Iowa State men’s basketball: Jamie Pollard talks Big 12 ratings, SEC matchup

At today’s Big 12 meetings, discussion was brought up on conference ratings in men’s basketball, where the games will all be televised, and the upcoming Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Mar 15, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones players celebrate after their game against the Baylor Bears in the championship game of the Big 12 Conference college basketball tournament at Sprint Center. The Cyclones won 74 – 65. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Jamie Pollard took to Twitter after the meetings and released the following information, including a surprise in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Having a home game for the second straight season in the Big 12/SEC Challenge is quite a surprise, but nothing was confirmed that Iowa State would have to be on the road this season — it was just assumed.

The opponent won’t be known publicly until tomorrow. It’s not Florida or Kentucky, but it’s a higher opponent in the SEC. My prediction remains either Missouri, Tennessee, or Arkansas, but I’m really crossing my fingers for one of the top two.

Also, the second tweet is likely referring to the Big 12 conference games. This we already knew after it was reported that the Big 12 Network syndicated games would go off the air after last season. I highly doubt that the ESPN networks are going to broadcast every single non-conference game.

Iowa State would lose a lot of valuable customers with Cyclones.tv if so. A big reason why it’s a hot seller is because it usually includes a home football game and the majority of early men’s basketball games.