoiberg, you know, how good can this team be?
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Rate masked? He was again, no one has more of
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an offensive guy. They're 8th in the country and
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defensive efficiency. And though they play at a
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quicker pace and they're going to give up more points to per
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game, when you look at it, the efficiency models, this team's
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playing on the defensive end of the floor.
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If you would have told me Nebraska is going to have a nice
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season, be a tournament team, I might even felt like that.
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It was a stretch. But what they've done, this was
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unthinkable even to the most ardent, I think Husker fan
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before the year. I would agree.
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And I have a lot of relation over in Nebraska and they're
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excited about it and they should be.
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Fred Hoiberg's a great coach. He's he's got something going
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over there. The defensive efficiency that
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you mentioned is just, I, I would never have believed that,
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but when you start looking at it, they just don't allow second
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shots. You know that they and then they
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are efficient with the ball when they have it.
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You know, Sanford's going to get his points.
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He's just a good, he's a good basketball player.
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I always say good teams have great point guards and Sam
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Hoiberg is one of those guys. He's turned himself into a a
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really good college point guard. May not score a lot, not show up
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in the stats a lot, but he's a glue type of guy.
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And we actually, you know, played against Sam when he was
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at Gilbert, when when Fred was at at Ames, at Iowa State.
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And so, you know, I know what kind of kid he is And, and, and
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the team is just fantastic. I mean, Nebraska fans have to
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have something to look forward to, right You.
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Know football is not going very well.
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The football hasn't has gone as well.
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As they got volleyball. Yep, But I know they they got
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bounced. They didn't make it to the Final
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Four this year. I believe.
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So this matchups. I think, though, Iowa matches up
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a little bit better with them than they do against a team like
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Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue.
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They're not going to overwhelm them physically.
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Correct and and that's where Iowa struggles sometimes,
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especially in the paint off the bounce, being able to straight
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line drive, take some contact, get to the basket.
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It just seems what I but I watch the basketball games whether I'm
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there or on TV. Is it I would just struggles
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with contact and this team doesn't really do that.
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They just play really good D, move the feet, working long arms
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and hands and making people take bad shots.
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And so I think we match up against them a little bit
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better. But again, it comes back to what
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we can controlled kick out threes, be able to get some
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offensive rebounds, don't allow any offensive rebounds.
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We got to try to beat break even, if not maybe one or two on
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the rebounding edge. There's an opportunity here.
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This is a winnable game. It's at home, a big opportunity
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and when you look through the schedule outside of the Ohio
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State game at home and of course the road game at Penn State,
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this is the most winnable game I believe, down the stretch for
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them. That's why the important
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certainly ratches it up for Iowa in this match up.
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I got a couple numbers I want to throw your way.
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First starting, I love to play around, as you know, with the
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analytic tools. You've heard me do this and I
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don't know exactly what these numbers mean.
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I love to use them though, to see what we see with our
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eyeballs doesn't match up or take a number and see if it
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matches up with what we're seeing.
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We've seen this Iowa team, they're not playing nearly as
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well defensively here lately. So I went back and I sorted
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going all the way back to when the winning streak began.
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Starting with that Indiana game, they got a six game win streak
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in there. We're talking about a pretty big
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sample size of eight games. Their defense during that period
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starting on January 31st when they beat Indiana is ranked
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137th in the country, 137 You take the Indiana game away, you
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just start in February and sort it that way. 242nd in the
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country since that time. So we're talking, I know we're
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pointing to Cale Combs has got to be better.
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Cooper Couch has got to make shots.
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You need to get more out of fool gears.
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We always talk about the offensive end because the
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offensive end is much more fun to talk about.
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However, it's the defense that is regressed for this Iowa team.
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And I think a lot of it has to do with being able to transition
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help backside help you. We don't get that, that let's go
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foul people instead of giving up, you know, dunks And we just
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against Maryland, especially, I remember watching how many
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second chance opportunities are teams getting to get us against
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us right now? And I'm sure that metric plays
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into the efficiency that you're talking about.
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And you said from Indiana on. So we we went on a six game.
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Hawkeyes went on a six game Rd. It's a hard habit to break.
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You get a bill. 66 game win streak and we're we're six and
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two the last 8 and we're 137th and defensive efficiency 6 and
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2. And so, you know, just think if
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we can, if they could knock off 20 to 25 points of that, get in
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that inside the 100. And again, I think we just have
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to rebound better and continue to put pressure on the ball.
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You mentioned those rebound numbers to that also does not
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paint a very good picture as I look at it, a rebounding
10:30
percentage, offensive rebounds, 250 is not a great offensive
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rebounding team. But they've at least for the
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most part through the 1st 2/3 of the season had been able to hold
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their own on the boards again. And going back to the beginning
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of the win streak, they're 272nd in the country in defensive
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rebound percentage. That is another concern.
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It is a concern and you know, this happens with teams that
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haven't quite found their identity yet.
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Call them mediocre column average, just above average,
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whatever it may be. But when you start to get into
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that conference schedule, whether it's Big 10, Big 12,
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people really got scouts on you now and they see the video and
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they know your points that need to be addressed and they take
11:14
advantage of it. That's what good teams do.
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And when you just don't have that those other players that
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dominate the boards, a shot blocker at the rim, whatever a
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pressure guard, we're just I was just not there yet.
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And they they the room for error is small.
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There's no doubt about it. The room for error small and you
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start by playing great D get in people's face, allow one shot
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allows them to get into that slow paced offense that that if
11:44
fish is pretty been pretty efficient the whole year.
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We know there's not going to be 15,000 inside of Carver tonight,
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maybe it's going to be 11,000, but give them something right
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away to cheer for two. That crowd Saturday against
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Purdue, they wanted to erupt, they wanted to go up and just
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they never got that opportunity. Use the home court to your
12:02
advantage. Get that going.
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It's a late tip off. Plenty of time to get over to
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the Winnipeg or or head over and get a couple of cocktails in you
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early. Get fired up, get in there, make
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that place loud and make it intimidating and do what you can
12:14
do. It's disappointing that it's not
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going to be a packed house, but you got to also give them from
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the player's perspective, with the coaching staff perspective,
12:22
give them something to cheer for and they didn't have that
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against Purdue. I agree.
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We watch it at home and people don't get excited and when
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things are going well, you got to get everybody up in the air.
12:35
And I've been to those games, Trent, you've been to those
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games and it's kind of sad when you sit there and watch.
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In years past, haven't this year people reading books or or
12:49
knitting? Got the knitting.
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I've seen the knitting going on. We need to be able to create
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excitement on our own. Yeah, Hawkeye fans need to do
12:59
that without having 6 O runs or 8 O runs or needing a stop,
13:05
whatever it may be. And that atmosphere is just not
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quite there yet. And Coach McCollum and the and
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the team is doing the best that they can.
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They don't have control over that.
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Hawkeye fans do and you could have an atmosphere, 11,015
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thousand. Whatever it is, it can get loud
13:23
there. And we've seen that definitely.
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We got Jim on the line with us. You can dial us up 284-5966.
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Jim, take it away. What do you have?
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Hey, I used to used to battle with with Middleton at North
13:34
Polk and baseball back when I was in Jefferson Scranton.
13:37
So I know where North Polk is very well.
13:39
Look at that. Old baseball field, if they go
13:43
from green 3 down the stretch, I think we'd all sign up for 21
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and 10 at the beginning of the year.
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But if they can't get to the seven seed line in the NCAA, I
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don't want 8-9. I'd rather be a 10 seed because
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I don't want to play Duke again. It's like on repeat for the last
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35 years. We have.
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Seeded socks, Yeah, I think, I think tonight's a good matchup
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like you guys are talking about, but they're not huge.
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They do play hard, but I think three and three would do it, so
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go Hawks. Appreciate the phone call, Jim.
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And right there with you, that's again, as we've talked about it
14:17
shouldn't be this important this game for what I was done to this
14:20
point. When you look at the totality of
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the resume, this game shouldn't feel nearly as big as it does
14:24
tonight, Bill. You're right, it is though.
14:28
I mean it. It is we that big, that high
14:31
quad one win, top ten team. Nebraska is not going to drop
14:37
below below the four unless the wheels fall off their coach.
14:41
Hoiberg's just not going to allow that to happen.
14:46
It is. It's a it's a very, very
14:48
important game tonight to string together some momentum because
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Wisconsin's playing good. We got to go to Wisconsin.
14:55
We get Ohio State at home and then we got to still go to
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Nebraska and you know, Dang well, whatever happens tonight,
15:04
you know, we win tonight. And all of a sudden now the last
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game of the year, senior night and everything over in Lincoln.
15:10
So and they've turned a place that used to be a morgue into a
15:14
very exciting atmosphere at Pinnacle Bank.
15:16
So it's it is a big, it's a big one tonight.
15:20
It really is. We jump over from Iowa over to
15:23
Iowa State to quick look back at what we saw last night as the
15:25
Cyclones come back and get the win. 17 four run.
15:28
They held that Houston team to four points over the final 7
15:32
minutes of the basketball game. And yes, the Bateman shot was
15:35
incredible. Heisey in the quarter knocking
15:36
down that three pointer. That's going to be remembered.
15:39
The thing that I love about Bateman a that kids not scared.
15:42
I mean he he gets the ball and he is ready to go and he's going
15:44
to fire a couple of times. Maybe some ill advised shots
15:48
that he had there, but sitting on the side getting ready to
15:51
check in, if there was a dead ball, he wasn't going to be in
15:54
there. It was going to be Milan coming
15:56
back into the game. That didn't happen.
15:57
He hits the three pointer 17, four down the stretch.
16:01
That Houston team, they're different than in past years.
16:03
They can score it and buried a ways and Flemings, that dude,
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I've been telling people for months, he is an absolute stud
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and he saw that last night. The final turnover aside at the
16:11
end there on just how good that kid is.
16:13
But I would state all the pieces are there built for this team.
16:17
They're not just good, they're just not sweet. 16 good.
16:19
There feels like there's more in Ames this season.
16:22
You know, some, but one of the other callers I can't remember
16:24
mentioned something about 2001 was wasn't that the Pfizer's
16:28
team, you know, got beat by Mateen Cleaves, I believe
16:31
Michigan State, and that's in that final eight game.
16:34
This team this year, it reminds me a lot of that team.
16:39
They have the pieces. They have the guys that just
16:42
have that look in their eye right now that makes them very,
16:46
very dangerous. Again, you can't slip up.
16:50
You have to stay consistent with what you're doing, control what
16:54
you can control and stay healthy.
16:57
You know, I think this team was really good.
16:59
Lipsy got hurt there at the end. It was really banged up.
17:02
I tell you, if he stays healthy, this team is in is going to be
17:06
very good and hard to get out of the turn.
17:09
Program record only three turnovers in the game.
17:12
Houston does not score a point off turnovers in the game.
17:15
On the other side, another big one was we'll talk about a
17:18
couple of those bench guys that hit the three pointers.
17:20
The bench scoring in this one. Iowa State outscores Houston 25,
17:23
seven in that category. Play great on the defensive end.
17:27
But Jeff, who called in earlier, also brought up a very pertinent
17:30
point, a free throw line, just 11 of 22 at the foul line.
17:35
That is when you're looking for that one.
17:37
Yeah, but that is it at the free throw line.
17:40
They have struggled all season long and certainly the case this
17:43
year with this team as they said 300 and 45th in the country and
17:47
free throw makes. That's going to catch up to him
17:50
eventually in these close games. We talked about it earlier.
17:54
You want to close things out, get to A2 possession game, make
17:58
those free throws and or when you're behind and the clock is
18:03
stopped and you get that foul in the paint and you're down two or
18:08
three with a minute, minute and a half left in the game.
18:11
Those are big points because the clock isn't running and you can
18:16
gain advantage. It's going to catch up to him.
18:19
Even going nine at 22 last night from 340%, you know, that's,
18:24
that's good. Yeah, absolutely.
18:25
But eventually, you know, 50% eleven at 22 from the free throw
18:29
line, you better be shooting 45 to 50% from 3:00 so that those
18:33
points don't come back to haunt you.
18:35
And one of those missed free throws attainment play is Lipsy
18:38
came in got the offensive rebound as they were able to
18:40
well still give a chance there as Jefferson missed a free
18:42
throw. It was a full court heave from
18:45
Flemings. But still, those are the things
18:47
that just I can understand the Cyclone fan that just sticking
18:50
in the back of your mind that free throw shootings going to be
18:52
there. We come back on the other side
18:54
of we talk a little Hawkeye talk.
18:56
David Eicholt's going to join us.
18:57
Take a peek back at what we saw yesterday, what happened while
18:59
we were on the air yesterday as the Iowa women went over to
19:03
Lincoln and certainly got their most complete effort since the
19:06
injury to Taylor McCabe and what they did starting, of course,
19:09
the Ohio State game when she was injured.
19:11
Since then, it'd been a losing streak.
19:12
They're bouncing back and maybe figuring some things out.
19:15
We'll talk with David Eicholt next.
19:16
It's Miller and Condon on the Iowa Sports Radio Network. 125
19:27
on a Tuesday, It is Miller and Condon on the Iowa Sports Radio
19:30
Network. Our next guest is sick, the
19:33
nicest February in decades. He's also a lover of Dua Lipa
19:39
and he joins us here on the program.
19:41
David Eichel from 24/7 Sports is on with us today.
19:45
Thanks for toughing it out today, Icolt, and battling
19:47
through the elements. How you feeling today?
19:51
It's a little bit better. Still kind of brutal.
19:53
I was telling you off the air. I was, I've been bedroom for
19:56
like the past two days. It was 70° outside yesterday.
19:59
I wanted to go on a walk. I I mean, I've been.
20:02
It's been a little bit of a tough scene, but we're, we're
20:05
all right, man, We're all right. Speaking of all, right, that is
20:07
the Iowa women's basketball team as they get the win yesterday on
20:10
the road in Lincoln, a dominating performance from the
20:13
opening tip. And that was, I know they played
20:16
well after McCabe got hurt in the first minute of the game
20:18
against Ohio State. But this just did not look like
20:21
the same team, certainly did not look like the team that we had
20:24
seen through a long swath of this season and really was on
20:27
the defensive end. That came as a surprise to me.
20:29
The importance of McCabe first, before we get into what we saw
20:32
yesterday against Nebraska just as a whole, Is it the
20:36
understanding, the learning how to play together when you're
20:39
losing one of your main pieces is, is that what we've seen out
20:41
of the squad the last couple of games out that everybody may be
20:44
re understanding what their roles are on the squad?
20:48
I think a little bit, but I also think teams have kind of changed
20:51
their game plan approach to Iowa because look, again, McCabe is a
20:54
really good player. OK, She she's a big 10 caliber
20:58
player, one of the best shooters in school history, but you have
21:01
to look at the tiny details. One, she never missed a
21:04
defensive assignment like her improvement over the last two
21:07
years from the defensive side of the ball has been really, really
21:10
impressive. Her footwork got much better.
21:11
She got stronger, all those good things.
21:14
But when you watch offensively, there's no player that plays
21:17
like her offensively. And I'm not talking from a shot
21:20
selection standpoint. We know it was like a Devon
21:23
Ballwinkle light from the men's side, right?
21:25
I'll, I'll pull that name out out of the bag there.
21:28
But her ability to move without the basketball and that quick
21:32
release, she would come off double screens, let it fly.
21:35
She would go from corner to corner.
21:36
She would make defenses work, and defenses always had to
21:39
account for her because she could get red hot in a hurry
21:42
without that threat. Teams have been really packing
21:46
the paint that high. Low action still works well for
21:49
Iowa, but teams know that's the first option, right?
21:53
So Iowa's turnovers took a turn for the worst.
21:55
You know, not not to do a little bit of a play on words, but the
21:58
other thing that Iowa really did a poor job of during that losing
22:02
stretch, they would Telegraph their passes inside for seconds
22:06
at a time and defenses would read all over it and they go
22:10
down the other end. But now I was shooting the ball
22:12
better from outside. Now defense, the defense is
22:15
really starting to come around because people don't realize how
22:18
good Brit Prince is from Nebraska.
22:20
Like I think she is one of the most elite shot makers in all
22:24
women's basketball. She she's a tremendous player.
22:27
What Kylie Feerbach did on the defensive end from a man to man
22:30
standpoint, it was really impressive.
22:32
Teams now are making threes. Taylor Stremelow had a few big
22:35
threes and defenses couldn't pack the paint.
22:38
And then that's why you got the Avi and performance that you did
22:41
yet yesterday with 27 and 11. Ava Haydn was so good and her
22:47
footwork, we talked about it plenty before David about just
22:50
her around the rim with the size that she has, I think a better
22:52
athlete than probably she gets credit for.
22:54
You saw that on the air ball from Deal that she put back up
22:57
there with the reverse layup. Jan Jensen, she's so good in in
23:00
teaching those post players how to go up quickly.
23:03
You don't need to dribble to create space and create angles.
23:06
How good they are at that. It's all coming together for Ava
23:09
Haydn it there's also that part of it where getting her the ball
23:12
in the right spots. I know Jan talked about that a
23:14
little bit after the game. That's kind of the next level is
23:17
not just what she does inside, but getting chitchat and getting
23:20
those guards to understand exactly where she needs the
23:23
ball. You think about upside, you talk
23:25
about an All American. We saw one in the post with Mega
23:27
Gustafson. Ava Hidin well on her way to
23:30
doing the same thing. I'm right there with you.
23:33
I mean, I think she's an all conference caliber player now.
23:35
I mean, I think we all knew she was going to take a leap after
23:38
last season, but what she's done through this year has been
23:41
incredibly impressive. And not to Pooh Pooh it.
23:45
And not to promote her too early trend, but I think she's a
23:48
future first round draft pick in the WNBA.
23:50
Like for her ability to be 6 foot 46 foot 5, be that elite of
23:55
a rim runner, be able to finish in transition, she can finish
23:59
with the right or left. And how about yesterday she hit
24:01
3 mid ranges in that first half, including one from I would call
24:05
the short corner, but it was probably just a step or two
24:08
inside the three-point line. Pulled up with confidence.
24:10
Nothing but net when she has her mid range game going.
24:14
I I don't envy those who have to Garter because you, like you
24:17
mentioned that footwork is elite.
24:19
She can go up with either hand. Her rebounding has improved
24:22
tremendously. And how about her ability to
24:24
play without fouling? I mean, again, she wasn't
24:26
flawless yesterday, but that was probably one of the most
24:29
well-rounded games that she's played.
24:31
And what what her capability over the next two years with
24:34
this offense, with the talent coming in as well and players
24:38
continuing to develop. Like I, I still don't think it's
24:41
crazy to say that Jan Jensen's best years in Iowa's best years,
24:45
it they might still be in front of them.
24:47
There's a lot of good foundational work that's being
24:50
set And and Ava Hayden is really emerging as probably not just a
24:53
big 10 star. I I think she's going to be a
24:55
national star by next season. You talk about the youth of this
24:59
squad, chitchat, right? She's a sophomore, obviously,
25:02
who we just talked about, Ava Hayden, just a sophomore.
25:05
And maybe the difference maker is Taylor Sremlow, and it's
25:09
inconsistent to this point in her career for Taylor.
25:11
Probably too many tumors. Then you want the shooting has
25:14
been inconsistent though we know she definitely can make it from
25:16
the outside. She had a complete effort
25:18
yesterday. I thought she was awesome in the
25:20
game playing under control, not trying to do too much and kind
25:23
of going into understanding the role.
25:25
They need more out of Taylor Stremelow.
25:27
I saw our buddy Chad Leisenkow, he had the connection.
25:30
People are talking about Kate Martin.
25:31
Apparently Kate texted him after the game.
25:34
Loving that comp. I don't want to put a Kate
25:36
Martin. This is not a native knock on
25:37
Kate. I think there's more upside when
25:40
you're talking about, and yes, she's played in the WNBA.
25:42
I think Stremlo has that kind of upside.
25:45
I don't mind the comparison. I think they're different from a
25:48
leadership standpoint and the passion standpoint.
25:50
Absolutely right. There's no question about that.
25:54
Taylor is incredibly tough. But I, I go back to last season.
25:58
I, I just finished a story on this morning.
26:00
Over the last 10 games of last season, Trent, she had 15 total
26:04
points. But people don't really think
26:07
about that because of the elite passing, the the, the flashy
26:10
sort of plays that she has, the energy that she brought.
26:13
But do you remember in those games last season where she
26:16
would get the ball wide open on the perimeter and nobody would
26:19
guard her and she would just stand there for like 3 seconds?
26:23
It, it was almost like a deer in headlight.
26:25
Now people are closing out on her on corner threes and she's
26:28
still pulling up in their face and making it.
26:32
She's doing mid range pull up jumpers.
26:34
She's 29 of 34 around the rim this season as a 510 guard,
26:40
right? And now she's shooting nearly
26:42
40% from three. Like if she can continue that
26:45
sort of confidence that she has in her in her shooting, in her
26:48
offense, that is a game changer from Iowa standpoint because
26:52
teams are going to have to guard them differently.
26:55
And you also think about the other players on Iowa's roster
26:58
that have taken a big leap after maybe not the best shooting
27:01
year. How about chit chat, right?
27:03
As you mentioned earlier, what Iowa has gotten out of her, I
27:06
don't think anybody in the world expected.
27:09
Not that we didn't think she'd be a decent player, but she's
27:12
leading the country or second the country in three-point
27:15
percentage this year and she's pulling nearly three or four of
27:17
them a game, right? So now you get all those pieces.
27:22
You probably expect Addie Deal to make a similar jump next
27:25
season. I'll be surprised if she
27:26
doesn't. I think she's too good of a
27:28
shooter. There are so many tools there.
27:30
And if you get Taylor Stremel from a leadership standpoint to
27:34
be that productive, that's where I think the Kate Martin
27:37
comparison it, it really does make a lot of sense.
27:40
And it's also worth noting, too, Stremel is one of Iowa's team
27:44
captains, despite being a sophomore like her, her upside
27:48
and her confidence and her presence in that locker room,
27:51
it, it's going to win Iowa some games.
27:53
And I, I think a big reason, as you mentioned, they won
27:55
yesterday, it's because of Taylor Stremelow.
27:58
And I got to give another shout out to Journey Houston.
28:01
I just love her. She goes in there, she's a
28:02
bulldog. She's going to grab a rebound.
28:04
She's going to make a big play. She's going to get a big steal.
28:07
Again, understanding roles and that is Journey Houston.
28:09
I love the her upside. Just a freshman with this team.
28:12
All right, we go from this Iowa women's basketball team where
28:15
it's all sunshine and rainbows after they win their last two.
28:18
But we go back a week ago and it was doom and gloom.
28:20
We go to the men's side and now it's doom and gloom.
28:23
After a six game-winning streak, A2 game losing streak, here
28:26
comes Nebraska to town. The Huskers flying high at 22
28:29
and 3 on the season. A lot of concerns, murmurs,
28:33
frustration. Social media is ugly.
28:35
I'm sure the message boards are ugly.
28:37
I try to stay away, but you know, Hawkeye Insider sucks me
28:40
in from time to time. David, give us a pulse of this
28:43
men's basketball team. And after a disappointing effort
28:46
against Purdue. I think two things can be true.
28:50
One, it's incredibly fair to be frustrated after I think I think
28:54
the Maryland loss is more crushing than the Purdue one to
28:56
be honest with you. Like I I get it.
28:58
That was Ben Mccollum's first sell out.
29:01
Nothing went according to plan, etcetera.
29:03
I think Purdue's really good and you knew they were a good bounce
29:05
back. Again, not dismissing it.
29:08
The Maryland, Maryland's a bad team.
29:09
They should not have lost the Maryland team #2 It is way too
29:14
early to overreact to Ben McCollum or question anything.
29:18
Like like some of the stuff I'm reading is absolutely
29:21
ridiculous. Ben McCollum is an elite coach.
29:23
NBA coaches reach out to him from his schematic and X as an O
29:26
standpoint. He is known as one of the elite
29:29
basketball minds in this country.
29:31
OK, like I'm that's not debatable to me.
29:33
If you, if you're questioning any of that, quite frankly, you
29:37
should not be allowed to talk basketball you're not serious
29:39
about. That's fine.
29:41
But going into tonight, I mean, Ben search just needs some help.
29:47
Like that's ultimately what boils down to me.
29:48
The defence is obviously concerning.
29:51
If you look at their efficiency, I think they're like 240 second
29:54
in the country right now this month in defence efficiency.
29:56
And that's something that I don't think any one of us would
29:59
have predicted. I think Pavion Banks is, you
30:02
know, I think he's limited more than he's laying on.
30:05
I think some guys are getting a little bit of a brittle down the
30:08
stretch. I think Tate Sage and some of
30:10
the other younger guys, yeah, they've had flashes this year.
30:13
But we know how much of A roller coaster these types of years
30:17
need to be, quite frankly. Iowa, I think, needs to lean on
30:19
Brendan Powles and more down the stretch.
30:22
I think Alvaro Fulgaris needs to start being the player that they
30:26
think he's capable of being. And ultimately, somebody has to
30:29
help. That starts because what's
30:30
Nebraska going to do? And I, I'm double teaming.
30:32
That starts the entire night and I'm making somebody else score
30:35
just because Iowa has not proven it up until this point.
30:39
So a pulse, man. A lot of frustration, quite
30:44
frankly, I think a lot of overreaction.
30:47
But again, I, I, I kind of get it because when you take in the
30:51
context of it being the first sell out in 23 months to go out
30:54
there and lay an egg like that, you have to be a little bit
30:57
worried. But I also think people need to
30:59
read into Ben Mccollum's post game where he's like, I'm not
31:01
embarrassed. We just need to work harder and
31:03
do better. That's leadership.
31:05
That's the right approach and that's a good like that should
31:09
make you feel better about the direction of Iowa basketball,
31:11
not just this year, but having McCollum as the coach.
31:14
We have heard going back to that press conference afterwards and
31:18
going to the Zoom from what yesterday, there was some talk
31:22
about potentially making a change in the starting lineup.
31:24
I was been getting off to incredibly slow starts.
31:27
Kill Combs. He's going through a slump.
31:28
He's playing poorly. I mean, there's no way to cut it
31:30
other other than that he has struggled mightily.
31:33
Cooper Koch, he's got to make open threes and he's been
31:35
missing open threes and you can't go 1A4 or when you're that
31:38
kind of shooter and expect to be out there and play the minutes
31:40
that he is. What would be the easiest change
31:43
though? I mean, if if you got the call,
31:45
Ben McCollum gives you the call right now and says I'm going to
31:47
make a change. David Eicholt, what should I do
31:50
with this starting lineup? Where you going?
31:54
I think there's two ways you can go 1 and it sounds crazy because
31:57
he hasn't played a lot. I think you're throwing Brendan
31:59
House in for Kyle Combs. Like Cale Combs is just, again,
32:03
he's had some big moments this year.
32:04
I thought for a while his offensive game was really
32:06
developing, but there is some of the decisions he's made down the
32:10
stretch of these last few games. I mean, I tweeted a middle last
32:13
game until he starts to show something on either end, like
32:17
he's just not as playable just compared to the mints that he's
32:19
getting at this point. Howsen, I think, provides a
32:22
little spark. I actually don't think there's
32:24
that much of a fall off defensively right now between
32:26
Kale Combs and Brennan Howsen, and Howsen can at least extend
32:30
defenses far beyond that. The other look, I would
32:33
potentially make throwing all Varno Fulgaris at the five and
32:36
bring Cam off the bench, keep Tavion Banks in there.
32:40
I know some people think about moving Tavion Banks to the
32:43
bench. I just don't think so because I
32:45
think he's the most versatile defender on the team.
32:47
Again, I know he's probably not 100% right now, but Tavion Banks
32:51
has been way too big of a spark plug and second option in a lot
32:55
of Iowa's wins. I just don't think you can put
32:57
him on the bench. So maybe put all Varno at the
33:00
five and maybe get spark in his confidence with him starting or
33:03
again like again like housing and played a lot with this Iowa
33:06
team this season. Trent, he's a played a lot of
33:08
college basketball and he's a shot maker.
33:11
He's a guy. If he goes out there and gives
33:12
you 2 threes in the 1st 5 minutes, where does Iowa's
33:15
confidence go offensively for the rest of the game?
33:19
You won't know until we see it. I wouldn't mind Howard seeing
33:22
out there, maybe him in the starting lineup.
33:24
He's a guy that certainly has the trust of Coach McCullum.
33:26
We know what he's going to do for you on the defensive end.
33:29
I definitely could see that kind of substitution.
33:31
I I don't even mind having Alvaro out there with Cam and
33:34
you have Tavia, not the three. You put out Howard at the two.
33:37
And of course, Bennett starts at the point guard spot.
33:40
There's a lot of things that they can still toy with and
33:42
tinker with him because really nobody outside of starts is
33:44
playing well. You mentioned earlier the
33:46
defense and those defensive numbers and we've talked about
33:48
them a little bit. It's just a straight line guys,
33:51
guys getting downhill and getting to the rim.
33:53
What's happening there that just it's not that other giving up a
33:57
bunch of corner threes. That's something simple.
33:59
They're getting beat off the bounce.
34:01
Are they are they up too high? Is it because of the lack of rim
34:04
protection and teams are just, hey, we can get to the rim here
34:06
against this team. What is it that they're
34:08
struggling so much against straight line drives?
34:12
Yeah, I mean, I I think a little bit of it depending on the
34:14
lineup, it's due to athleticism and they get those switches
34:17
because again, I think there's No Fear and teams going to the
34:20
paint right now against Iowa until they have a proven shot
34:22
blocker. And you know, how many, how much
34:25
do we talk pre season about this eventually catching up to Iowa
34:29
right down the stretch of the Big 10 play there?
34:31
There's elite guards, there's elite post players.
34:34
Well, I will be able to protect the rim.
34:36
I think they've done OK at times this season and then other times
34:39
it's just guys are doing the same thing over and over again.
34:42
But you also think about some of these elite quick guards, trying
34:45
to mean how many guys that on Iowa's team right now do you
34:48
think are capable of guarding an extremely athletic guard that's
34:51
downhill knowing that there's a lack of rim protection?
34:54
Isaiah Howard, is that the end of the let me maybe Tavion Banks
35:00
depending on the matchup because at least he has the length and
35:02
he won't get pushed around and. It was coming for a while, but
35:06
it hasn't been length. Yeah, if you throw TV on banks
35:09
out there, then you're going to have an undersized guy getting
35:11
the switch on potentially A6 foot ten, 6 foot 11 post guy.
35:15
So again, again, it's it's a little bit tougher from that
35:18
standpoint. But the other side, I think it's
35:20
a lot of defense communication issues there guys getting open
35:23
threes and they're knocking them down.
35:24
I think Iowa during the stretch and this month is giving up like
35:27
38% from three this year this month.
35:30
And doesn't it feel like more at this point in time, like every
35:33
single time a shots gone up, if it's open, it feels like it's
35:37
going in against Iowa? And I think that's what it's
35:40
going to come down to tonight. Nebraska, what they force you to
35:42
do, they don't foul. They're going to force you to
35:45
hit shots over the top of them. If I would can do that, they got
35:47
a shot. And of course, you got to stop
35:49
them on the other end from what they want to do offensively.
35:51
And that's make 3 pointers. It's basketball in general.
35:54
I've said it for years now, what it is evolved into.
35:57
David, give me a box score. Let me look at the three-point
36:00
shooting on each team and I'll tell you who's going to win.
36:02
Very simply, I think that's going to be the case tonight.
36:06
I'm right there with you. I mean, quite frankly, I'm
36:08
stunned. Iowa's favoured.
36:11
I'm floored by that. At the same time, though, if
36:14
Iowa plays the pace that they want to play and they're making
36:17
open threes, I, I do think Iowa, quite frankly, matches up very
36:21
well against this Nebraska team. Are we getting the defense that
36:25
showed up in December or January or are we getting the defense
36:28
that show up the last two weeks? That's going to be the biggest
36:31
thing to me. And again, if Iowa controls the
36:33
pace and plays slower because Nebraska wants to get up and
36:36
down, you can't let them get off to like a 12 to 15 point start
36:40
lead early on. You just you can't do that.
36:43
David Eichel joining us here today.
36:44
David, out of time for this afternoon.
36:46
As always, appreciate it. We will talk to you again soon.
36:49
Enjoy the game tonight. Thanks buddy, always appreciate
36:52
you. Take care.
36:53
That is Hawkeye insiders David Eichel joining us here on Miller
36:56
and Condon. QuickTime out, come back on the
36:59
other side, build myself, put a cap on things, including my
37:02
picks of the day presented by Circus sports.
37:04
That's next on the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
37:07
Wrapping things up with you on Tuesday, Miller and Condon on
37:10
the Iowa Sports Radio Network. Trent Condon final week with Ken
37:15
on vacation. But it a big thank you, Bill
37:18
hanging out with me today. Bill Capaldo, People up in the
37:22
Almond N Polk area certainly know that.
37:23
Wait. Well, people everywhere.
37:25
I mean, I've been getting calls and texts and from all kinds of
37:27
people, you know, some people out there in central Iowa.
37:30
I told you I've lived around in the area for a long time.
37:34
Part of the deal is, is that, you know, we've been really
37:37
active in our community. My wife Julie was one of the
37:41
original members that put together our our fundraiser, our
37:46
North Pole Foundation Gala. So she was the chairperson of
37:50
that and we helped out that. I served on the parks board for
37:54
a long time. I coach, you know, up at North
37:58
Pole, My dad's been involved in the booster club.
38:02
My brother coaches at North Pole.
38:04
Chris, I know he's listening. He's been making fun of me.
38:07
But and then my son Anthony also coaches with us.
38:12
So when they read off the coaches on Friday night, it's a
38:17
bunch of Capaldos. And so they've got all kinds of
38:21
nicknames that they've called us up there and stuff with all the
38:25
Capaldo's and and I, I did forget it when Andy called in,
38:30
you know, my, my nephew Sal's multi event heptathlete and
38:35
decathlete over in in Iowa City for Joey Woody.
38:39
So, yeah, that we've just kind of planted our roots there,
38:44
raised a family. I have a stepdaughter,
38:48
stepdaughter that's 31. She's a pair associate at Ruby
38:51
Van Meter from Des Moines Public.
38:52
Schools. Special place, takes a lot to do
38:56
what she does, and she does it wonderful.
38:59
Again, I mentioned my son Anthony.
39:01
He's got his own business with a bunch of his high school buddies
39:04
up in Huxley, and then my daughter's the event coordinator
39:07
at Briarwood. So we're all, we're all real
39:10
close here. And yeah, kind of kind of
39:13
planted our roots in in Norfolk County and, and Polk City and
39:18
and the Norfolk District in and we appreciate everything that
39:22
they do for us. Before we get into my pics of
39:24
the day, want to ask you a question is somebody that has
39:27
coached as long as you and I always find this perspective
39:30
because I hear so much outside noise and now I'm getting
39:32
involved with my kids and youth. And that's a story for a
39:35
different day as you remember. I'm sure incredibly well, but I
39:39
do so much high school athletics, but I get there.
39:41
I set up my equipment. I call a game.
39:43
I don't do a whole lot. I talked to coaches, but getting
39:47
to know these coaches a little bit, but I hear from the outside
39:49
people is kids are so different today.
39:51
It's so different for kids. Have kids changed or has the
39:55
world around us changed in your mind?
39:57
I think it's really the world around us, the kids have changed
40:01
a little bit and part of that is with every school district,
40:05
parenting has changed. So those are some of the
40:08
maturity things that we see, but.
40:12
Kids really are the same type of kids that they used to be, you
40:15
know, 5-10, fifteen years ago. I mean, social media and all
40:20
those activities that you can do away from sports or chorus,
40:24
band, FFA, whatever it is you're you're into, but there's so many
40:30
more resources now. We have so many opportunities
40:34
and kids just want to continue to be active and do things.
40:39
See when when I grew up, you had to call, you know, dial the
40:43
phone. Not a punch phone or anything.
40:46
It was on the wall and you called up all your buddies,
40:48
meeting at the football field, meeting at the park.
40:51
We're going to play basketball now.
40:53
Everything's so organized. And so you're really just
40:56
shuttling, as you're going to find out real soon, and you're
40:59
shuttling around. Well, we're we're going through
41:01
it. Yeah.
41:02
My little guy, he just finished up wrestling.
41:04
He played basketball, he plays baseball, he plays soccer.
41:07
We're doing golf. And I want to get him into
41:09
tennis and getting that and getting a little, that lateral
41:11
quickness going. My daughter, she thinks she's
41:13
just a softball player only we're trying to get her to do a
41:15
few more, but she loves playing softball and she's been doing
41:18
that travel on the last couple of years.
41:20
It's crazy. And boy, it goes fast.
41:22
Oh, it does go fast, so you need to enjoy it.
41:24
Videotape, pictures, all of it. Take a journal.
41:28
It goes by super fast. They're grown 2731 years old and
41:33
and he goes by fastest. Talking to one of my coaching
41:35
buddies down at Carlisle. He's got a fifth grader and they
41:39
moved her up to basketball. So they went to Marshalltown all
41:43
day for basketball on Saturday and then had to turn around on
41:46
Sunday and go to Adm for volleyball.
41:49
And so I said, hey, enjoy it. Yes it's it's a lot I get enjoy.
41:56
It yes, because it goes in a snap of a finger.
42:00
Well, we wrap up today. Final thoughts from you tonight,
42:03
Iowa, Nebraska, you're going to the game.
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You don't seem overly confident though, Bill.
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I just am not sure what I'm going to get.
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I like David Ickel, you know, put it, put it out there.
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Pretty much what we'd already talked about.
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You know, we got to find a way to to defend better.
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Don't allow second, you know, chance points get off to a quick
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start. If that means a mix up.
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I like the Howard for Combs myself.
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I didn't I did like his. You know, you don't lose
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anything. And on defence, if Heisen comes
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in for Combs and you add that extra threat from the
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three-point line, Kayla Combs is lacking some confidence.
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Some way I, you know, I could, it's a toss up for me.
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Obviously, you know, I, I want them to win.
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I think that they have a chance to bounce back here.
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Matchup is good, you know, keep it within a possession and I
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think we got a chance. Starts make a play late, right?
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Simple as that. Well, I'm going to play the
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emotional hedge here. My plays of the day.
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I'm going to take the Nebraska on the money line, lay the minus
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one O 4 going to take the Huskers.
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And if I'm wrong, I will be so happy.
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But until I see it against this top level competition, I'm going
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to go the other way. So I got 7 plays tonight, going
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to take Nebraska -1 O four other plays tonight.
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Michigan going to lay the 2 1/2 at Purdue.
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UNC playing not without Wilson. I mean, talk about it and impact
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the loss. I'll lay the 6 1/2 with the Wolf
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Pack at home tonight against North Carolina, Miami, Ohio is
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going to lose and I very well could be tonight.
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Grabbing the three with UMass this evening for the undefeated
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RedHawks. Virginia Tech plus 7 1/2, Baylor
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against K State, Coachless K State will lay the 3 1/2 in that
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one. And finally, Kentucky tonight,
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late night will lay it against Georgia. 7 picks for today.
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Bill, thanks for your time. Appreciate you having me trans,
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been a blast. That's Bill Cataldo hanging out
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with us here today. Coming up next, it's off the
44:05
bench. Lucas has got you covered.
44:06
Long with Connor. They'll take you up until 5:00.
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Thanks for being with us, Miller and Condon on the Iowa Sports
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Radio Network.