Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball · Locked On Podcast Network, Trent Condon

LIVE FROM HOUSTON - Can Bennett Stirtz & Iowa DEFEAT Illinois in Elite 8 for Final Four Glory?

·22 min·1 clip

Iowa's path against Illinois starts with staying efficient, not fast, and hanging around until the final 10 minutes.

Trent Condon opens from Houston. He says the trip itself was a birthday gift from his wife, which gives the segment a personal, on-site feel. The game is still inside of seven hours as he records, and he keeps coming back to the idea that Iowa is 40 minutes from destiny. The matchup is Iowa versus Illinois, with a Final Four berth on the line. For Iowa, the formula stays simple: control the glass, slow the tempo, and let the stars make big plays late. He says Iowa is playing with house money, and that loose, free feel matters in a spot like this. Illinois carries the pressure instead. Condon points to Brad Underwood and the program's yearly expectations, noting that the Illini have been waiting to break through and get over the hump. Iowa's path is not about domination. It is about hanging around long enough to make the final ten minutes matter. The episode also turns to close-game math: four of Iowa's last five losses have gone to overtime, and Illinois has not been great in close games this season. That makes the late stretch feel like the opening Iowa needs, and if the Hawkeyes can stay within shouting distance, the upset door stays open. The segment ends with Houston energy, a promise of postgame coverage, and a tease of Tom Caker from HawkeyeReport.com.

As heard by us

Houston-set Elite Eight stakes, Iowa as the underdog, and a sharp Final Four case built on the glass, pace, and late-game stars.

Trent Condon keeps the focus tight, treating Houston as the stage for a straight-ahead Elite Eight preview with Iowa and Illinois playing for a Final Four spot. The strongest part is the game plan itself: win the glass, slow the pace, and trust the stars to settle it late.

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Why you'd press play

You want the Houston stakes before Iowa and Illinois tip off with a Final Four on the line.

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