The time has come for some Dr. Phil-like therapy. I hate to do this to my fellow Cyclones, but in order to overcome problems you have to talk about them.

Mention the Hampton Pirates around these parts and you are bound to get a reaction similar to that of seeing Janet Reno unclothed — pure, unadulterated pain.

The date: March 16, 2001. Two-time Big 12 coach of the year Larry Eustachy led his NCAA tournament No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones into the harmless Boise Pavilion to battle the relatively unknown Hampton Pirates.

Iowa State basketball was as hot as any program in the country. It was coming off two straight conference championships and two straight No. 2 seeds in the Big Dance.

Everything was in place for another run to the Elite 8. Iowa State was in cruise control, leading No. 15 seed Hampton 57-48 with only seven minutes on the clock. But then something happened, something that remains unexplained.

Some force of nature put an Anna Nicole-sized cap on the Cyclone basket.

Martin Rancik’s lay-in with 7:17 remaining would be the last points scored by a Cyclone player in a NCAA tournament. Not even Jamaal Tinsley could break the hex as Iowa State watched the lead slip through its fingers.

With six seconds left, Hampton took the lead for the first time. Tinsley’s last-ditch, game-winning layup rimmed out, leaving Cyclone fans feeling shock, confusion and gut-wrenching pain. It was the same reaction that appeared on my face when I witnessed Flava Flav hook up with Brigitte Nielson on “The Surreal Life.”

Ever since that fateful night in mid-March 2001, things have not been the same in Cyclone country. The next two years of the Eustachy era were characterized by a steady flow of unrecognizable players (anybody remember Tommie King?) and, of course, alcoholic beverages.

By now, everyone is well-versed in the events that led to Eustachy’s “resignation,” namely hammering the Natty Light and tonguing some Mizzou girls at a party. These things don’t help a basketball program.

Until this past month, the once nationally lauded men’s basketball team was just average.

Yes, the National Invitation Tournament is fun for a while, but it’s like that person you party with but don’t date — you strive to find better.

However, this group of Cyclones has found that dateworthy person.

Not only is this date attractive, it’s got a little personality too. It goes by the name of the NCAA tournament, but her friends call it the Big Dance.

With a few more wins the Cyclones can get back to where they belong. In the process, they can get rid of the sour taste in Cyclone Nation’s mouth from the Hampton debacle and its lasting effects.