The ISU men’s basketball guard combination of Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock is good. Really good.

Little is said nationally, however, about Northern Iowa’s guard trio of Ben Jacobson, Brooks McKowen and Erik Crawford.

Despite the lack of a national emphasis on the trio, the Cyclones are prepared for what might be their biggest challenge of the nonconference schedule.

“Those guys are great players,” Stinson said. “They have shooters, they have penetrators. They’re a great backcourt and they’re a good team.”

The Panthers have struggled with shooting through three games this season, but they still have a 3-0 record. Forward Eric Coleman leads the team with 12.3 points per game, while Crawford averages 10 per game.

Northern Iowa hit 17 three-pointers last season against Iowa State, using its outside shooting to open up a huge lead. This season, the Panthers have struggled, making three fewer shots from long range through three games than in the one contest against the Cyclones last season.

This starts the rivalry part of Iowa State’s schedule, with three of its next four games coming against Iowa schools: Northern Iowa on Tuesday, Drake on Dec. 5 and Iowa on Dec. 9.

With Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Iowa all reaching the NCAA Tournament last season and the Hawkeyes holding a No. 14 ranking, a golden era of basketball in Iowa may have arrived.

“The game will be a lot of fun for the fans,” ISU coach Wayne Morgan said. “The fact that our state can have three teams like we have is excellent and a lot of fun for our fans.”

All five starters return for the Panthers, who handed Iowa State a resounding 99-82 loss last season.

“They have a very good team,” Morgan said. “The team they had last year is returning and they have a team of veterans.”

Stinson also sees the talent Northern Iowa brings to the court.

“They didn’t get to the NCAA [Tournament] for no reason,” Stinson said. “They’re great players.”

Iowa State enters the game fresh off of a loss to Iona in the Cyclone Challenge.

“Sometimes you lose a preseason game that you feel you should win,” Stinson said. “You just learn from it and come back the next game and try to win that game.”

The loss to Iona has the team hungry to get back in the win column.

“If you can follow any loss with a win, that’s a good thing for a team,” Morgan said.

“Any time you lose a game, you very much want to make that next one a win.”

The Cyclones are struggling from behind the three-point line, shooting just 26 percent. They have 17 three-pointers through four games, with guard Will Blalock leading the team with a 44 percent mark.

“We’re just shooting bad now, I guess,” Stinson explained.

Iowa State is also looking for someone down low, with freshmen Shawn Taggart and Ross Marsden splitting time in the middle.

“I’ve never coached a team in 30 years, or seen a team in 30 years, with not one front-court player of size returning,” Morgan said.

“The good news is that this won’t happen again. We have the classes filled and we’ll now have symmetry.”

Tip-off for the Cyclone-Panther intra-state showdown is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hilton Coliseum.