The Colorado Buffaloes sit in last place in the Big 12 standings.

That is no reason to take them lightly, says coach Greg McDermott.

“Colorado’s played very competitive basketball – they’ve been in a position to win really every home game they’ve played in league play, including the game with Kansas,” McDermott said. “It won’t be an easy game. We’ll have to play about as well as we have played to get a win.”

With little time to recover from Wednesday’s 75-64 loss to Kansas, Iowa State turns its focus to the season’s final two road games, starting Saturday against the Buffaloes (10-17, 2-11 Big 12) in Boulder, Colo.

The Cyclones (14-14, 4-9 Big 12) are in a slump – they’ve lost eight of their last 10 games and sit at 11th place in the conference. Saturday’s game represents possibly the best chance they have had all season to pick up their first conference road win.

“Any confidence that we could get as we approach the conference tournament would be huge for us, and the confidence we could get from winning on the road – regardless of who it’s against – would be a big plus for us,” McDermott said.

The Buffaloes are led by first-year head coach Jeff Bzdelik, who McDermott thinks is starting to get a handle on the program. The team also possesses a capable scoring duo in guards Richard Roby and Marcus Hall, who average 16.7 and 12.8 points per game, respectively.

“Marcus Hall and Richard Roby are very good players, and they’re capable of going crazy against you if you make mistakes,” McDermott said.

“They play a small lineup at times, and that can be a challenge because our big guys are going to have to go out and defend on the floor.”

Iowa State did that on Jan. 29 in a 57-41 win over the Buffaloes. What Iowa State will also need is more players to step up on offense, said center Jiri Hubalek.

“I think if we get some more shots, maybe get more people to score some points, we’re going to be fine,” Hubalek said. “Right now it seems like it’s always two players, and every game it’s a different two players. If you can get three or four players at once, it’s going to make a difference.”

Along with Hubalek’s 14-point performance, guard Wesley Johnson stepped up with 20 more in Wednesday’s loss to the Jayhawks, playing one of his best conference games after struggling through injury and health problems all season long.

McDermott said he would like to see Johnson finish the season feeling good about how he is playing.

Johnson felt Wednesday’s game would go a long way towards that.

“It was an amazing confidence booster to fight with injuries and then have that kind of game,” Johnson said. “But I really wanted the win – I just wanted to contribute the best I could.”

The Cyclones held a 33-31 halftime lead over Texas Tech last Saturday before the Red Raiders pulled away in the second half. On Wednesday, they were down by 13 at halftime and actually outscored the Jayhawks in the second half.

McDermott said a number of problems have kept the team from playing well in both halves, including turnovers, defense and shooting – as was the case Wednesday. But for a team stuck in a losing streak, the Cyclones’ attitudes don’t seem to be flagging.

“I think they’re enthusiastic to play – I don’t think they’ve lost focus, and I don’t think they’ve packed it in at all,” McDermott said.

“You look at some teams around the country and you look at some scores that are starting to show up – and there are some teams that have packed it in. I don’t expect that to happen with this group.”