On January 13, Craig Brackins was almost on top of the world.

The night before, in his first Big 12 game, the 6-foot-10-inch freshman had dropped 33 points on Baylor, going 8 of 10 from beyond the arc. The Cyclones didn’t get the win, and that might have been the only blemish on Brackins’ basketball life at that point. It was a night Brackins won’t ever forget.

The 33 points was the most ever by a freshman at Iowa State, and the country took notice. Opponents started sending more double-teams, NBA scouts started showing up at games asking questions about him, and expectations rose.

“I felt like finally my shots are falling,” Brackins said. “But I think it was kind of deceiving for me. It is hard to keep that up.”

It turned out it wasn’t quite that hard. Brackins kindly introduced himself to the Big 12 by averaging 15.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in his first seven conference games.

Then came another consequential game, but one Brackins would love to forget.

Playing against the loaded frontcourt of Texas A&M, Brackins managed just two points on 1 of 6 shooting and came up with no rebounds, no assists, no blocks and no steals in 20 minutes.

That game keyed a slump that has seen all of Brackins numbers, including minutes played, slump over the past weeks.

“I was just in one of those moods. I didn’t really go hard at practice and then I didn’t play hard [in the game],” Brackins said of the week before that game. “Once you are off track one game, that just leads to other games.”

In the first three games after Texas A&M, Brackins averaged just 3.0 points a game. His fall hit bottom in a win over Nebraska, where he played just seven minutes – zero in the second half – and was held scoreless. The only stats Brackins accumulated were two turnovers.

But despite his recent plight, Brackins can take hope in the fact that his struggles are, surprisingly, quite common. Most freshmen hit a wall at some point during the season. All he has to do is look down the bench to find prime examples.

Fellow Cyclones Rahshon Clark, Jiri Hubalek and Wesley Johnson all saw their production fall off after successful starts to their initial conference campaign.

Clark scored in double-figures in his first four Big 12 games before hitting a slide where he averaged just 6.3 points a game. Hubalek made it five games at a 10.2 ppg clip before going eight games putting up 6.5 ppg. And just last year Johnson roared out of the gate, pouring in 13.6 ppg in his first 10 conference contests before scoring in double-digits just once in a four game span in which he averaged 6.5 points.

“Its kind of weird that most freshmen get into that slump, and it happens no matter who it is,” Brackins said. “Some are lucky more than others.”

There are several reasons for why this almost-inevitable rough patch strikes even the most prepared freshman. By that point in the season, word has gotten out. There is more than enough film for scouts and coaches to comb through, and teams’ game plans are based on that footage. It may be the second time a team has seen a player, so the defense is more familiar with an offensive repertoire.

But the most telling factor may not lie with the opponent, but, rather, with the players themselves. At just 18 or 19 years of age, they haven’t had the chance to develop their bodies in preparation for the grueling conference schedule. It’s a long way from a high school season to a run through one of the toughest conferences in the country, coach Greg McDermott said.

“Part of it is high school or prep school season is over long ago,” McDermott said. “You don’t have near the amount of practice or the amount of games, and probably not the same level of intensity [at those levels].”

But this problem isn’t without answers.

Brackins’ teammates have seen familiar hardships, but they have also all fought back to help the team. Clark scored a season-high 20 points after breaking out of his slump, Hubalek averaged 12.5 points a game in the last four conference games and Johnson woke up in a big way, putting up 16.3 points in the final three Big 12 games.

“Being a freshman, even with me, it kind of takes a toll, so you just have to get a feel for it and know you have to play through it,” Clark said. “I tell him ‘Don’t let not hitting shots slow you down’.”

Because they have been there, his teammates understand. They haven’t blamed him at all for any of the Cyclones’ recent struggles, instead only offering words of encouragement.

“They are all supportive. They don’t really acknowledge it as much as other people do,” Brackins said. “They tell me ‘Don’t even worry about it, it’s nothing’.”

McDermott isn’t worried either. He knows it is part of the growing process, and said that Brackins has kept his head up and hasn’t let his effort slide along with his production.

“He’s continued to work hard in practice, and I’ve felt that he’s done that during this stretch where he hasn’t played particularly well,” McDermott said. “As long as his work ethic hasn’t changed in practice, that is really the important thing.”

On Saturday against Texas Tech, Brackins hit double digits for the first time in three weeks, putting up 12 points in the loss. That performance may be the breakout game McDermott has said could jumpstart Brackins as Iowa State heads for the end of the season.

The most important step is for Brackins to get comfortable playing basketball again, and he is getting there. He has climbed out of that dour mood and is back giving his all on a daily basis. If the Texas Tech game is any indication, the rest of the conference had better be ready – Craig Brackins might be back. “Of course it always feels good when you play well,” Brackins said. “Once you start hitting your shots again, it all feels a lot better.”