After taking on preseason All-Big 12 center Aleks Maric in a 64-56 loss at Nebraska on Saturday, the Cyclones (13-9, 3-4 Big 12) face another test down low with No. 18 Texas A&M (18-4, 4-3) on Tuesday.

The Aggies are led by another preseason All-Big 12 player in forward Joseph Jones, as well as forward Bryan Davis. Jones and Davis combine for 20.4 points per game and 10.2 rebounds. Center DeAndre Jordan adds 9.1 points and 6.6 rebounds off the bench.

“Their front line is about as good as we’ve played, when you consider who they start and what they can bring off the bench, the size of their bodies, how physical they are and what a great job they do defensively one-on-one down there,” said ISU coach Greg McDermott.

Center Jiri Hubalek holds one of the primary jobs of stopping the post players for the Aggies. Hubalek said he is embracing the challenge.

“They have a really talented front court, really deep. I think it’s going to be a challenge for us to see where we stand, so I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Hubalek said. “I think the key is going to be limiting their touches, or making them get the ball further from the basket.

Hubalek thought he did a good job of limiting Maric on Saturday before getting into foul trouble and said the experience of defending such a talented player has been good for his confidence.

“I worked hard in the offseason, and I think it paid off strength-wise. A lot of those guys weigh 20, 25 pounds more than me,” Hubalek said. “I’m confident no matter who it is. Texas A&M has some of the best big guys in the Big 12, but that’s what we’re going to face until the end of the season, so it doesn’t make a difference.”

It’s not only the inside game that Iowa State will have to worry about. The Aggies are balanced throughout the lineup, with six players averaging 8.5 points per game or more.

“There’s not a lot of weakness there,” McDermott said. “There’s not an area that you can really zero in on them and take something away without getting yourself in trouble and really exposing yourself somewhere else. That’s going to be our challenge.”

Limiting turnovers will be another challenge, as Iowa State had 20 in the loss to Nebraska. Senior forward Rahshon Clark said the team has focused a lot on limiting turnovers since Saturday’s game.

The Cyclones have also had to adjust without leading scorer Wesley Johnson. McDermott said Johnson is still day-to-day with a bone bruise in his left ankle.

Whether or not he will play against Texas A&M will be a game-time decision, McDermott said. Nonetheless, the Cyclones have played a number of games without Johnson this year, something Rahshon Clark said should help prepare the team to face the Aggies without him.

“We’ve just got to go out and play,” Clark said.

“Wesley is a tremendous athlete. He’s the top scorer on our team. It’s not like we haven’t played without him before, so we’re used to going out and trying to play without him, but with him on the floor it’s a lot better.”

With the No. 12 Texas Longhorns coming to Ames on Saturday, the Cyclones welcome two nationally ranked teams to Hilton this week.

At 3-4 and sitting in 8th place in the conference, the Cyclones will need a good week to keep themselves in the middle of the standings.

“We’re going to need guys to step up and really have good games. If we just play average that won’t be good enough,” McDermott said.

“We’re going to have to be extraordinary in some ways.”