
Hawk Central Hour
USA Today
“Hawk Central Hour” airs between 6-7 p.m. on 1460 KXnO-AM on Wednesdays and will feature Des Moines Register Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow and beat writer Tyler Tachman.
Follow their coverage at hawkcentral.com.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Sports & Recreation Podcasts
Networks:
USA Today
Description:
“Hawk Central Hour” airs between 6-7 p.m. on 1460 KXnO-AM on Wednesdays and will feature Des Moines Register Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow and beat writer Tyler Tachman. Follow their coverage at hawkcentral.com.
Language:
English
Episodes
Hawk Central: Unpacking Kirk Ferentz's NCAA violation ruling, Iowa basketball portal heats up
4/14/2026
A breaking-news Tuesday starts with Iowa football being forced to vacate four wins from its 2023 season from a recruiting violation related to old friend (or foe, perhaps?) Cade McNamara. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman delve into the NCAA ruling, Ben McCollum's quiet portal moves and Jan Jensen's big Georgia splash.
Duration:00:49:25
Hawk Central: Transfer portal is open, how much movement should Iowa basketball fans expect?
4/7/2026
With the Big Ten claiming national championships in men's and women's basketball, we now turn our attention to the offseason fully. The women's portal exits are done, but what can we expect on the men's side? The Register's Tyler Tachman and Chad Leistikow wander through Ben McCollum's roster, his decision to turn down a North Carolina interview and more ... including an early women's portal visitor and spring-football conversations.
Duration:00:41:35
Hawk Central: On Addie Deal's departure, portal preview for Iowa men's basketball
3/31/2026
The Monday-night news of Addie Deal intending to enter the tranfer portal shook the Iowa women's basketball fan base, but how should this news be absorbed? Big-picture conversations about the dwindling roster numbers for Jan Jensen's squad and what the concern level should be. On the men's side, how can Ben McCollum capitalize on an Elite Eight run as portal season is set to begin on the men's side? Plus, a little spring football talk with Chad Leistikow, Tyler Tachman and Dargan Southard.
Duration:00:48:40
Iowa basketball's magical run ends with Elite Eight loss to Illinois
3/28/2026
Live from Houston, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down Iowa basketball's season-ending loss to Illinois in the Elite Eight.
Duration:00:34:51
Iowa basketball's improbable run continues as Hawkeyes advance to Elite Eight with Nebraska win
3/27/2026
Live from Houston, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down every element of Iowa basketball's improbable Sweet 16 win over Nebraska. In Ben McCollum's first year, Iowa is headed to its first Elite Eight since 1987.
Duration:00:37:38
How does Iowa basketball continue this magical NCAA Tournament run vs. Nebraska in Sweet 16?
3/25/2026
Live from Houston, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect every element of Iowa basketball's Sweet 16 matchup against Nebraska.
Duration:00:30:23
Hawk Central: Previewing Iowa-Nebraska in men's Sweet 16; abrupt women's end in NCAAs
3/24/2026
One Hawkeye basketball team is moving on (surprisingly), and the other is staying home (also surprisingly). The Iowa men are headed to the Sweet 16, and the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman revisit the stunning upset of Florida while looking ahead to a quick turnaround to a Thursday game against a familiar rival in Nebraska. Chad and Dargan Southard also unpack the stunning upset loss for the No. 2 seed Iowa women to Virginia, looking at three things that caused that result and a look ahead to portal season.
Duration:00:57:01
Iowa basketball stuns defending champion Florida to reach first Sweet 16 since 1999
3/23/2026
Live from Tampa, the Register's Tyler Tachman joins Chad Leistikow to dissect Iowa basketball's stunning upset over defending national champion Florida. In Ben McCollum's first season, the Hawkeyes are headed to their first Sweet 16 since 1999. Up next...Nebraska.
Duration:00:29:24
Dissecting Iowa basketball's win vs. Clemson, the Hawkeyes' first NCAA Tournament victory since 2021
3/20/2026
Live from Tampa, the Register's Tyler Tachman joins Chad Leistikow to break down Iowa's basketball's win over Clemson. In Ben McCollum's first season, the Hawkeyes have their first NCAA Tournament win since 2021.
Duration:00:25:25
Hawk Centra: Iowa basketball, wrestling teams reach ultimate NCAA tests
3/17/2026
On this three-segment show of Hawk Central, the Register's Chad Leistikow is joined by Iowa men's basketball beat writer Tyler Tachman, who previews the first-round matchup with Clemson and we buy or sell Iowa's chances as a Sweet 16 team. On the women's side, Chad and beat writer Dargan Southard look at the Hawkeyes' surprising tournament-tested stature for being a young team and wonder: If the game's on the line, who gets the last shot? It's NCAA Wrestling Championships week, too, in Cleveland. Eli McKown joins Chad to preview the paths of Iowa's nine NCAA qualifiers.
Duration:01:15:31
Dissecting the NCAA Tournament paths for Iowa men's and women's basketball
3/15/2026
The Register's Chad Leistikow, Tyler Tachman and Dargan Southard break down the NCAA Tournament paths for Ben McCollum's bunch and Jen Jensen's squad after learning their March Madness journeys on Selection Sunday.
Duration:00:44:09
Hawk Central: Previewing March Madness for Iowa men's, women's basketball
3/10/2026
The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman start Hawk Central on the men's side, soaking in two close calls last week against Michigan and Nebraska while looking ahead to a Wednesday-morning matchup vs. Oregon or Maryland. Chad and Dargan Southard offer a lot of perspective about the Hawkeye women's performance at the Big Ten Tournament, including how to balance a 51-point loss to UCLA with an impressive run to the conference championship game.
Duration:01:01:37
Iowa women's basketball topples Illinois in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals; Michigan up next
3/6/2026
Live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard dissect Iowa's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Illinois and look ahead to the Hawkeyes' semifinal matchup vs. Michigan.
Duration:00:26:50
Hawk Central: How will Iowa men's basketball respond? Previewing Big Ten women's tournament
3/4/2026
The Iowa men's basketball team is picking up the pieces after a jarring loss at Penn State in which lineup combinations were baffling. The Register's Tyler Tachman joins Chad Leistikow to unpack the issues and two big games ahead as Ben McCollum's squad looks to relieve NCAA Tournament pressure. Meantime, the Iowa women are rolling into Indianapolis. What to make of this overachieving journey so far? Chad and Dargan Southard break it down and preview the Hawkeyes' postseason path.
Duration:00:49:10
Hawk Central: Jan Jensen coach of the year? Huge week ahead for Iowa men
2/23/2026
An eventful Sunday of Iowa basketball has become a 75-minute Monday podcast surrounding the Hawkeyes' fortunes. First, the Register's Chad Leistikow is joined by Iowa women's basketball writer Dargan Southard. They break down the Hawkeyes' 62-44 win over then-No. 5 Michigan, with big-picture commentary about Jan Jensen, Ava Heiden and Hawkeye seniors Hannah Stuelke and Kylie Feuerbach. Register men's basketball writer Tyler Tachman joins Chad after the Iowa men lost at Wisconsin, 84-71. We look ahead to matchups against Ohio State and Penn State that could make or break the Hawkeyes' postseason opportunities.
Duration:01:15:09
POSTGAME PODCAST: Iowa men defeat No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52
2/18/2026
After Iowa's 57-52 win over ninth-ranked Nebraska, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman react from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. How did Iowa win this game despite shooting 25% (7-for-28) in the second half? What about the court storm and Pryce Sandfort's treatment? We break down the on-floor and off-floor impacts of this top-10 victory for the Hawkeyes in a 30-minute podcast.
Duration:00:30:53
Hawk Central: NCAA, Big Ten outlook for Iowa women after beating Nebraska
2/17/2026
The Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard discuss what the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Selection Committe's Top 16 Reveal means and how the Hawkeyes are trending with Taylor Stremlow at the 2 spot going forward after an 80-67 win at Nebraska. We also discuss the slim margin for error that remains for this team, which is only a reliably 6 deep at the moment.
Duration:00:36:37
Hawk Central: 2 Iowa basketball teams going in different directions
2/6/2026
On a Friday bonus edition of the Hawk Central podcast, the Register's Chad Leistikow hosts an hour-plus conversation on the state of Iowa basketball. First, the more positive side of things with the Hawkeyes men, who are on a five-game winning streak with a good chance to make it seven in a row soon. Chad is joined by Tyler Tachman to boil down Ben McCollum's developing squad and sprinkle in some football talk, too. Dargan Southard joins Chad in the back half of the show as the Iowa women have dropped three in a row on the heels of an eight-game Big Ten winning streak. What buttons does Jan Jensen need to push next?
Duration:01:05:21
Hawk Central: Oregon surge for Iowa men; California swoon for Hawkeye women
2/3/2026
A basketball-only edition of Hawk Central starts with Tyler Tachman from the Pacific Northwest. The Register's Iowa men's basketball writer discusses what he saw from Bennett Stirtz, Alvaro Folgueiras and Brendan Hausen in an impressive 84-66 win over Oregon. He and Chad Leistikow look ahead to a big toss-up game vs. Washington before turning it over to women's basketball. Chad and Dargan Southard detail the Taylor McCabe injury fallout (both emotional and on-court) while picking up the overreaction pieces from Iowa's 0-2 trip to Los Angeles.
Duration:00:49:39
Hawk Central: Iowa women's basketball surges to No. 8, California trip looms
1/27/2026
Chad Leistikow hosts a Tuesday edition of the Hawk Central Hour, and women's basketball leads the conversation after the Hawkeyes' 91-70 rout of No. 11 Ohio State and the career-ending injury to guard Taylor McCabe. Chad and Register teammate Dargan Southard analyze the (Addie) Deal going forward and more. Chad and Tyler Tachman follow up by breaking down the "bye week" for the Iowa men and look ahead to Wednesday's game against USC.
Duration:00:49:20