Dick Vitale doesn't think he's been to a basketball game in Iowa in two decades, and he's never been to Hilton Coliseum

Dick Vitale was in Cedar Rapids Monday for a V Foundation fundraiser. I asked him to put on his basketball cap for a couple minutes and talk Iowa and Iowa State. Vitale said:

"Iowa's losing a kid (Matt Gatens) who was really coming on strong," Vitale said. "But they've got two good recruits coming in (Mike) Gesell and (Adam) Woodbury. I think Fran McCaffery's going a great job moving that program in the right direction."

"Freddie (Hoiberg) has done a phenomenal job, the Mayor, to be able to get Iowa State back the way he has. I call him the Father Flanagan of coaching. I used to call Jerry Tarkanian that. You got a problem, come and see me and I'll help you. And he's done that. He gets them to play as a team."

"I've never been to Hilton Coliseum for a game. I haven't done a game there in 33 years with ESPN. ... I've heard it's phenomenal. ... I've got a funny feeling I'll be at Iowa State this year."

"I used to go to Iowa regularly when they had their great teams, with (B.J.) Armstrong, (Roy) Marble) and those guys. I can't remember being there since Chris Street's first year (1991). I haven't been there in a long time."

Vitale did work the Duke-Iowa game in Chicago's United Center in December 2001 that was part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Keep in mind Vitale has been broadcasting about 40 games a year since 1999. That's a lot of games, a lot of trips, and so forth. As the years roll by, some things are blurs. But what remains well-remembered for many Iowa State fans is this classic clip from an ESPN Selection Sunday show in 1992:

Vitale's record as the University of Detroit's coach was 78-30. In 1977, his last season there, Detroit lost 86-81 to Johnny Orr's Michigan team in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game.