The Cyclones will be looking to restore some Hilton Magic against the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, in the second meeting of the division rivals for the season.

Kansas State holds a six-game win streak over Iowa State, including wins at the Cyclones’ historically tough home court in 2007 and 2008. Iowa State’s Craig Brackins and the Wildcats’ Denis Clemente hold the top two marks for points in a single game for the Big 12 this season, with 42 and 44 respectively, but the match-up may rely on role players to get the win. Iowa State coach Greg McDermott called Denis Clemente “lightning quick” before the game on Feb. 3, and with 15 points in the last match up, the focus hasn’t shifted. The Cyclones’ shooting touch will be the key to game, an area Iowa State has struggled in during the conference season.

“I’m really shocked, because I see these guys shoot it every day in practice, and I know what they’re capable of, and that just hasn’t happened on a consistent basis,” McDermott said.

The two teams’ last meeting was a 65-50 victory for the Wildcats in Manhattan. With Iowa State coming off another loss to Kansas on Wednesday, Kansas State played a non-conference match up against North Carolina Central, beating the Eagles 95-49.

Iowa State’s slow start in the loss at Kansas on Wednesday may be cause for concern, as the Cyclones also went down by 17 points early in their meeting with Kansas State.

This year’s Cyclone team still is unable to win without shooting better than the opposing team, going 0-12 in those games. Their 33 percent shooting performance against KSU in their last meeting has the streaky shooting team hoping for a good effort. Iowa State has kept great efficiency all season, but when shooting the ball is the main concern, other mistakes can’t happen for the Cyclones to win.

“Our margin for error isn’t great enough where we can afford to miss free throws and turn the ball over,” McDermott said.

Kansas State remains tied for fourth place with Nebraska and Texas in the Big 12, working towards an NCAA tournament berth.

The Wildcats have won six out of their last seven games in the Big 12, nearly opposite Iowa State’s losses in eight of the last nine conference games. Guard Jacob Pullenx remains the second threat to scorer Clemente, averaging 14 points per contest with nearly identical stats to Clemente.

The outcome could decide which direction Iowa State takes at the .500 winning percentage mark, as the team sits tied for 10th place in the Big 12 with Texas Tech.