Saturdays are supposed to be a day to relax. A day to kick back and drink a couple of beverages of choice. A day to sleep in until 4 and pull out those beverages of choice by 5. A day to hang. Unfortunately, the men’s basketball team has taken this idea a little too literally.

After Saturday’s blowout at Baylor, the Cyclones are now 1-10 in Saturday games. This whole idea of “chilling” has carried over to the basketball floor. It all started against EA Sports. Remember those dudes? They’re the same ones that I joked about before the game, “Do John Madden’s eyebrows start at power forward?” Yep, those guys. They won by seven on Nov. 5, 2005 – a Saturday. Who knew that game would foreshadow the rest of the season?

The November stretch included the “Black Saturday” loss against Iona, only hours after the football team fell apart at Kansas. That day will permanently be marked in my mind, and on the remote control I shattered.

December brought presents, finals and Saturday losses to Fresno State and Ohio State. (Ohio State has turned into a legitimate two-seed in the big dance. Iowa State led the Buckeyes by eight with six minutes left. I blame the day of the week.)

But things turned around in 2006. The Cyclones defeated Kansas State in their first Saturday game of the new year. All was good – or so we thought.

Six consecutive losses on the sixth day of the week have ensued. Losses to Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Kansas twice, Oklahoma and Baylor all came on Saturdays.

What is the cause of this Saturday night fever-less effort? Maybe the Cyclones are upset that “Saturday Night Live” is no longer watchable, and they are taking it out on the day of the week? Maybe they read my columns on the weekdays and are so disgusted by my lack of talent that it gives them more incentive to win? Nah, who am I kidding, nobody reads this anyway. They just glance at it on the way to the Sudoku puzzles. Understandable.

But these Saturday struggles aren’t necessarily a negative thing. On the rest of the days of the week, the Cyclones have been stellar. They are 14-3 on days not named Saturday. That’s worth something, I think. In fact, they haven’t been defeated on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. And guess what – Iowa State plays tonight! It’s Tuesday!

That means an automatic win. (I dominated patterns in elementary school. I also dominated the spelling bee. That is until the word “bubbles” tripped me up in the final four when I was in first grade. I felt like Chris Webber after calling a time-out. I forever will have a hatred for that word.)

The Big 12 tournament starts on a Thursday, as well. So, by rule, the Cyclones will stick around until the semis. I’m all for that. That means I get to stay in Dallas and hit on some more of Drew Bledsoe’s leftovers. (Side note: Wouldn’t Bledsoe’s leftovers be interceptions? He has enough of those to share with the world.)

Iowa State has at least one more Saturday game remaining. However, next year I am making shirts with the phrase: “T.G.I.N.S.” No, that isn’t the welcome mat of Ohio State’s Ted Ginn. It simply means “Thank God It’s Not Saturday.” Feel free to join. On second thought, just get back to your Sudoku puzzle.

– Brent Blum is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.