The ISU men’s basketball team will try to snap a three-game losing streak Friday at Oregon State in the inaugural Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series.

The Cyclones (2-3) are coming off of a 61-48 loss to Northern Iowa, while the Beavers (3-2) have won three straight games after losing their first two.

Coach Greg McDermott said being paired the Beavers gives Iowa State a matchup between like-minded teams.

“This will be a good start for us,” McDermott said. “Oregon State’s program is in somewhat the same shape that we are. They’re trying to play a lot of new players, so it’ll be a good trip for our guys.”

Oregon State is coming off of an 11-21 season, and has only one senior in its starting lineup in forward Marcel Jones.

The key to stopping the Beavers may be stopping OSU shooting guard Seth Tarver, who leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Iowa State gave up 20 to Northern Iowa point guard Jared Josten on Tuesday.

“You get a feeling with Minnesota last week and with UNI this week that as they bring it down the floor, they know exactly where they want to get the ball and the shot that they want to get and where the mismatch is, and what [they] have to do to take advantage of that,” McDermott said. “We’re not there yet.”

Iowa State will need to keep Oregon State from scoring in large chunks, something the Cyclones have struggled with this year. After the Cyclones nearly tied the game on Tuesday at 46-45, the Panthers ended the game on a 15-3 run.

Northern Iowa also went on a 14-0 run in the first half during a six-minute, 44-second Cyclone scoring drought after two fouls sent Craig Brackins to the bench with just over 15 minutes left in the half.

“These games are being decided by short stretches during the games,” McDermott said. “It’s not like we’re being dominated from start to finish. We’re showing signs of what we’re capable of . I’ve got to get this team better prepared, and when they’re unprepared, that’s coaching. I’ve got to do a better job of that.”

Senior forward Rahshon Clark attributed the lapses in the UNI game to getting tired and losing focus, something that didn’t happen at the beginning of the game but helped account for large stretches where the Cyclones were outscored.

“We was having fun. When you’re having fun, things go the way we want them to go, expect them to go,” Clark said. “When we started playing, I guess we got a little fatigued, and when things like that happen you lose sight of what you are supposed to do and lose sight of what you want to happen, and start trying to do things on your own, and that’s not the way we want to play basketball.”

Iowa State has also been outrebounded in its last three games.

The Cyclones will play their second game with Johnson, who missed the first four games with an ankle sprain.

Tipoff is 10 p.m. at Oregon State’s Gill Coliseum. The game will be nationally televised by Fox Sports Net.