Iowa, ISU, UNI all trending up

That was a pretty good 5-day stretch for the three Iowa state university men's basketball teams. Perfect, really.

Iowa State won at Oklahoma State and Texas Wednesday and Saturday, a road sweep any Big 12 team would take with great pride. Kansas lost at Oklahoma State on Feb. 7.

Northern Iowa beat Loyola and Bradley Wednesday and Saturday by a total of 36 points, and held both to 39 points. Loyola and Bradley won't be turning up in your NCAA bracket pools next month, but UNI can only play who it's scheduled to play, and it didn't leave the door open against either team.

Iowa walloped Rutgers and Nebraska by 34 and 28 points, Thursday and Sunday. Rutgers and Nebraska won't be in the NCAA mix, either, but no other Big Ten team has had back-to-back blowout wins of that size.

Only once have we seen all three of the men's state teams go to the NCAAs in the same year, and that was 2005. That was certainly a good season in the state, but not fantastic.

UNI was 11-7 and tied for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference. Iowa State was 9-7 in the Big 12, tying for fifth. Iowa was a mere 7-9 in the Big Ten, good for seventh place out of 11 teams.

In the NCAAs, only the 9th-seeded Cyclones won a game, beating Minnesota, 75-64. They were then beaten by North Carolina in the second round, 92-65.

No. 10-seed Iowa fell to Cincinnati in the first round, 76-64. No. 11-seed UNI lost to Georgetown, 57-52.

So far this season, the three state teams have a combined conference record of 32-11. That's paced by UNI, tied for first with Wichita State in the Valley at 14-1 and winners of their last seven games by double-digits.

Iowa State is 10-4 in the Big 12, alone in second place.

Iowa is 8-6 in the Big Ten, and two wins in its last four league games from its first winning Big Ten mark since 2007.

If today's bracketology were to hold up, ISU would be a No. 3-seed, UNI a No. 4, and Iowa would be either a No. 8 or 10 depending on if you believe CBSsports.com or ESPN.com.

There's a lot of basketball between now and Selection Sunday, March 15. But the entire state won't be watching the NCAAs from home, like it did in 2011. If anything, we'll be hoping the games are staggered no so two of our in-state teams are playing at the same time.

This week? Iowa hosts Illinois Wednesday and is at Penn State Saturday.

Iowa State hosts Baylor Wednesday and is at Kansas State Saturday.

Northern Iowa hosts Evansville Wednesday and is at Wichita State in the game that will determine the Missouri Valley regular-season champion (in all likelihood) Saturday.