Iowa football's left tackle, an Indiana native, watched the Hawkeyes beat Clemson in the first round in Tampa.
Basketball is just a sport in 49 other states, but for citizens of the state of Indiana, it's an obsession.
Trevor Lauck grew up right in the heart of the Hoosier hysteria - the state capital of Indianapolis. With two prestigious college programs (Indiana and Purdue), and two successful professional teams (NBA's Indiana Pacers and WNBA's Indiana Fever) lurking in the shadows, Lauck had no choice but to embrace the sport.
"Being from Indiana, you kind of have to be a basketball guy, or you don't really fit in," Lauck said at media availability on April 9. "My family is a big basketball family. I grew up playing it since I can remember however young I was."
Lauck, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 310 pounds, played basketball and competed in track and field in high school, but he decided to gravitate towards football. It's safe to say he made the right choice, as he's gearing up for his second season as Iowa's starting left tackle.
"Definitely [feel] more settled. ...Last year I felt like the young guy, and now all those guys are gone, so I have to be the older guy," Lauck said.
While Lauck is busy protecting quarterbacks - he was a Third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2025 - the offseason offers both time to workout and time for some rest and relaxation.
Lauck already planned to be in Tampa, Florida for a spring break vacation with his family, and it just so happened that Iowa men's basketball was sent to the Sunshine State to play Clemson in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
"[I] reached out to our ticket guy, Quinn, and he got me right," Lauck said. "I went down there with my dad and my little brother. So was pretty cool to see them beat Clemson."
Iowa knocked off Clemson to advance to the second round, where they would take on No. 1 Florida. Lauck wasn't able to stay for that contest, but like every Hawkeye on the planet, was glued to the TV screen as Iowa made its unlikely run to the Elite Eight.
Before answering questions about his role on the 2026 Hawkeye football team, Lauck made a pitch to join Ben McCollum's squad as a walk-on next year (he was joking, of course). The joke stems from an encounter with McCollum at the Iowa Athletic Club restaurant.
"I can get a rebound. That's one thing I can do. I'm a good passer, too. I played, you know, power forward, basically, is what I played," Lauck said, "I am a center at nature. But I can bring it up if necessary and distribute it."
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