Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Elite 8 Recap as Iowa falls to Illinois, UConn over Duke, Scott Dochterman from The Athletic Joins the Show

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Elite 8 Recap as Iowa falls to Illinois, UConn over Duke, Scott Dochterman from The Athletic Joins the Show · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

0:08
Hi, good afternoon. Welcome Miller and Khan and we
0:11
get our week underway here on the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
0:14
Thanks for starting your afternoon with us, Trent Condon
0:17
Kendaller and we'll take you until the 2O clock.
0:19
Here's what's coming up on our program at the bottom of the
0:22
hour. Scott Dr. and will join us from
0:24
the athletic basketball conversation with Doc guessing,
0:27
although don't know for sure, but I'm assuming that he covered
0:30
a whole bunch of Ben Jacobson coach games over his career at
0:35
the at The Gazette. So we'll talk to him about a
0:37
number of topics at the bottom of this hour.
0:40
Scott Dockerman from the athletic Bill Seals covers Iowa
0:43
State. He'll kick off our number 2 with
0:46
Trenton I I'll do some football, do some basketball, both men's
0:50
and women's with Bill Seals cyclonereport.com and then Wade
0:53
looking Bill back to Iowa. Former Hawkeye Wade looking Bill
0:56
put a bow on what I think will go down as by by any measure as
1:00
an unbelievably first year under coach Ben McCollum.
1:03
What could have been 32 minutes of basketball game in Houston.
1:06
You were in the building, looked like, Oh my God, there'd be
1:09
another one to play. And then the final was 7 minutes
1:12
or whatever. Did not go Iowa's way.
1:14
But still, All in all, just a remarkable year, Trent.
1:17
And you said it all year, didn't want to put it.
1:20
You didn't want to put a ceiling on.
1:22
How did you say a ceiling on the team?
1:23
I'd never want to put a ceiling on the team and it was because
1:26
of Ben. It starts when you have a point
1:27
guard like that, when you have a shop maker, a creator like that,
1:31
and that's what it's in. In March, you need guard play.
1:33
And I was never had that kind of point guard since Andre
1:36
Woolridge, at minimum, maybe Rodney Lester.
1:38
And that's how good the point guard play had been with Bennett
1:41
Sturtz and what he could do. And it finishes in the Elite 8
1:44
for the first time since 1987. Starting just with the
1:48
environment. I've been to NCAA Tournament
1:51
games, I've been to big NCAA Tournament games.
1:53
I've been to Final Fours, I've been to national championships.
1:55
I've been there. That felt different.
1:58
I understand the team, right? I was going to say, but just
2:01
even before the game and walking around it and just that feel.
2:05
Isn't there something about that, that feeling that you get
2:07
when you realize you're at a big game?
2:09
Yes, that big event feel it just it has a different aura to it.
2:13
It's very difficult to describe, but it is different.
2:17
You could feel that. And then Iowa races out nine,
2:19
nothing. And it's 12/2.
2:21
And the dream started. Then, OK, here comes Illinois.
2:24
News coming and yet. You're able to take a four 4
2:27
point lead into the locker room and you're hanging around and
2:29
going into the game. I had three main keys, three
2:32
ways that I thought Iowa really had a chance to pull this off.
2:35
Run them off the three-point line.
2:37
They're not going to be able to shoot well.
2:38
Illinois didn't. They were 3 and 19 from behind
2:40
the arc #2 just give yourself a shot.
2:43
Illinois this year in tight games has not been good, but
2:45
five overtime losses this season, keep it close.
2:48
Give yourself a chance in the final 8 minutes, they're up 1
2:52
and finally rebounding. Whoops.
2:54
Yeah, that didn't go well. That was the.
2:55
The third one is obviously the biggest one.
2:58
Funny, but that both of the the I when I was stayed, both of
3:02
them have that on their list of things that didn't get done in
3:05
games that knocked them out of the respective tournament.
3:07
Respective tournament. Anyways, just a great run.
3:12
What kind of give me an idea what was the fan base like?
3:14
Obviously Illinois, you could see, you could hear, but Hawks,
3:17
I thought were well representative if sound is any
3:20
indicator. Well, and I thought in the
3:22
building, and I was not in a strictly Iowa section, we had
3:25
some Illinois D bags behind us, directly behind us, and they
3:29
embodied all the Chicago guys that I met at the University of
3:31
Iowa. They sucked regardless.
3:34
Probably 6535, maybe 6040 Illinois.
3:37
But in the loud moments, it was Iowa.
3:40
I mean, in those moments when Iowa was making runs and making
3:43
plays, the Iowa fans I thought were much louder during those
3:46
times. But yeah, the advantage was
3:48
there. You could tell there was a lot
3:49
of nervous energy, though, from the Illinois fans.
3:52
They were the favorite. They were supposed to do it.
3:54
The team that they clubbed in Carver earlier this season.
3:56
And those nervous moments, I I thought, really.
3:58
Especially in the beginning, yes.
4:00
Absolutely. That was a big one too.
4:02
And just that that great start that Iowa had in the game.
4:05
They ran out of offense late. And yes, the bigs, what they're
4:09
able to do and the size inside, I couldn't get buckets late.
4:12
And it's the thing that we saw so much throughout the course of
4:15
the year. And I thought it it showed up
4:17
again in those final 8 minutes. Bennett, can you just bail us
4:21
out? And there weren't enough guys
4:23
that were able to. Fired everything.
4:24
Single bullet in his holster, though Trenty did.
4:27
Went out. Went out as you knew he would.
4:29
What about Fulgaris? He's been such a, he's an impact
4:32
player in this tournament. I thought Chad Lystical, by the
4:35
way, if you haven't heard the audio, Lystical like had a one
4:38
on 1/3 minutes of Fulgaris and his locker.
4:40
Boy Chad really got him to open up.
4:42
I thought it was a really good piece.
4:44
And Fulgaris, he put the blame on himself, took it very hard,
4:48
just could. For whatever reason, he couldn't
4:50
get up for that game, he said. Yeah, didn't have it.
4:53
Yeah. You know, I know I personally I
4:56
would like to see give him another shot somewhere in that
4:58
second-half, certainly with the size that they.
5:00
Have how much did he play in the second-half?
5:02
Two minutes? Is that what it was?
5:03
Just a minute and 1/2. Yeah, I think it was like a
5:04
minute 58 or something like that.
5:07
It was 2 minutes of game time. It may be another run just to
5:09
see if something clicks again for him.
5:12
But we've also seen this so often throughout the course of
5:14
the season with Fool Garris, you know, kind of early.
5:17
Goodell, battle as you would, yes.
5:18
Absolutely. And I, I understand for
5:21
McCullum, hey, he doesn't have it today.
5:24
We're we're not going to go back.
5:25
We just know because we've seen that so often throughout the
5:28
course of the year. And now there's a big decision
5:30
here. And I don't know how the one
5:31
year, 2 year contracts work and, and how that all works, but with
5:35
a guy that was as inconsistent as that.
5:37
And that's something that drives McCullum nuts.
5:38
I mean, he wants consistency out of his guys and the wild range
5:42
that you get out of Elvira Fugaris, if that's something
5:45
that you know what, maybe he got over $1,000,000 is what many
5:49
people believe. Really, at that kind of price,
5:51
does it make sense with your roster to bring in a guy that
5:55
you just don't know can be consistent?
5:56
So let me go back to what something you just said.
5:58
You don't know if it's a one or a two year deal, right?
6:00
Yeah, and and that's the part of it.
6:03
So if he does have a 2, is there no getting out of that I.
6:05
Mean well, I I again no clue. I mean it's it's all guesswork
6:09
at this point of of the way that that goes out.
6:12
But listening to Chad also and his thoughts after the game, he
6:16
sounded like there's a possibility that there's still a
6:19
decision that the coaching staff is going to make of what they're
6:22
going to do with fool Garris. I saw Nacho in the airport.
6:24
Did you saw him at the Hawkeye huddle?
6:26
I talked with him a little bit and I saw him at the airport
6:28
afterwards. That that had to be a sting or
6:30
two. The senior brother not get the
6:32
opportunity. Probably you as a family member
6:34
thought that you wanted to see obviously in that one as he was
6:37
on our flight to Denver. And I don't know if he was going
6:38
back to Ireland afterwards or or what his travel plans look like
6:42
because he was not on the plane back to Des Moines then.
6:44
So no travel troubles for you. No, it was good.
6:47
Awesome. TSA was in Houston was kind of
6:49
the epicenter. People talking about this last
6:51
week. 30 minutes. That's not bad.
6:54
At all? No, not at all.
6:55
I mean it was a long line but. Leave Leave Vegas on a Sunday or
6:58
Monday. You're lucky to get through in
6:59
30 minutes. Oh, absolutely.
7:01
And yeah, it was smooth sailing. So happy there.
7:03
We're waiting for our first plane from Houston to Denver,
7:07
and it left at like 12:48. We're sitting there, they're
7:10
starting boarding and they're like, we're like Group 6 and
7:15
groups one and two are boarding and all of a sudden I get this
7:17
alert on my phone delayed. It's delayed like an hour.
7:20
Well, this sucks. And why are they still boarding?
7:22
Are we going to get on the plane and then sit there for an hour?
7:24
That's terrible. You know how hot it gets in?
7:26
There and. Like no no no no no.
7:28
And then just like 5 minutes later pops back up.
7:30
Nope, everything's on on time. Weird.
7:33
So they kept boarding you? Yep, kept boarding, got on the
7:35
plane, had a quite a layover in Denver, but got back last night
7:38
at, I don't know, 815 back to the house by 8:45.
7:41
Got to see the kids yes, and get to bed so.
7:44
Did you have video on your plane?
7:46
On your flights? Were you able to watch any of
7:49
the games? One of the four, so as we're
7:51
boarding to get back home, Denver to Des Moines, got the
7:55
game, the UConn Duke game on the phone.
7:57
We are literally walking up the aisle.
7:59
It's me and my buddy Graham who's right behind me.
8:01
I got the phone right here. We see the shot as we take like
8:04
3 steps on from UConn to win that game.
8:07
So worked out perfectly there. We're able to watch that whole
8:09
game and by the time we landed in Denver, Michigan and already
8:12
opened things up. So there wasn't a big deal on
8:14
that one. But yeah, it was it.
8:17
It worked out incredibly well. Got to watch most of the Iowa
8:19
State, Tennessee game. So unfortunately got to see the
8:22
way that that thing played out. So worked out incredibly well.
8:25
Travel was OK. No worries there, there and
8:27
back. But just to be there in that
8:29
environment, see so many people that I knew from the past, so
8:32
many Hawkeye fans, and I've said this before, remember when it
8:35
came back from the Final Four in Dallas and the women's Final
8:38
Four is just those same faces that you see.
8:41
And it doesn't matter if it's a road game at Michigan State.
8:43
It doesn't matter if it's a bowl game.
8:45
It's those same faces that you see every single time.
8:47
And just to see those people, I don't know who they are.
8:49
I just know the faces. Got to talk to Wade for a long
8:52
time. Looking at who will join us a
8:54
little bit later on. Just a great, great time.
8:57
My my buddy Hawkeye Andy, who called in last week, got to hang
8:59
out with him for a while. So a great time.
9:02
Absolutely. My buddy Graham, it was his
9:04
birthday yesterday, so it was kind of a birthday trip for him.
9:07
Thanks again to my wife for giving me the the greatest
9:09
birthday gift you can find at this point in your life.
9:11
You know what an experience like that, to see the squad that I
9:14
grew up just so important for my sports fandom, to see that even
9:18
falling short against Illinois, it was awesome.
9:20
No, it really was as hell of a year.
9:21
A hell of a game and and a hell of a year and we just look
9:25
forward to what's coming next. Year I mean so the portal opens
9:28
Wednesday yeah and there's talk point guard I I talked to a lot
9:33
of people while I was down there do they have the guy do.
9:36
You have a name or two, or a school.
9:37
Well, it's the Colorado kid that I mentioned last week.
9:39
That's the one that I heard a couple of different times that
9:42
at minimum Barnwell started following him back in December
9:45
on social media. So a lot of people just
9:47
connecting the dots on that. He is already in the portal
9:50
though. Colorado is going to play in the
9:51
crown. He is already there.
9:52
I don't know if he's gonna play. I don't know.
9:55
I know some guys have. Have you seen the list, by the
9:57
way, of the teams that are playing in the crown?
9:59
Yeah, not a bad list. Oklahoma, Colorado, That's game
10:03
one on Wednesday and then Baylor, Minnesota, That's Game
10:06
2. Not too shabby.
10:07
Then we get. Creighton's there.
10:09
Creighton's there, yes, and McDermott will go out with an
10:11
opportunity. They play Rutgers and then
10:13
Stanford. West Virginia's the other.
10:14
Not a bad list of teams, no? All power.
10:16
All had bad years, but not a bad group of teams that are making
10:19
them. I like this term.
10:20
I think it's I think it's got a place.
10:22
All right, let's get to the other big news.
10:24
Obviously in state news. Ben Jacobson, man, I don't think
10:27
anybody saw this coming. I really don't this late in his.
10:29
Career Well, that's funny because that was there was a lot
10:32
of rumblings about this in in Houston.
10:35
There were so a lot of basketball people that I've got
10:37
to know throughout the years and somebody mentioned to me and the
10:41
way that they this is. Saturday or Friday?
10:43
Night this would have been Saturday.
10:44
They mentioned that he was a finalist on on Saturday and one
10:49
of the things that was talked. About so it was known he was
10:52
interviewing. Yes, yeah.
10:53
And that he the finances you and I are not good at all.
10:59
And the football program and what steps this is trying to do
11:01
there. I mean you talk about working
11:03
behind the 8 ball, they are at the bottom of the conference and
11:05
funding and it's not even close. Even North Dakota State
11:08
departing South Dakota state still got a ton of money.
11:10
North Dakota and South Dakota are incredibly well funded.
11:13
Even the Illinois States and Southern Illinois.
11:15
You and I is at the bottom in football funding and overall
11:18
athletic department in the NBC football or basketball wise and
11:22
with the salary that Ben Jacobson has, nearly $1,000,000
11:25
a year. Not that it's untenable, but
11:29
it's incredibly difficult with everything else.
11:31
Another component is the set Tuttle part Set Tuttle.
11:35
He's going to get a job. Absolutely.
11:36
A known commodity in basketball circles because he's not just
11:39
the great big guy that you think of from you and I.
11:41
Head over hell of a career. Absolutely.
11:43
His basketball acumen is really, really well.
11:47
Can he? Go over and play overseas.
11:49
I believe he did. Yeah, that sounds right.
11:50
Not real long. He came back right away.
11:52
But people talk about basketball IQ, kind of XS and OS stuff.
11:56
He's a name that has brought up a lot that he is really, really
11:59
sharp of what he does on that side of the basketball.
12:01
Yeah, he was a known. He was going to get an
12:03
opportunity somewhere, either at a power conference bench or as a
12:07
head coach at a low level. So let's let's give him the job.
12:11
What's the contract worth if if Jacobson's making 950?
12:14
Yep. What's Tuttle making?
12:16
You probably have to go back down to the.
12:18
Threes probably I I would think that would be the starting
12:21
point, something to that range. 350 maybe something like that,
12:24
but that 600. 1000 of money for assistance.
12:26
Yeah, that $600,000 though, that's something you have.
12:29
That's. Huge at A at an athletic
12:31
apartment like that. So there were there were people
12:35
that believed Jacobson at this point taking the program where
12:38
it can go. He's in his mid 50s.
12:40
He's going to get an opportunity at a great program.
12:42
Got back to the tournament in his final year.
12:44
Yeah, A. Great way to go out to doing
12:46
that. On top of it.
12:47
There's been plenty of opportunity certainly, that we
12:49
know. With big schools.
12:51
Yes, absolutely. But Utah State is going to be in
12:53
the new PAC 12th. They are going to be a school
12:56
that is going to be as well funded as anybody this side of
12:59
Gonzaga and San Diego State. So it's a good job they made the
13:02
tournament six of the last seven years.
13:04
This is a chance for him. And I think from the Utah State
13:06
perspective, they've been hiring all these great young coaches
13:08
from dating spring to leave, right?
13:10
And they leave right away. Yeah.
13:12
And now you get a guy that. What 55?
13:14
Yeah, it's probably going to settle his roots a little bit
13:17
more. You didn't.
13:17
Yeah, I don't think this is he's going to jump.
13:20
I mean, he's not taking this in advance of his, you know, jump
13:23
to the to a power conference. I don't see that either.
13:25
I think that's a really good point and I think really good
13:28
move on Utah State. You know, I have a guy that's
13:30
going to be there for a while. I got some stories for you off
13:34
the air too, because I was able to hang out with a former Iowa
13:37
basketball assistant for a long time almost all Saturday.
13:40
And some of the stories, the bow tie, not that one, not that one.
13:44
No, you'll some stories for you off the air.
13:47
Sorry. Sorry to our listeners about
13:48
that. But a lot of great, great time.
13:50
Just absolutely incredible. We started the day off at an
13:53
Illinois bar, yet there were a lot of Hawkeye fans there and
13:56
moved around, went over to the player hotel for a while because
14:00
the guy I was hanging out with wanted to see a couple of
14:02
people. And I was sitting there and I
14:04
went over and talked to Trevin. You rock.
14:05
And people are listeners. Most of them know called, I
14:08
don't know, 30 of Trevin's games at the high school level at
14:11
Valley and just went up and Oh yeah, the radio guy, Trent.
14:14
Hey, how, how's it going? He's such a nice kid.
14:16
But the guy that I was hanging out with, my buddy Graham was
14:20
his principal in elementary school.
14:23
Oh, Mr. Jones and gave him a big hug and got a picture.
14:25
So that was really cool too, to to see those two reminisce as he
14:29
was his principal when he started in kindergarten.
14:31
And and Graham said, yeah, you can tell Trevin he was a head
14:34
taller than everybody already at Kid.
14:35
Yeah, he was going to have a little bit of size to him, even
14:38
comparison to his older brother Drew and things like that.
14:41
And and Trevin, he's going to be at peace next year.
14:44
They're going, I agree. I agree.
14:45
He's got to get. Certainly quicker, more
14:47
athletic, those kind of things, but he's got a really intriguing
14:49
skill set as a big. Guy no.
14:51
I like the way that he got his feet wet this year a little bit
14:53
that can only could only help him.
14:55
So he got that, that freshman class with him, Tate, Sage,
14:57
Cooper, Koch. Yeah, sign for that.
14:59
Pretty good foundation. Yep, absolutely no question
15:02
about it. Let's let's talk about Duke and
15:03
Yukon for just a second. How does Kaden Boozer live this
15:06
down? This is going to be I, I think
15:09
it's worth and Chris Webber and Chris Webber will never get by
15:11
the the calling time out. He didn't throw the ball.
15:14
Just hold on to the ball. What are you thinking?
15:16
There's 10 seconds on the clock. Game's over.
15:18
Right, just hold on to the ball if.
15:20
They follow you, you're shooting a free throw to go up 4.
15:23
Well, and it started with Camp Boozer throwing it back under
15:26
the rim. What's the last thing you're
15:27
doing against pressure in a 2 point game?
15:29
Don't throw it back under your rim.
15:30
Got away with it but then that the deflection and I thought
15:34
maybe the most important piece caravan making the.
15:37
Three. Well, the three that he made
15:39
just private. But making the right.
15:41
Basketball. Get rid of it.
15:42
I'm going to be the hero. I'm the guy.
15:44
This is my team. This is my senior year.
15:46
I'm going to lead this team back for the third time in four
15:48
years. I'm going to be the guy.
15:50
Nope, drop it back. Bang Mr. Basketball in Indiana
15:54
Pure. Didn't that splash just sound
15:57
different too? Well, it sounded different to my
15:59
house because I was cussing up a storm because all of the Duke
16:01
Final Four, and I'm not alone because this was a massive,
16:05
massive shot sports betting wise around the country and maybe
16:09
around the world. It certainly was here because
16:11
it's Dufon 4 is home. Free.
16:13
Yes, absolutely. Home free.
16:14
Yeah, simple. See ya.
16:16
That's the easy leg. That was the free square.
16:19
John Shire is going to until he does it, yes, until he does it.
16:23
And I think he will. But he will.
16:26
But you know what doesn't he need?
16:28
And and he because the roster is entirely different this year, it
16:30
will be an entirely different next year.
16:32
Maybe one or two pieces remain. Doesn't he need to get some old
16:36
guys, some experience? Because the two that were and
16:40
look, Kaden Boozer held player Cameron Boozer.
16:45
What's what's the the Goodwin's name?
16:47
Caden is the younger one. Yeah, Caden's the younger.
16:49
One or the not as good one Cam's the.
16:51
Cam's the good one. Cam's going to be your player of
16:53
the. Year, yeah, he'll be he'll be
16:54
the first, second, third Rep our pick rather in the overall
16:58
draft. They both messed up and is that
17:00
an experience? Yeah.
17:02
Is that just freshman on a big? I mean, these guys have been on
17:05
a big stage their whole lives, I have to assume.
17:07
You got a 17.7 second-half lead. This is Iowa 1987 against UNLV
17:11
Redux and letting it go. They're one of what was it, 1 of
17:15
18 from 3:00 until they hit four of their last five.
17:17
UConn was this thing's over. And to have that on the heels of
17:21
what happened last year, double digit lead in the final four
17:24
minutes against Houston, letting that thing get away, Go back to
17:27
the Elite 8 the year before against NC State.
17:30
Bounced. Absolutely and had a lead in
17:32
that case. So there are a lot of components
17:34
that you look at and John Shire, great coach, great acumen,
17:38
incredible recruiter. And certainly at a program like
17:41
Duke, though, until he breaks through, this is always going to
17:44
be there. It's always going to be
17:45
perfectly so, yes. But I think you said it, you got
17:48
to bring in some veteran experience.
17:50
Yes, you're going to bring in. They got a tremendous point
17:52
guard apparently coming in next year.
17:54
But go out there in the portal, find a veteran, find your
17:59
Lexembourg, find your, you know, that that guy that absolutely
18:03
everybody wants, find that veteran.
18:05
Do that. I think it'll go a long way.
18:08
Do you? Are you surprised at the point
18:10
spread Illinois and Yukon? I'm shocked.
18:12
Illinois favorite in this game? Really.
18:15
Shocked. I'm not.
18:17
I was not at all metrically. I just, I knew Ken Palm.
18:21
That's a boy about what it was. And the way Illinois is playing
18:25
finally, defending is different too now.
18:27
The path worked out well for him, but to do what they've done
18:30
here during this NCAA term. But we know they got a great
18:32
offense. We know they got size.
18:34
But now they're also clicking on the defensive end of the floor.
18:38
Not surprised by it. Saw it first hand.
18:40
They're just so big now I'm a small guy.
18:43
I'm I'm sure so so everybody looks huge in comparison.
18:46
Whatever I'm walking by basketball players.
18:48
Yeah, I but just but so is Reed for you Con Yes.
18:52
He's a man, he. Absolutely.
18:54
They go one of 18, though against Illinois, it's not going
18:56
to go well even if they hit four of their last five.
18:59
How did Mullen get out of Indiana?
19:01
Do you know his story? I don't I don't know or did his.
19:03
Parents go to UConn or anything like.
19:04
That Not sure. Maybe you just didn't want to
19:07
play Indiana basketball. Well, remember Indiana
19:09
basketball. They didn't have a job, but it's
19:11
not the only school in India are.
19:13
You going to commit to Woodson? Well, no.
19:15
No. No, Purdue is a different
19:17
conversation, yeah. But yeah, I'm not sure about his
19:20
recruitment and the reason behind it.
19:21
You guys pretty good place to. Go no, I get it.
19:23
They're they're every single year.
19:25
If you want to play for championships, this is a team
19:27
that's going to get you an opportunity to do so.
19:29
One more on that, did you see Hurley after they made the shot
19:32
and when the rest were coming? Up when he got right and when he
19:34
head bumped them almost. He he made contact.
19:37
He did make contact. I couldn't tell he did make
19:40
contact. There was a camera angle from
19:42
behind. There's not a doubt in my mind
19:43
that he made contact with the official with his face.
19:46
He had a little. He had his coat on his shoulder.
19:49
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Why?
19:52
I know he's a psychopath. He is as absolutely insane of a
19:56
basketball coaches you're going to find.
19:58
But why do you do that? All it takes is a short fee was
20:03
ref. Yes.
20:04
Boom, even if he didn't make contact to get in a refs face
20:07
like that. Well, if he made contact, he was
20:09
right there with him. So tee it up, yeah.
20:13
And to lose in that fashion. Oh, wouldn't that have been
20:15
something? Because once you blow your
20:17
whistle and make that team, there's no going back.
20:19
Absolutely. The refs not going to get talked
20:21
out of bed because if you point in my forehead, you can see the
20:25
red dot or the red mark. I didn't realize he did make
20:28
some contact. What about the other game?
20:30
Michigan, Arizona? Obviously we got a week to talk
20:32
about it and can't wait to it. It doesn't feel right.
20:36
It truly doesn't that we should get this game on Monday night.
20:38
But how do you? Do you have a feel?
20:43
Eileen Michigan. So do.
20:45
I. For one reason, front lines,
20:48
both tremendous, excellent teams, the two best.
20:50
Teams, I know where you're going.
20:53
It's on the sidelines and Dusty May versus Tommy Lloyd.
20:58
I think the gaps pretty significant between those two.
21:00
A credit Arizona got there and they got there and they did it
21:04
in. Come from behind fashion.
21:06
And that second-half against Purdue, you talk about
21:08
everything clicking and that's the way that they can play.
21:10
But if you're looking for something that is a difference
21:12
maker, I think the gap's pretty big between Dusty May, who is
21:16
awesome. Dusty May is so good, Tommy
21:19
Lloyd. Now you're going to have to
21:20
prove it against this team. I will take Michigan because of
21:23
that. Two of the best we talked about
21:24
last week. The seed total of the the
21:27
comprise final four under what was it, 8 1/2?
21:30
Yep, it came in at what 7? Yes, so so that hits.
21:34
But then the other one, you know how many three.
21:36
How many 1 seeds in the over under was 2 1/2.
21:40
An under hit. An under hit isn't sports
21:45
betting fun. Unbelievable.
21:47
Depends on how it's going. Yeah, no kidding.
21:49
Do you watch any baseball? I'm guessing the answer is no.
21:52
No, I can't wait for tonight to do just that.
21:54
Turn the TV on and watch a ball. Just.
21:56
Flip on some baseball. Nothing, no, nothing else to
21:58
watch. No basketball that's going to
22:00
move the needle. We got a couple weeks before we
22:02
get into obviously the playoffs for both NHL and NBA.
22:06
So yeah, this is the time to re acclimate ourselves with the
22:08
baseball. Not a great start for the Cubs.
22:11
No one. And two.
22:12
What was it, Weimer? Was that the guy that had the
22:14
home run on opening day? Had another one yesterday for
22:16
the nationals. But twins are terrible.
22:19
No surprise there or off. And did you, no, you didn't get
22:22
home in time to watch? I watched the Sunday Night
22:25
Baseball last night on Peacock with Jason Benetti and a couple
22:28
of guys said I didn't know who was doing the game.
22:30
As you mentioned last week, it's not going to be a analyst, a
22:34
weekly analyst. They're going to move around to
22:36
use some of the quote local guys doing it.
22:39
So I didn't know my it was okay. The broadcast was good.
22:41
It was a ball game. It's Panetti.
22:43
It was unlike, you know, Netflix early in the week that received
22:47
a ton of criticism. Yeah, it's Panetti.
22:49
If you're right, it goes a long way.
22:51
He's such, he's such a pro. Did you take it the over prop on
22:55
Murakami's home runs for the season?
22:56
I know you talked about him. No, but I thought we were going
22:59
to be my. God, what a start.
23:00
He's off to 4th. Player in MLB history to hit a
23:03
home run in each of the first three regular season games for
23:05
the White Sox. But the Brewers, But their
23:08
start, Yeah. It's the Brewers, Trent.
23:11
Now they come in, they're beating the White Sox, although
23:13
that's the White Sox team. Full disclosure, I bet the over
23:15
on their win total. I kind of like them a little
23:18
bit. You got some ways to go.
23:19
No, I'm just saying, but but I was going to, you know, I'm not,
23:22
I'm not going to build up the Brewers because they're beating
23:24
the White Sox, But it's just the way they're doing it, the way
23:27
that they're doing it. Unbelievable.
23:29
All right, 1225 Scott Doctorman is next.
23:32
A variety of topics for Doc Bill Seals and our number 2.
23:35
Wade looking, Bill and our number 2 friends plays of the
23:38
day as well. Is there a basketball game
23:40
tonight? There's women's I know.
23:42
There is women too. You know, I didn't look at the
23:45
bracket. We're not going to get UConn and
23:47
UCLA in a semi final, are we? So the bracket will be.
23:51
For the Final Four, it will be no UCLA and Yukon.
23:55
They're on opposite sides. Good.
23:57
Yes, which is the way that it definitely should be.
23:59
So it'll be Yukon, South Carolina and Texas.
24:02
UCLA if seeding. If seeding so those are the
24:05
other two one seeds. Yes.
24:06
Does it sting a little bit for the Hawkeyes to see Michigan, a
24:09
team that you beat up twice playing tonight against Texas?
24:14
That's got to sting a little bit, too.
24:16
We had this team. Yeah, no doubt women's
24:18
basketball, Kenzie Hair is in the portal now.
24:21
That's 9 I think is the number. There's three from last year's
24:25
roster that are still part of the.
24:28
Team. But it all comes down to naughty
24:31
crooks. Yeah, what happens?
24:32
When's she going to make her decision?
24:34
One way or the other, either make it definitive that I'm
24:36
back. It reminds me Calipari's kind
24:40
of, you know, I don't know, Fast forward a little bit when I
24:42
don't know if Finley's come staying or going and stuff.
24:45
When when, when Calipari got the Arkansas job and he started his
24:48
press conference. I just came from a meeting.
24:50
I met with the team. There is no team.
24:53
There was no team. The roster was gone.
24:55
But this is what I was face going to face.
24:57
Absolutely. They talk about a rebuild.
24:59
With a one year coach, one year, that's all that's left on his
25:03
contract. How do you get players to come?
25:07
It's got to be all four feet, four year players, right?
25:09
I guess do they have enough money for that?
25:12
Then that's another question. Doc, Next Miller and Condon,
25:14
Iowa Sports Radio Network Hi, Miller and Condon just
25:32
passed 1230. We are here until 2:00 off the
25:36
bench. Coming up two until 5.
25:38
Shawn and Lucas 2 until 5, overtime Iowa, 5 until 6.
25:42
Let's get to our friend Scott Doctorman.
25:43
He writes for The Athletic and Doc joins us.
25:46
Doc Trenton Ken, as always, appreciate you coming on on this
25:49
beautiful Monday here in the state.
25:51
I guess got to start with Ben Jacobson.
25:53
Doc, I know it wasn't your primary beat at The Gazette, but
25:57
guessing you certainly covered a number of Ben Jacobson, you and
26:00
I Panther games in your career. I thought it came out of
26:04
nowhere. Trent was in Houston for the
26:06
Iowa game. You said there were some
26:07
rumblings down there. Certainly caught me off guard.
26:10
55 years old Ben Jacobson on his way to Utah State.
26:14
Yeah, it is a surprise. I think unless you really knew
26:17
that it was coming or, or that he was looking.
26:19
I think it's it's something that it's kind of like, whoa, I
26:22
didn't expect that. But I mean, it makes sense,
26:25
obviously for for Ben Jacobson. He's reached the stage of his
26:29
career where what is it that you want the rest of the way?
26:33
I mean, they made their first NCAA Tournament in 10 years.
26:37
You know, they're wanted done. They didn't win the the the
26:40
valley other than the tournament, which gets you in.
26:42
But the valley is vastly different than what it was when
26:45
it was in its heyday, when when he was really going in a strong
26:48
when you didn't, when you had Creighton and Wichita State and
26:51
it was likely A2 bid league or even a three dead league.
26:53
So I think it it makes sense for him to decide.
26:57
I want to go somewhere where you can, you know, where you don't
27:00
have to necessarily have to win the, the conference title, but
27:03
you get the tournament and have better access to the money and
27:06
players and, and you know, and I think it draws some questions
27:10
with Northern Iowa and the valley at large is can you, can
27:14
you do anything in the tournament?
27:16
Can you get there and compete? Can you compete for players?
27:18
Because it used to be at, at you and I you can build that roster
27:23
up. And he did and it was terrific.
27:26
But but the portal has changed things.
27:28
Finances have changed things and and so you know, when you had a
27:32
Matt Bohannon and a Seth Puddle and, and you know, just for a
27:36
list of Holly, Farouk, Banesh and all the other great players,
27:40
you could keep them. I don't think you could keep
27:43
them today. And I think he probably
27:44
understood that if he wants to move on, now is the time to go.
27:47
And subtitle maybe the front runner to take over that job and
27:50
take over at his alma mater with the Panthers.
27:53
Let's jump over to what we saw in Houston is Iowa makes an
27:57
elite 8 for the first time since 1987.
28:00
DACA. I know like myself, you talk a
28:02
lot about those teams, what it was like here in the state of
28:05
Iowa growing up with Iowa basketball.
28:07
And boy, to see the fan base reinvigorated like this, your
28:10
number one of Ben McCollum, certainly gives a lot of
28:13
excitement for the future of what Iowa basketball can become
28:16
again. And you know the importance of
28:17
what it meant in the state for a really long time.
28:21
Yeah, it this is exactly what this program needed and it's a
28:26
complete 180 from what we saw a year ago, Trent.
28:28
I mean, you know, a year ago it was funny during the week.
28:31
It was one year today, Ben McCollum was hired to coach
28:36
Iowa. And then what he's done in one
28:38
year is has been truly remarkable because he has
28:41
reinvigorated the fan base. And and even though you know,
28:44
there's still some empty seats, but you know, when you have a
28:47
2000 seat improvement in attendance, that says a lot.
28:51
Don't the fact that they got to the tournament and won three
28:53
games and at which they hadn't done since 87 says a lot.
28:57
And to do it with this roster outside of Bennett Sturtz, I
29:01
mean, you're looking at this team going, they should be
29:03
playing in the crown, not the not the NBA tournament.
29:05
And and here they are, you know, on the cusp of, you know, really
29:09
8 minutes away from, from really, you know, upsetting one
29:12
of the biggest rivals to get to the final four.
29:14
And, and you know, but I think you, if you're an Iowa fan and
29:18
you look at the way this roster was constructed and helps
29:21
coached, I mean, Ben McCollum is the best coach on the floor
29:25
every game. He competed in a tournament.
29:29
There's no way that any other team coach would have that
29:32
roster competing with Illinois. It was clearly at a disadvantage
29:38
and yet he had them, you know, play after play, possession
29:42
after possession. So you've got to be incredibly
29:44
excited that if they get an upgrade in talent, if they have
29:47
a shooter, if they have a post player or two, you know, you may
29:51
not have another Bennett Sturtz, but you might.
29:53
And you get those types of players in in Iowa.
29:56
And you've got to feel like this team is in its best position to
30:01
compete for a Big 10 title and an NCAA Final Four.
30:05
Then it's been, you know, I mean it's really since like 2000,
30:10
2020 one, but also in real realistically since maybe the
30:14
early 90s. No doubt about it.
30:16
You know, when the new era of college athletics, right, Iowa
30:20
in the fall and then in fall into the winter, into the spring
30:23
here had two guys that Mark Gradowski, most important
30:26
position in all sports quarterback one year and what a
30:29
year he had for the for Kirk Ference's squad.
30:32
And then Bennett Sturtz. It's the era that we're in, Doc.
30:35
But you know, 20 years down the road when whoever's doing this,
30:38
Trent and whoever he's working with is talking about guys that
30:41
were only at the University of Iowa for one year, but made the
30:44
biggest impact. Those are two names that are
30:47
going to come up, and Sturtz might be the first one out of
30:49
people's mouths. You look at really over a full
30:54
calendar year and the three players, all that, all three
31:00
were one and done and all three left Iowa fans going, man, if we
31:05
could have only had them one more year.
31:07
I mean, if you can imagine Lucy Olsen feeding Ava Hayden this
31:11
year in the post and I mean, that team is vastly different.
31:15
I mean, that team is, you know, maybe still playing, you know,
31:19
or at least, you know, playing tonight against South Carolina,
31:23
if it had Lucy Olsen on there. And then, yeah, Bennett Sturtz,
31:27
everybody knew that they were getting an all American caliber
31:31
point guard and they and he was, he was as good as any player on
31:34
the floor in every single game. And then Mark Gronowski, you
31:37
know, kind of like Lucy Olsen started a little rough and some
31:40
rough patches and then, you know, he ends up tying the Big
31:43
10 record with 16 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a
31:47
single season. Really elevated that team.
31:49
You could see it in the way he played and, you know, brought
31:53
that organic leadership component that that was kind of
31:56
missing from that position because he was a dude as well as
31:59
a as a as a great guy. And I, I mean, yeah, one year
32:03
rentals are going to be the the norm for most teams, but I all
32:07
three of them were home runs not only on the on their field of
32:12
competition, but also in the way they rally their teammates
32:15
around him and his people off the floor.
32:18
Doc I I miss that you're not a basketball writer anymore
32:20
because I loved your basketball column so much throughout the
32:23
years. But when you look towards the
32:25
future of Iowa basketball, and I don't know if you're the
32:28
athletics going to have you put together a column like that, but
32:31
after this year, what they did in year #1 obviously work needs
32:34
to be done in the portal. But you look at the baseline and
32:37
you got Tate Sage, who grew up before our eyes here during the
32:41
NCAA tournament, a freshman. And Cooper Koch, after those
32:43
struggles in the middle of the year, the way he shot the ball
32:45
over the last month, you got 2 building block freshman there.
32:49
What do you look like? Like how different do you think
32:52
the team is going to look going forward?
32:53
You're not going to have a Bennett Sturtz ball dominant
32:56
like that. What is Iowa basketball going to
32:58
look like in your mind now going forward under McCollum?
33:01
Yeah, I, I think you're right that they're going to be some
33:04
major changes. I mean, you do got Cam man Yao
33:07
back. That's going to be really
33:08
helpful for them. You know, Fulgaris was really
33:12
inconsistent, obviously came up with one of the maybe the three
33:15
greatest shots in Iowa basketball history.
33:18
But you know, he I equate him to a guy you you signed to a big
33:22
contract in baseball. He hits 235 during the year and
33:25
then all of a sudden he hits the game-winning home runs to to win
33:28
a, a postseason series. So it's like, did you get your
33:31
investment sorta and you don't you wonder what that brings for
33:35
next year. Can they somehow get Tavion
33:38
Banks eligible to come back for another year?
33:41
I like the way Kale Combs played down the stretch.
33:44
Isaiah Howard, there's times with a kind of joke, you kind of
33:48
felt like John Licklider out there, but a lot more athletic.
33:52
But he's also being a lot more talented.
33:54
What can Trey Thompson bring next year?
33:57
You know, Trevin Urich another year.
33:59
I think he's going to be, he's going to take a major step
34:02
forward next year. But they do need to, you know,
34:04
they do need 3 or 4, maybe five more players to bring in.
34:09
You know, they do need desperately need a shooter
34:13
because Sturtz was really good. But you know, you need that
34:16
spacing. If nothing else, they need
34:19
another big presence. And there they probably need,
34:22
you know, maybe a slasher type performer.
34:25
So if they can get that in the portal, and I would expect that
34:28
they will. I don't think, you know, they
34:30
don't have, you know, money, you know, gigantic treasure.
34:33
But they do have money and they're going to spend it.
34:36
And if they do, and if they have a roster that's better than what
34:40
they had last year, I mean, this is a this is a formidable
34:44
program because look at it, Ben McCollum, I mean, you watching
34:49
him the way he competed against Florida against Michigan late in
34:52
the season and you know, certainly against Illinois, they
34:56
were under manned, but but he he got him in the right position to
35:00
win those games. And you can see how they could
35:02
have won it based on his coaching acumen.
35:04
So I, I think they're going to be able to have some money in
35:08
there. It's just the only question is
35:10
going to be, and this is for Beth Goetz and, and for the
35:13
collective is, is going to be, you know, how do you split it
35:15
up? Because football is still the
35:17
most important sport. You can do whatever you want in
35:19
basketball. It's great.
35:20
This time of year, football is still more important.
35:22
Yeah, no, no doubt about it. I'm anxious to see how it goes
35:25
as well. This has to, I would think, lead
35:27
to an infusion of of money. I mean, no one wanted to get for
35:31
the at the end of the McCaffrey era.
35:33
So we'll we'll we'll see where this goes.
35:36
Scott Dockerman joining us from the Athletic doc.
35:38
A couple of things. Football, I'm sure we'll have to
35:39
get back to basketball for just a second.
35:42
The targeting rule, I do want to pick your brain on this.
35:45
I think it needed to be changed. Was it the right change Dock or
35:49
do you think that college football coaches are happy now
35:52
with the with the new targeting rule and the fact that, you
35:56
know, the suspension won't necessarily carry over into the
35:59
first half of the next game? Yeah, I am, because you look at
36:03
these, at the targeting rule when it was implemented, you
36:06
know what, close to 15 years ago, you needed to take those
36:10
headhunts out of the game. I mean, they were, and people
36:13
leading with their heads more than anything else.
36:15
It wasn't necessarily intentional to hurt anybody, but
36:18
just there's a style of tackling needed to change and it has.
36:21
And very few of the targeting tackles are actually
36:27
intentionally trying to to level somebody with your head, helmet
36:31
to helmet or something like that.
36:32
It's just kind of, you know, unfortunate.
36:35
And I think if somebody has that happen, you know, second series
36:39
into the second-half, I mean, it's like, do you really need to
36:42
penalize them for a whole half? Like we saw that with what
36:44
Xavier Lucas and Miami in the national championship game.
36:47
And that's, that's a long time. And, and I, I agree that that
36:51
this needed to be changed. And, and I think they've made
36:54
positive strides in this area in multiple ways.
36:57
One is you've gotten changes in tackling and then that needed to
37:01
happen too. Is now all targeting, targeting
37:05
calls are under review. And that needed to happen too,
37:08
because early on there was some ambiguity as to well, was he
37:12
really leading with his head? Or now they, they look at it,
37:14
you know, very closely. And, and maybe we don't agree
37:17
with every call, but I think we can agree that that there's a
37:20
lot of attention paid to each and every one of them.
37:22
And three, I, I think it was too punitive to go into the next
37:26
game because it unless and if, if somebody was truly doing
37:31
something leading with their head in a way that was
37:34
malicious, then I think the conferences then need to step in
37:37
and, and offer suspensions as opposed to, you know, just
37:41
automatic half taken out. Because if somebody's just
37:44
being, you know, egregious in the way they're doing that.
37:47
And that should be taken care of separately, not unilaterally.
37:51
Doc, last thing for me, you have written over at The Athletic
37:54
about the Final Four breakdown. So early thoughts here and
37:57
what's going to be a week of breakdowns.
37:59
Your thoughts on Game 1, Yukon, Illinois, and of course, the
38:02
nightcap. What a nightcap it'll be with
38:04
Michigan and Arizona. Wow, what?
38:07
What a shot by Braylon Mullins last night.
38:10
I mean, that was as good as it gets.
38:13
You know, we, we've had that. We we did a big kind of all of
38:17
us. They have let it wrote like
38:18
every single major shot and obviously we left out a few, but
38:22
you know, and including I included Fulgaris in it, you
38:25
know, from the other day. But this one is at or near the
38:27
top of the list and won an incredible shot.
38:30
And the UConn, you know, they've already beaten Illinois.
38:34
They beat him decisively in Madison Square Garden.
38:36
But that was before Keaton Waggler was anything other than
38:40
just a freshman. So I I do, I am interested in
38:44
seeing that. But if you got Dan Hurley on
38:46
your side, provided he's not getting face to face with
38:49
officials, I mean, man, he is, he's a machine.
38:53
And so, you know, if you're Brad Underwood, you're a little bit
38:56
nervous just about the coaching match up of nothing else.
38:59
But but Illinois is going to be able to even that out.
39:01
I mean, it's less than two hours from Champaign to Indianapolis.
39:05
I would expect there it to be a lot of orange and I think that
39:10
you've got the fans behind you. You've got a very talented team.
39:14
Yukon's a really good team as well.
39:18
I think that's pretty even. And the other one, as you said,
39:20
you rarely get these kind of marquee matchups.
39:23
The last one that comes to mind and I'm probably missing some
39:25
was was Wisconsin, Kentucky and 15, which was an incredible,
39:30
which was also in Indianapolis. And I think this match up, you
39:34
know, immediately you want to say, man, they should be playing
39:36
this in the championship game. But I, I mean, I think it's a
39:40
coin flip. I, I picked Arizona to win the
39:42
whole thing, but I also picked Iowa State to upset Michigan and
39:45
I was wrong about that. So I thought that I, I think
39:48
this could go either way. And, and obviously the winner of
39:51
that game is going to be a massive favorite in the
39:54
championship. So I I guess that's that's where
39:58
I'll start with this. Well, Doc will preview that game
40:01
next Monday with you if your schedule allows.
40:03
Thanks for doing this as always, Doc Appreciate.
40:05
What else have you got coming up this week at The Athletic?
40:09
I'm back in the draft mode, writing some NFL draft fits and
40:14
then doing a few writing about Purdue football.
40:18
And then also I'm talking to Jennings dunker for a while, so
40:23
have something on him and that all be kind of coming together.
40:26
And then over the weekend I'm leaving to see my son in Germany
40:29
for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to that.
40:31
Good stuff. Enjoy that with you and look
40:33
forward to your draft stuff at The Athletic.
40:36
Thank you, Scott. Appreciate you coming on.
40:38
Yep, have a good one guys. Think you do the same Scott
40:40
Dockerman from The Athletic. I just saw the angle that you're
40:43
talking about with with Hurley. He absolutely makes contact.
40:46
Yeah. How is that not a technical
40:48
foul? The ref Yukon fans, because I
40:52
mean, you talk about everything. Today would be about that.
40:57
Yes, this would dominate the conversation.
40:59
As it should for weeks, right? Especially if it costs them the
41:03
game and it. Probably would have.
41:05
Probably would have what a psychopath.
41:08
What a complete idiot. Hell of a coach though.
41:12
Oh, he's a hell of a. Coach.
41:13
Hell of a coach. Boy, did he catch a break.
41:16
Do you know the official's name? He's an old guy.
41:18
Yeah, I don't know who it was. It wasn't a guy that looked
41:20
familiar to me. We got you, folks.
41:25
If you're, if you know what you're talking, if we what we're
41:27
talking about, this was right at the end of the game.
41:30
This was after the shot. Yep.
41:32
They're coming over to check the clock for time and they put an
41:34
extra 10th of a second on there, Right they went.
41:36
From three to point .3 to .4. And when the official comes
41:40
over, Hurley gets right in his face and bumps him.
41:43
Yes. He head butts.
41:44
Him forehead to forehead. It wasn't.
41:46
He had a smirk on his face. Maybe that was the reason behind
41:49
it. But I just talked about an all
41:53
timer. Roger Ayers.
41:54
Mike Reed, Roger Ayers. That's Roger Ayers.
41:57
I think it is. It is, and it's been around
42:00
forever, yes. Swallowed his whistle there and
42:03
he didn't have. To should he have?
42:05
Yeah, you don't want to decide the game on that.
42:09
No, but you mean you made contact with an official, Not
42:12
just contact. This wasn't, you know, a bump.
42:15
An accidental and it wasn't like he was looking the other
42:18
direction and bumped into him. He went right up to him.
42:20
He's got his he's got his eyes trained on his nose and his
42:24
forehead coming down to wow, that's egregious.
42:28
Miller Condon, our number two Bill Seals kicks it off.
42:32
Wade looking Bill as well as the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
42:44
I'm Miller Condon final couple of minutes, our number one of
42:47
our program. We're here until 2:00.
42:50
Bill Seals on Iowa State. He kicks off the second of our
42:53
show. Wade looking Bill.
42:54
I will put a bow on what he saw and what he expects to see going
42:57
forward with Hawkeye men's basketball.
43:00
So Sunday night baseball ends last night.
43:03
He's just dying for something to watch right?
43:05
Just absolutely, absolutely. It got the shakes.
43:08
Put the swamp people on, OK, shoot them, shoot them.
43:13
And then I'm, I'm scrolling through Twitter and I see
43:14
there's an NBA game on and we get the NBA game.
43:18
Trent. I couldn't get into it for the
43:20
life of me. And there was nothing else to
43:21
watch. Like nothing.
43:24
It was bad. I don't know what it is.
43:26
I mean, I know that they we change, we say we change, we do
43:30
because we pay more attention to it.
43:32
But good God, NBA regular season basketball's a tough one.
43:35
I get why I get the blowback I get from hockey because people
43:38
are saying the same thing, right?
43:40
It's just so difficult to watch it, especially with what we've
43:44
watched on the hardwood for the last two weeks, right?
43:47
Those unbelievable NCAA games and then you put on NBA games
43:51
like Jesus, she's going through the.
43:53
Motions. I saw an SGA play that just said
43:56
drives you nuts from the other night where when they're playing
43:58
the Celtics and he didn't get fouled, didn't get touched, and
44:01
then he gets a foul and it it's going to be bad.
44:03
That hasn't changed since last year, apparently.
44:04
That hasn't changed either. The Timberwolves will keep us
44:08
interested, but until Ant gets back out there, we'll see
44:11
exactly what that's going to look like and how they're going
44:13
to be. I wouldn't think, though, you
44:15
know, the Lakers playing good basketball.
44:17
Are they? I'll take your word for.
44:18
Them they had AI think at one point like A8 game-winning
44:20
streak, something like that. That drives a lot of interest.
44:23
I'm sure the Lakers are still the team coupled with LeBron on
44:27
that team. That resonates.
44:29
I mean, if we're looking for a rooting interest, at minimum, we
44:32
want the Lakers to get to the Western Finals.
44:34
Well, we're trying to get those months of April, middle of
44:37
April. By.
44:39
The way until we get to June, those are the times that
44:41
definitely the teams that we won, I mean hockey, the Wild got
44:45
a chance to make a run. Yes, absolutely.
44:47
Really. Yes.
44:48
They're so disappointing though. Every year, year after year,
44:52
they made that conference finals once and of well gone out in the
44:55
first round like. Most like 3 or 4 series. 10 to
44:59
the last 11 something. Unbelievable.
45:01
That they've got bounced in the but the.
45:02
Bad news is, it's the way that the NHL is set up.
45:05
They're gonna have to play Dallas in the first round.
45:07
Is that is there pushback in? Yes.
45:09
In communities, yes, it's finally, but they're not
45:11
changing. They're not.
45:12
I don't think so. I remember when it came out, we
45:14
talked, I said, what are they doing right?
45:16
I mean, this is the old days of the Norse division and and all
45:19
the divisions. Here's the atoms, and you're
45:20
gonna play the same for like, what kind of structure is this
45:23
for sport? And then we have two wild cards.
45:27
You know what? I know.
45:29
Well, more hockey's good hockey for me at least.
45:31
But anyways, all right, Bill Seals kicks off the second hour
45:35
of our show. He covers Iowa State
45:37
cyclonereport.com. Wade looking Bill Trent's plays
45:40
of the day, circus sports sponsor.
45:43
Those one hour to go for us. Miller and Condon talking sports
45:46
with you. Come on back.
45:48
It's the Iowa Sports Radio Network.