SI:AM | Heavyweight Hoops Matchup in Ames

Iowa State rallied to beat Houston in a meeting of teams with Final Four aspirations.

DAN GARTLAND Good morning, I'm Dan Gartland. Will this be the last time I plug my daily Olympics podcast with Mitch Goldich? Maybe! We have less than a week left, so make sure you get on board now. In today's SI:AM: 🌪️ Iowa State's big win 🏀 Pistons' incredible turnaround 🇺🇸 U.S. Olympian's inspirational story Cyclones surge from behind Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune/Imagn Images It was a great day for the Heise family yesterday.  Hours after Taylor Heise scored one of the five goals in the U.S. women's hockey team's victory over Sweden in the Olympic semifinal in Milan, Nate Heise helped lift the Iowa State men's basketball team over Houston in a matchup of teams with Final Four aspirations.  The meeting between the No. 2 Cougars and the No. 6 Cyclones was just the third game this season between teams ranked in the top six of the AP poll.  The fans in Ames, Iowa were amped up from the very beginning and created an excellent atmosphere for a massive game. It lived up to the hype, too. The first half was a wild back-and-forth affair that featured six ties and five lead changes. Houston began to pull away in the second half, eventually stretching its lead to 10 points on a Kingston Flemings three-pointer with 7:09 left to play.  But then Iowa State staged a furious comeback, finishing the game on a 17–4 run. Houston finished the game shooting 2-for-6 from the floor in the final seven minutes, while the Cyclones knocked down six of their seven field goal attempts. (As Kevin Sweeney explains, there was also a controversial call in the middle of Iowa State's run that helped tilt the game in the Cyclones' favor and highlighted an issue with college basketball's challenge process.) CONTINUE DAN'S COLUMN ON SI Celebrate the Seahawks' Super Bowl LX Win  Purchase Sports Illustrated's Commemorative Issue CLICK TO ORDER The best of Sports Illustrated Elana Meyers Taylor's gold medal win in women's monobob was a long time coming, but her wait for Olympic glory is just one part of why she has one of the most inspirational stories of these Games, Pat Forde writes. Michael Rosenberg was on hand for the U.S. women's hockey team's semifinal game against Sweden, which ended up being little more than a gold medal tune-up.  Today's Digital Cover is Chris Mannix's story on how the Pistons went from winning just 14 games to becoming legitimate NBA championship contenders.  A couple of SEC teams fell in Kevin Sweeney's latest men's bracket watch.  With players beginning to report to spring training, Nick Selbe gives each team in the National League a grade for their offseason moves.  Andrew Brandt explains why the NFLPA report cards might not remain private, despite a recent arbitration ruling in favor of the league. Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE! Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated 👀 The top five ... … moments from Day 10 of the Winter Olympics:  5. Japanese figure skaters Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara's reactions to their world record score in the free skate that would eventually win them the gold medal.  4. The amazing visuals of the ski jumping men's team event in heavy snow. (It looked cool, but the competition had to be cut short due to the weather.) 3. Canadian legend Marie-Philip Poulin's goal to set the all-time Olympic scoring record.  2. 41-year-old Elana Meyers Taylor's reaction to winning her first gold medal in her fifth Olympics. 1. Three goals in less than three minutes by the U.S. women's hockey team to put the semifinal against Sweden out of reach. The best of SI Video In this clip from the Daily Rings podcast, Dan Gartland and Mitch Goldich discuss a wild men's slalom race and the viral display of emotion by a Norwegian skier. Join the SI Boxing Newsletter Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix provides a weekly spotlight, featuring in-depth reporting and sharp commentary, on the biggest fights and stories inside the ring. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email. Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. 155 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 202 New York, New York 10013 You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the SI:AM newsletter. You can unsubscribe here . Privacy Policy – Terms & Conditions © 2025 Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. All rights reserved. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. All betting and gambling content included in the SI:AM newsletter is intended for individuals 21+ (18+ in DC, KY, NH, RI, and WY). Betting and gambling content, including picks and predictions, are based on individual commentators' opinions and we do not guarantee any success or profits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER or texting 800GAM. Click this link to view the newsletter in your browser.