Iowa State and Drake have met every season since 1908, and last season’s 79-44 drubbing by the Bulldogs was the most lopsided Drake win in the series history.

“Did we play them last year?,” ISU coach Greg McDermott joked after Saturday’s win over Oregon State. “I erased that from my memory.”

The Bulldogs proved that beating the Cyclones by 35 was no fluke, as they won the Missouri Valley Conference and earned a No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“That was a tough night,” McDermott said. “They played extremely well, and we didn’t play well. They made us pay for every mistake we made.”

Iowa State is coming off three straight wins and owns a 6-1 record heading into its second of three intra-state games.

Drake lost a couple of its star players from last year’s magical team, but its most explosive player, Josh Young, is back for his junior season.

“He’s a good player. He can shoot it from the NBA range,” Diante Garrett said. “We’re going to have to get our hands out and contest every jump shot he shoots and just try to limit his shots.”

Young is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, at 15.1 points per game. He scored a game-high 23 points in last season’s victory.

“I think it’s easy to argue that he’s the best guard we’ve played against to date,” McDermott said. “He’s one of those unique players who, on any given night, he can get 30 points.”

The Cyclones’ last two opponents have gone a combined 8-of-51 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs, however, shoot more than 39 percent from three-point land and guards Jonathan Cox and Josh Parker both shoot close to or above 50 percent.

“Everybody knows that they can shoot really well, that’s something you have to take in and just watch out for their three-point shots,” Craig Brackins said.

While the Cyclones are making a school-record 8.4 three-pointers a game, Drake has made over 10 treys a game.

The Bulldogs also thrive when at the free-throw line. They hit 78.8 percent of their free throws, which ranks in the top-20, nationally.

“They have three or four other guys who are capable in beating you in a variety of ways,” McDermott said.

In order to win, Iowa State will most likely have to hit a number of three-pointers, because Drake primarily plays a zone defense and will likely double team Brackins every time the ball is thrown into the low post.

Drake comes into the game with a 6-2 record, but its two losses come to Vanderbilt and Butler — two NCAA Tournament teams from last year.

Drake has beaten Iowa State the last two seasons, and Iowa State has not lost three in a row to Drake since 1974-1977.

McDermott called last season’s 35-point blowout at the hands of Drake “embarrassing,” and he expects his team to come out strong this time around.

The Cyclone coaches and players may have tried to forget about last season’s debacle, but it could also serve as extra motivation to show the ISU faithful how far they’ve come in one season.

“It’s not really revenge. I mean, we lost and everybody knows it, so we’re just going to come out and just get a win at our place,” Brackins said.

Iowa State holds the all-time series lead over Drake with a 104-63 record. The Cyclones have also gone 16-2 versus Drake at Hilton Coliseum.