There was a national TV show in Ames on Saturday, the Big 12 looks like its old self, and March Madness is right around the corner.
Let’s muse.
ESPN’s College GameDay‘s great, but it could have been better
GameDay was courtside for Iowa State – TCU, marking the fourth time the show has appeared in Ames for basketball or football.
Although, it didn’t have the same buzz as the other three.
On Friday, we talked to the show’s Seth Greenberg, who’s been with ESPN for more than two decades.
He said something that reminded me how GameDay can be so much more than it is right now.
“People have got to remember, there’s only seven College GameDay‘s, and Iowa State’s getting one of them,” Greenberg said. “That’s what I was trying to explain to our guys while I was at (Virginia) Tech… Duke-(North) Carolina, you’re going to probably be there twice. The SEC is having a great season, but the powers that be on the fourth floor decided that this was the destination, which is a tribute to the community, the students, the fans, and the coach.”
It will always be special any time Iowa State hosts GameDay, and it was on Saturday — but the basketball version of the popular show deserves to be more than what it is leading up to the national tournament.
Seven GameDay slots and we’re sharpie-ing in the same pair of programs in the same rivalry to two of them before the season starts.
You want to be a permanent fixture in hoops fans’ homes? Be there every week – and be there everywhere.
In total, 60 power conference programs on both the men’s and women’s sides have hosted the show.
Only six non-power conference programs have ever hosted the basketball version of the show, with one of them being Gonzaga and each of the other five (Memphis, Saint Mary’s, Dayton, Southern Illinois & Wichita State) hosting the show for a game played before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I watched a little bit of it because it was kind of on before our reunion, and it was O.K.,” Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly said. “To me, it wasn’t a typical GameDay – it wasn’t as home team-centric as they usually are. The SEC, Duke and St. John’s seem to be the big thing, but just getting them here is good and getting T.J. (Otzelberger) on TV is good. I just didn’t see the juice – I thought it was great, but I’ve seen a lot better.”
Don’t get fans started on the old B-roll footage of Ames from who knows when. I just wish this show was a fixture in the sport like it is for football.
Cyclones are back on track in the tumultuous Big 12
Meanwhile, Iowa State improved to 2-0 with GameDay in town, earning its fourth 30+-point win over a conference opponent since 2000.
Milan Momcilovic returned to the lineup and although it took the Cyclones some time to get readjusted, you’d have no idea by looking at the box score.
Momcilovic and Curtis Jones combined to shoot 9-13 from the 3-point line and have some time to get in a groove before their next big test.
However, that’s not the case everywhere in the Big 12.
Following Saturday, five of the top 11 teams in the KenPom ratings come from the Big 12.
So much for it being a “down year” for the Big 12 with 5 of the Top 11 teams currently on KenPom in the conference pic.twitter.com/TsuijcMIml
— RC Maxfield (@RCMB323) February 9, 2025
The conference is a different beast than it was coming into the year with the top five teams sort of breaking away from the field.
Not to mention, Kansas State is as hot as fish grease right now. The Big 12 tournament could be really fun.
Bill Fennelly’s group at its best
The Cyclone women completed a 2-0 week that was highlighted by a 30-point win against a Colorado team that came in leveled with Iowa State in the standings.
I called for the team to finish its final seven-game stretch to close out the year at 5-2 to feel good about its NCAA Tournament resume, but it’s hard not to feel better about it regardless after that game.
“I don’t know if we could have played any better,” Fennelly said. “I really don’t. I told the team before the game we want to play a game that our returning players could look at and go, ‘Man, that looks like our team,’ and I think they did that.”
Iowa State was at its best and showed the committee that it shouldn’t be in the same conversation as Colorado. And now? Some extra rest before returning to the court on Saturday.
Elsewhere in college basketball
Whether it’s brought up on College GameDay or not – there are some phenomenal stories going on around college hoops right now.
Dick Vitale returned to broadcasting, and it was great to hear his voice again. I’ve griped enough about ESPN today, but I wish his return was actually on ESPN instead of the Lakers’ game that featured neither of the team’s two stars on the court.
WELCOME BACK, DICKIE V!
Dick Vitale gets a standing ovation in his return after cancer took him away from the broadcast booth for two years ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KcJE2tRAnh
— ESPN (@espn) February 8, 2025
Since Omaha lost to Iowa State to fall to 4-9 on the season, the Mavericks have turned things around in a big way.
They’ve gone 12-1 in their last 13 games, and lead the Summit League standings while celebrating all of the success with WWE-style postgame locker room celebrations. Hard team to dislike.
A new challenger tags in! Brandt Danals finishes off that can with a SPEAR 😱#GoMavs #OmahaMBB pic.twitter.com/J9xivu6GTE
— Omaha Men’s Basketball (@OmahaMBB) February 8, 2025
And I want to mention the mid-majors in the state. Drake has the best record in men’s hoops at 22-2 and UNI made a 14-point comeback on Illinois State Saturday with a pair of hot tubs sitting on the baseline.
What a night, Panther fans!!! 🙌
Thank you for showing up in force for our first-ever Panthers In Paradise! 🌴 #EverLoyal #1UNI #Family pic.twitter.com/e1NwYQPDRI
— UNI Basketball (@UNImbb) February 9, 2025
So it remains a good time to be a basketball fan in the state of Iowa. Hope y’all have a fantastic Daytona 500 week.
