Shawn Taggart may be a fresh face in the Big 12, but when the ISU men’s basketball team’s center glances across the court Saturday against Kansas, a familiar face will look back.

Taggart and Jayhawk guard Brandon Rush were roommates at Mt. Zion Academy and played prep school basketball together. Now the two have found themselves competing against each other in the same conference.

“He’s a good slasher,” Taggart said of Rush. “He can score points in bundles. He can rebound and block shots.”

Rush opted to attend college instead of taking a shot at the NBA, choosing Kansas over Illinois. The decision seems to have paid off, as Rush leads the Jayhawks in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game while hitting 50 percent of his 3-point shots.

“He’s playing good enough for this to be his last year [in college],” Taggart said of his friend’s professional chances. “He’s athletic and a scorer.”

Rush’s older brother Kareem, who played basketball for Missouri and was twice named to the all-Big 12 first team, is a member of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.

Rush, the only member of the Kansas team to average in double figures, is the young leader of a young ball club.

“The young guys – they are getting better,” said ISU coach Wayne Morgan. “They’re getting experience, and they have more maturity as the year goes on. They are also getting very good coaching from Bill Self, and I think they’ll continue to grow as the season goes on.”

Kansas started the season slowly, losing in four of its first seven games before mounting a seven-game winning streak and winning nine of its last 11 games. The Jayhawks are 12-6 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12.

“They played some good teams early on,” said ISU guard Will Blalock. “They took their beating and after that they learned from it.”

The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to just 35 percent from the field. Much of their success on defense can be traced to a fast, scrappy press, similar in many respects to the press Iowa State employs.

“They pick you up full court,” Blalock said. “When they play man, they play really aggressive. Their guards are young and they really gamble in the passing lane, and that’s how they get a lot of steals.”

The task at hand for Iowa State will be to reverse an uncommon trend. Known for years as one of the toughest teams to beat on their home floor, the Cyclones have struggled inside Hilton Coliseum this season, having already dropped four home contests.

“We don’t have an answer for that. It’s crazy,” Blalock said. “We went from ‘Hilton Magic’ to ‘Hilton Tragic’ this year. We aren’t having success at home and on the road we’re really bringing it.”

The Cyclones lost their last two home contests, dropping games to Texas and Texas A&M. Overall Iowa State is 13-6 and 3-3 in the Big 12.

“The last two wins we’ve had have been on the road and I think those are the best two games we’ve played,” Morgan said. “Our guys know we have to win at home, and we’re going to do everything we can to win at home.”

Curtis Stinson led Iowa State with 27 points against Missouri, and has upped his season scoring average to 19.1 points per game.

Tip-off for Iowa State’s game against the Jayhawks is set for 11 a.m. and can be seen on ESPN.