Hines: With our teams crashing out of the men's NCAA Tournament, who should Iowans cheer for Saturday?

Are you an Iowan in need of a rooting interest Saturday?

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has dispatched all of our state’s teams in pretty inglorious fashion. In the women’s tourney, you’ve got Iowa State and Drake to pull for Saturday and the Hawkeye women on Sunday. But if you’re going to watch the men’s tourney and your bracket is already busted, who’s your squad Saturday?

Perhaps the first place to look is right here at home, where Wells Fargo Arena hosts another day of games after a successful and enjoyable go-round Thursday.

We’ve got No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Arkansas at 4:15 p.m. Saturday and No. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Penn State following at 6:45 p.m.

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Wouldn’t it be something if the eventual national champion started their journey to the title in Des Moines? You could come downtown and say you saw where it all began. Or it would be a nice little piece of trivia, at least, if you’re just going to watch from the comfort of your couch.

So who should it be?

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The Jayhawks certainly have a human-interest angle as coach Bill Self continues to battle back from the heart issue that has sidelined him since the start of the Big 12 Tournament. And there’s a real local connection with freshman star Gradey Dick’s mother, Carmen, an Ackley native who was a 6-on-6 high school star and a 1,000-point scorer at Iowa State.

But can you really cheer for the defending national champions? Where’s the fun in that?

The Jayhawks are out.

Arkansas has the charismatic Eric Musselman at the helm and a team full of incredible athletes, but I’m having a hard time picturing many of you pulling for an SEC program. That just doesn’t seem realistic.

Sorry, Razorbacks.

How about Penn State? Coach Micah Shrewsberry’s team was fun to watch as they bombed away from beyond the arc while toppling Texas A&M on Thursday. They’re also one of the slowest-playing teams in the country. Maybe you can swallow boring ball if it’s your alma mater plodding along, but if we’re going to jump on a bandwagon, shouldn’t it at least be a fast one?

See ya, Nittany Lions.

More:Before Kansas basketball star Gradey Dick came to Des Moines, his mother was an Iowa 6-on-6 legend

That leaves Texas.

Sure, “Horns down,” you’re going to say. Yes, I know the Longhorns have one of the biggest budgets in the country, and, OK, fine, they almost caused the collapse of the Big 12. More than once.

I get it, I get it. I do. But hear me out.

We know if there’s anything Iowans cherish, it’s Iowa ties.

If someone grabbed a coffee at the Lamoni Kum & Go, they’ve got an Iowa tie. Had a walking taco while touring the Surf Ballroom? Iowa tie. You’ve seen “Field of Dreams?” You’re one of us.

So let’s take a look at the Longhorns.

Yes, you might think Tyrese Hunter is a villain for leaving Iowa State for big, bad Texas (and maybe some NIL dollars), but you loved him when he was the youngster with a tragic family history who persevered to lead the Cyclones to the Sweet 16. And despite catching all sorts of business in Hilton Coliseum in January, he still loves Iowa.

“I enjoyed Hilton, I actually did,” Hunter told me in the Longhorns’ locker room Friday. “Even though there was a lot of stuff going on, I actually felt like there was love within it. Ain’t no hate on my end.”

How about Bob Donewald Jr., the Texas assistant coach who spent two years leading the Iowa Energy not too long ago? In the very building Texas plays in Saturday night, no less.

“I tried to get in my old office,” Donewald said, “but it was locked.”

One of Donewald’s sons is an Iowan, born in Des Moines during his dad’s Energy tenure. And Donewald’s time with the Energy left him with a lasting impression of the city’s hoops community.

“The one thing we knew about Des Moines is they’re not just fans,” he said. “They’re smart fans. They know basketball.”

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It’s Longhorns center Dylan Disu, though, that might have the strongest claim to love in the land between two rivers.

“I used to come up here every summer when I was younger and spend a month or two,” the Pflugerville, Texas, native said.

You see, Disu’s mom, Michelle Anderson, is a Johnston High School graduate. She also played volleyball and basketball at William Penn University in Oskaloosa. Disu’s grandma still lives in Dallas County and he’s got an uncle who farms in the state.

Disu actually gave the rural life a shot while visiting here, but decided it ultimately wasn’t for him.

“I wasn’t really too much of a farm guy,” the 6-foot-9, 225-pounder said. “They had this pony. The pony’s name was Smidgey. I was riding it when I was younger, and my grandma let go of the reins, and it took off and I fell off.

“After that, I was cool off horses and the farm, for real.”

That’s a lot of Iowa in the heart of Texas, y’all.

Are you really going to root against all that Iowan? Against a pony named Smidgey?

Yeah, you probably are. It’s Texas, after all.

Has anyone checked to see if anybody from Furman has ever had Casey’s pizza?

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Picking a squad for Iowans in Saturday's NCAA men's tourney