Men?s Hoops Schedule Features 29 TV Appearances

AMES, Iowa ? Eight games against teams from the Big Ten, Pac-10, Missouri Valley and potentially the SEC in non-conference action and television coverage on various platforms for 29 of its 31 games highlights Iowa State's 2007-08 men's basketball schedule, announced Thursday.

“There probably aren't many schools in the nation playing non-conference games against three Big 10 squads, a Pac-10 school, three Missouri Valley teams and the potential of facing an SEC school in a tournament,” head coach Greg McDermott said. “It's a great schedule and you have to play good teams if you want to improve. Players want to play the best teams possible and fans want to play a competitive schedule. If we expect to compete in the Big 12, we need to test ourselves in the non-conference.”

The always tough Big 12 slate features home games with Missouri, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Texas A&M, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Kansas State. The Aggies, Longhorns and Jayhawks were NCAA Tournament qualifiers last season.

“A variety of television partners will be delivering Cyclone basketball to Iowans across the state,” Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “Through our relationships with the ESPN / ABC family, Mediacom and the Cyclone Television Network, Iowa State men's basketball fans will be able to watch all but two of our games this year.”

Both Kansas games (Jan. 23 in Lawrence; Feb. 27 in Ames) will be telecast nationally on ESPN and the Texas game (Feb. 9) will be nationally televised by ABC. The only two games without live TV coverage are at the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic and those TV rights have not been finalized.

Iowa State will participate in the inaugural Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series at Oregon State on Nov. 30. The Beavers will make a return trip to Ames the following season.

In addition to consecutive games against intrastate rivals Drake (Dec. 5) and Iowa (Dec. 8), the pre-holiday slate features rematches from a year ago with Bradley in Peoria, Ill. (Nov. 14), vs. Minnesota (Nov. 20) and against Northern Iowa (Nov. 27), McDermott's alma mater, in Hilton Coliseum.

As part of the four-game Las Vegas Classic, Iowa State will play host to two games (Bethune-Cookman, Dec. 17; Texas Southern, Dec. 19) before heading to Las Vegas. The Cyclones will battle Purdue on Dec. 22 and will play either Alabama or Missouri State the following evening at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas.

ISU opens the regular season by playing host to the American Family Cyclone Challenge, facing Winston-Salem State (Nov. 9) and either Centenary or Lipscomb (Nov. 10). The Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Tournament runs from March 13-16 in Kansas City.

Iowa State basketball will be celebrating 100 years of men's hoops throughout the 2007-08 season. ISU will pay tribute to its 15-member All-Century team and host a basketball letterwinners reunion on Sat., Feb. 16 vs. Nebraska.

Iowa State University Athletics

Men?s Hoops Schedule Features 29 TV Appearances

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