Aside from an early run to start the game, Iowa State was outclassed against Texas in an 86-69 loss Saturday.

The Cyclones (20-9, 9-7 Big 12) are now facing pressure in their final two games as NCAA Tournament seeding comes into play.

3-point shooting dooms Cyclones

Iowa State’s defense has been hit-or-miss when it comes to defending the 3-point line. Saturday’s game with Texas seemed like a good chance for the Cyclones to right the ship.

Texas entered Saturday’s game 194th in the country in 3-point percentage, making triples at a 33.8 percent clip on the year. Senior guard Kerwin Roach, who has 45 3-pointers this year (second on the team), was out for the Longhorns as well.

Then, sophomore guard Jase Febres showed up.

Febres has been Texas’ most prolific shooter, nailing 65 treys before Saturday at a 36.9 percent clip.

Febres lit up the Cyclones to the tune of 26 points, a new career-high. He also set a new career-high with eight made 3-pointers on 10 attempts.

As a team, Texas hit 15-of-25 from beyond the arc (60 percent).

Lard absent; Conditt IV steps up

Before the game, Iowa State announced redshirt sophomore forward Cameron Lard did not travel to Austin, Texas, with the team after a violation of team rules.

Lard was previously suspended for seven games to start the 2018-19 season and was suspended for the first two games of the 2017-18 season.

In his absence, freshman forward George Conditt IV filled in.

Conditt IV set a new career-high with 11 points. He chipped in four rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 minutes.

Conditt IV entered Saturday having played three total minutes in two games since the start of February (seven games).

Conditt IV had previously played extended stretches in Lard’s other absences. First, he played as many as 17 minutes in a game in November when Lard was suspended.

When Lard was injured at the beginning of conference play, Conditt IV played 29 minutes over the course of two games — a 58-57 loss to Kansas State and a 68-64 win at Texas Tech — tallying 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks in that stretch.

For now, it’s not clear if Lard will be back with the Cyclones soon.

Looking ahead

The Cyclones have two regular season games left.

First, Iowa State will head to Morgantown, West Virginia, to take on West Virginia Wednesday. The Mountaineers are 3-13 in Big 12 play after dropping a game to Oklahoma on Saturday.

Then, the Cyclones finish the regular season with a high-stakes rematch against Texas Tech on March 9. Depending on results this week, Texas Tech could be in a position to win the Big 12 regular season title with a win at Hilton Coliseum.

The Cyclones will have a lot at stake as well. With a 9-7 record, Iowa State could finish anywhere from 9-9 to 11-7. 11-7 could be good for third or fourth in the Big 12, whereas 9-9 could drop the team to fifth or even sixth, given Texas’ tiebreaker over the Cyclones.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Iowa State listed as a 5-seed entering Saturday, but several Big 12 teams — including Kansas State, a 6-seed in Lunardi’s bracket — could jump the Cyclones between now and Selection Sunday.

While it’s unlikely the 20-win Cyclones would fall out of the NCAA Tournament altogether, seeding and matchups are still dependent on what Iowa State does from here on out.