DALLAS — The first time they met in Manhattan, Kan., it was a one-sided blowout, adding to Iowa State’s three-year-plus streak of conference road losses.

The second meeting was a battle the home team Cyclones won in the last minutes of the game.

So what’s going to happen when Iowa State and Kansas State square off at the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Dallas, where no team has a homecourt advantage?

“It’s going to be a close game,” Kansas State head coach Jim Wooldridge said. “By this time of year, we know what they’re going to do, and they know what we’re going to do.”

Wooldridge said his team isn’t looking past Thursday’s first-round matchup against the Cyclones one bit, even though Iowa State has had little success away from Hilton Coliseum this year.

“Right now, our tournament is Iowa State,” Wooldridge said. “That is our only focus; the big picture is the small picture. You can’t win the tournament without winning the first game.”

Wooldridge said he can’t just focus on one Cyclone player, because Iowa State has too many ways to hurt teams.

“They’ve got some veterans on that team that are outstanding players, and then you throw in [Curtis] Stinson, who’s one of the best players in our league even though he’s only a freshman,” Wooldridge said.

Stinson has already been named both the coaches’ and Associated Press Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

“Curtis is unbelievable. He’s really dominated the Big 12, and I think he’s the best guard in the league,” senior guard Jake Sullivan said. “His consistent play is a huge reason we have 16 wins, no question.”

Stinson also made third-team All-Big 12, along with senior center Jackson Vroman. Sullivan received honorable mention honors.

ISU head coach Wayne Morgan said he was surprised his star freshman guard didn’t receive higher accolades.

“[Stinson] deserves [his awards]. I can’t believe he didn’t make first-team all-conference; it’s hard to imagine five guys that are better than him,” Morgan said. “Not to take anything away at all from the guys who were first team, I just think he’s that good.”

Stinson and Sullivan aren’t the only players Kansas State will be concentrating on.

“It’s not just Jake Sullivan and Stinson, you’ve got to worry about their inside guys like Jackson Vroman,” Wooldridge said. “Any of those guys can change the game.”

Change the game is exactly what Sullivan did in the two teams’ last meeting. He scored a game-high 24 points and shot 4-of-7 from the 3-point line.

“Jake Sullivan, as much as anyone in our return trip to Ames a couple of weeks ago, was responsible for that win,” Wooldridge said. “He changed the game in the second half. I think that’s why Iowa State’s proven to be a good team this year.”

All season long, Kansas State has slowed down fast, uptempo teams with their pass-first milk-the-shotclock offense, but Morgan said that won’t change the way his team plays Thursday.

“We’re going to try to do what we do,” Morgan said. “Obviously, a big part of their game plan will be to keep us from running. If we can run, we absolutely will.”

With any hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth riding solely on an ISU Big 12 Tournament title, Sullivan knows the task that lies ahead of him and his team — winning four games in four days — is tough.

“Obviously it’s a great challenge,” Sullivan said. “That’s our only plan. We’re not coming down here to get beat at all, and we’re here to win four games. It’ll be difficult, but we’ve got a great team and we have a lot of guys that can play.”