Iowa State’s 68-61 upset victory over the No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks opened a few eyes around the Big 12.

Kansas head coach Bill Self said Iowa State has many of the right components to stay in the running for a Big 12 title.

“Without a question, they can stay in the race, but they’re going to have to go out and win on the road,” Self said. “Their personnel is very, very good.”

Self had high praise for Iowa State’s Curtis Stinson, who just picked up his third Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor.

“[Curtis Stinson] was terrific against us; he totally controlled the second half,” Self said. “He’s 6-foot-2, and he plays about 6-foot-6. He’s a very good rebounder, a good offensive rebounder, no question.”

Along with Stinson, Self was impressed with the Cyclones’ other newcomers’ maturity and their ability to contribute to the team.

“The game is in slow motion to [Stinson and Blalock], and they can certainly play at different speeds and they never get rattled or hurry,” Self said. “Those two, and I’ll throw [Damion Staple] in the mix, were just terrific against us and they do a great job of setting Sullivan up.”

ISU head coach Wayne Morgan said every player is integral to sustaining the Cyclones’ current success.

“If we don’t have Jared Homan or Jackson Vroman, we can’t win. If we don’t have Jake Sullivan, we can’t win. So I think every particular part of this puzzle is important,” Morgan said.

The Cyclones (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) will need every piece of the puzzle Wednesday night as they travel to Oklahoma (13-4, 3-3 Big 12) to try and end a 19-game conference road skid.

Morgan said building a program is a process that first entails learning how to play hard and consistent and then taking “a little extra toughness” on the road.

“I think that to win away, if you’re playing against a good team, you almost have to play harder than they play and be more consistent,” Morgan said. “We’ve played some games on the road where we’ve played well for 33-34 minutes, but in those six or seven minutes that you don’t play well, you lose. So you’ve got to play hard and be consistent and be determined over a complete 40-minute game on the road.”

The Big 12 has a three-way tie at 5-1 for first place (Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas) and another two (Texas Tech, Iowa State) sitting at 4-2 tied for second place in the conference. The balance in the league makes every game crucial.

“I think there are a lot of very good teams and … a lot of teams could surprise us. There is no one team that is a super team that nobody can come close to,” Morgan said. “I think on a given night any team in this league can beat another one and I think on a given night if you don’t play well you can lose in this league, no question about that.”

With Iowa State’s victory over Kansas, the Cyclones improved to 12-0 at home. Saturday the Cyclones host Big 12 conference leader No. 13 Oklahoma State (15-2, 5-1 Big 12). The Cowboys’ associate head coach, Sean Sutton, said Oklahoma State has great respect for how hard it is for opponents to get a victory at Hilton Coliseum.

“Hilton Coliseum is not only one of the toughest places to play in the Big 12, but I think it is one of the toughest places to play in college basketball,” Sutton said. “Iowa State has great fans and it seems like it’s always a sellout regardless of where their team is in the Big 12.”

Morgan said his team’s stellar record at home can be attributed to how hard the Cyclones work at home and he said he hopes eventually the team will take that work ethic on the road.

“We just try to come in and play real hard at home and I think the other thing that really helps us is that I think we have the best fans in the country,” Morgan said. “They just get behind us and I think their energy carries down on the floor and through the kids and gives us an extra boost. Obviously you play a little harder at home, everybody does and you’re more familiar with that, but I just hope we can get to a point that we can play as well when we travel.”