With chants of “0 and 5, 0 and 5” raining down from the Kansas State crowd, the ISU men’s basketball team left Manhattan on Jan. 26 with a 63-51 loss, having started its Big 12 Conference schedule with five defeats.

When Kansas State arrives in Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday night, it won’t be facing the same team.

Since that loss, the Cyclones (13-8, 5-5 Big 12) have won five straight, including three wins over ranked opponents. They have risen from the bottom of the league to a fifth-place tie.

Freshman Tasheed Carr said the team will definitely remember the game against the Wildcats (13-8, 3-7).

“We feel as though we have to come in and win,” Carr said. “But it’s about us. We have to continue to play hard like we have in the past.”

ISU head coach Wayne Morgan said the team is playing better than it had been.

“Tasheed’s improvement has helped a great deal, and Rahshon [Clark] has stepped up,” Morgan said.

“Having those guys figuring out where to go on the court has helped.”

In their first meeting, senior forward Jeremiah Massey led the Wildcats with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Sixteen of his points came in the second half. Aiding the Wildcat effort was Cartier Martin with four 3-pointers for 17 points and Fred Peete with 15 points.

On the Cyclones’ side, senior Jared Homan led the team with 13 points and Damion Staple added 10.

Kansas State most recently suffered a 75-72 overtime loss at Texas on Saturday, and has dropped four straight games. Peete scored a career-high 28 points with seven 3-pointers, and Massey added 14 points. Peete was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Monday.

Although it has lost its last four games, Morgan said Kansas State is still a dangerous team.

“Fred Peete has been fantastic as of late. He is very dangerous from anywhere on the court,” Morgan said.

“Martin and [Lance] Harris are just as good from outside. Then you throw in Massey, who I think is one of the best post players in the Big 12, you have a very good team.”

In its last game, Iowa State rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat Texas Tech, which knocked off No. 2 Kansas 80-79 in two overtimes on Monday. Five Cyclones reached double figures, with 23 points from Homan.

Defense continues to be Iowa State’s best attribute, as it forced 18 turnovers on Saturday, including 13 steals.

Morgan said his team believes in the zone defense.

“Most coaches have 100 plays for a man-to-man defense. But most coaches have one or two set plays or offenses for a zone defense,” Morgan said.

“It is much less work to prepare for a zone offense than a man-to-man offense. I think more teams are using it a lot more. Syracuse kind of started the trend and teams saw its success.”

On Saturday, 11 Red Raiders played, while seven Cyclones played. With such a short bench, Morgan said, Iowa State has to use its timeouts wisely.

“We know we are a very good conditioned team,” Morgan said. “Most of our guys are beginning to figure it out and they know if we play sound defense, we can create more opportunities on the offensive end.”