The Iowa State Cyclones are facing their mortality on Wednesday. Playing against an Oklahoma State team that beat them 86-67 on February 14, the Cyclones must win in the Big 12 Tournament to have its season continue. The team isn’t wavering, and believes it can pull off the upset and win. “Absolutely they believe it, they believed that we were going to win every one of those road games we played in,” ISU coach Greg McDermott said Monday.

The team has lost its last 16 conference road games going into the game vs Oklahoma State, in Oklahoma City, and lost all eight this season. The cliche “now or never” mantra could never ring more true, with the Cyclones playing for their existence, especially after the team’s seniors stepped up in the victory over Texas Tech on Saturday.

“We’re never going into a game thinking we can’t win. We played pretty well on Saturday, and hopefully that momentum can drive us down there, and we can play well offensively, execute our defensive game-plan and get a win,” senior guard Sean Haluska said. “There’s no doubt that we can play with anybody in the conference, we proved that throughout the year — we just have to do it for 40 minutes.”

Iowa State will have its work cut out, attempting to slow down the Big 12’s highest-scoring basketball team, with the Cowboys registering over 82 points per contest. Iowa State’s scoring defense ranks as second best in the conference, but the clash of styles and match-ups will be interesting in the single elimination format.

The struggles the Cyclones faced in the second half in Stillwater against the Cowboys this season were well documented, but there isn’t one individual the team can key in on defensively, with four OSU players averaging more than 12 points per contest. Leading the pack is 6-foot-6 swingman James Anderson, scoring 19 points per game, and just behind Iowa State’s Craig Brackins on the Big 12 list.

Anderson plays at the four spot for Oklahoma State, but it can hardly be called power forward in the up-tempo offense, for a team that is averaging 24 three point field goal attempts per game.

“[Anderson] has ability to score inside and out, and he’s rebounding the basketball now. He’s a nightmare of a matchup right now. We’re going to try some different guys on him, Sean Haluska will see him some, and we may guard him big,” McDermott said.

The task seems large, but after the inspiring play of Iowa State seniors in Ames on Saturday, the team expects great strides and a competitive game. McDermott praised Haluska and the other guards who matched up with Texas Tech on Saturday, covering up guard Alan Voskuil, who had 35 points three days prior against Kansas, and was held to three against Iowa State.

“We’re just going to definitely have to identify their shooters, and go out there and play our game. Hopefully we’re playing our best right now, and we’ll give it our best shot,” Haluska said.

Seniors Bryan Petersen and Alex Thompson also played great games against Texas Tech, who isn’t up to Oklahoma State’s level skill-wise, but provided a close conference tie up. Petersen scored a career-high 20 points, including six three-pointers, and Thompson played as inspired and active a basketball game most Cyclones had seen in his time here.

“I was pretty hyped up, but hopefully it’s something I can carry that over for the rest of the year,” Thompson said.

The team will need energy and focus, as Oklahoma State won’t let up on either end. The road losing streak plagues the squad, but playing for the next day may be just what the team needs to spark late season motivation before the curtain closes.

“It’s good to be able to prepare for the conference tournament on the heels of a victory, the guys had a good bounce in their step yesterday, and I know they’re anxious and excited to play again,” McDermott said. Oklahoma and Blake Griffin are waiting on the other side for the winner of the matchup. Find the latest updates direct from the Big 12 Championship on iowastatedaily.net