No, no there weren't. I was there, in the student section. There were a fair number of ISU fans, but Carver was almost sold out, with only a few hundred open single seats. Most of them were Iowa fans - maybe 2,000 ISU fans last season.
That being said, last year was also one of the very rare times that ISU was ahead of Iowa in average attendance, and it was very close. Iowa usually averages 13,000+ fans per game (and much like ISU, those 13,000 were only really there for good teams, or when the team was rolling). So these CHA jokes, while applicable this season, aren't really based on much.
Also, FWIW, Iowa has a better winning % in Carver over the last 5 years than ISU does.
Anyways, back on topic...
I don't think any "journalist" (in quotes because finding a real sports journalist - or real journalist - in the state of Iowa is rare these days), slant ISU or slant Iowa, has nothing really to brag about. This game was predicted to be bad, and it was. Home court played a major role, as Iowa probably would have won by the same margin in CHA (assuming a crowd would have actually showed up).
The teams are bad this year. Equally bad. ISU got demolished by UNI and Drake, and Iowa beat UNI, lost to ISU, and will probably also get demolished by Drake. The thing is though, Mac and Lick are both pulling in good recruiting classes, and both are very good coaches. This rivalry will be fantastic in a few years, and I'm excited for the future of both programs.