Dejected and deflated looks riddled players’ faces on the ISU bench Saturday as they watched yet another game slip from their grasp.

The Cyclones scrapped their way to an impressive 35–31 halftime lead over Kansas State only to see it vanish and the game end in a 79–75 loss.

Inconsistency and an inability to play a complete 40 minutes has been a recurring storyline for the Cyclones.

That inconsistency has hurt Iowa State in several games this season, including losses against Northwestern, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor and now Kansas State. The negative trend has left the players unable to pinpoint the root cause of the Cyclones’ recurring problems.

“I don’t know. We’re all locked in. We’re all focused. We look into each other’s eye and we all know we’re there for each other,” said forward Craig Brackins after Saturday’s game. “I really don’t have an answer, because I feel we’re out there playing hard and we’re focused.”

Iowa State has outscored its opponents in both halves only once in its last 17 games, which came against North Dakota.

Saturday’s game was no different and had a similar look and feel to Iowa State’s loss to Texas earlier this season.

In the game against the Longhorns, Iowa State was up 44–42 at the half. But a 10–0 Texas run at the start of the second half sapped any momentum gained in the first half. The Cyclones were able to hold their own with the Longhorns for the remainder of the game, but the damage had been done, resulting in a 90–83 defeat.

“It’s just those one or two minutes here and there that we go from the game plan or we don’t focus as much and that costs us,” Brackins said.

As was the case against the Longhorns, a momentary loss of focus cost the Cyclones against the Wildcats. Iowa State scored a quick basket after the break to increase its lead to 36–31, but the Cyclones suddenly went cold, allowing the Wildcats to go on a 17–2 run in the next five minutes.

Coach Greg McDermott told his team in the locker room after the game that the team’s problems come down to losing its focus for even just seconds.

“It’s losing your focus for a second,” McDermott said during the postgame press conference. “If you lose your focus for a second you get loose with the ball and they take it the other way. It’s not about minutes, it’s about being locked in every second.”

Against Baylor last Wednesday, the Cyclones held their ground in the first half, trailing the Bears by four at the half, 38–34. However, Iowa State scored only one point in a 3-minute, 30-second stretch at the start of the second half, which allowed the Bears to build their lead and ultimately put the game out of reach.

McDermott said his team showed improvement Wednesday, but again it came down to a momentary loss of focus.

“I thought we competed harder today than we did against Baylor for the most part,” McDermott said. “We just have lapses in concentration that are really short lapses, but they can be devastating.”

Even the fan base has become aggravated by Iowa State’s recent struggles. As Kansas State staged its early-half run, the crowd at Hilton Coliseum seemed to almost be expecting a Cyclone collapse.

“Well, here we go. Might as well just bend over and take it,” a fan in the student section was overheard saying.

McDermott and his players have shown an equal sense frustration, but remain set on trying to find a solution.

“We’re in this to win, so when you don’t win it’s frustrating,” McDermott said. “It’s frustrating for players. It’s frustrating for coaches. It’s frustrating for fans. And all we can do is go back to work Monday morning and try to correct it the best we can.”