The final home game for the ISU men’s basketball team Wednesday will reheat a rivalry between the Cyclones and the Tigers of Missouri.

Iowa State has won the last three games between the two in Hilton Coliseum, including a 71-67 upset last season.

The Cyclones, 14-11 and 4-10 in the Big 12, are coming off a heartbreaking road loss to Nebraska where the Cornhuskers outrebounded Iowa State 49-35 — which included 20 offensive boards for Nebraska.

This is not a good sign for the Cyclones as Missouri, 18-7 and 9-5 in the Big 12, is fourth in rebounding margin in conference play and has won four of its last five games. Iowa State is eighth in that category.

The Tigers’ biggest roar comes from big junior center Arthur Johnson, whose 16 points a game is good enough for second on the team. He is third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.5 boards per game.

“I have to really try and limit the post catches because these guys are outstanding post players, especially Johnson,” said Jackson Vroman, who will battle with Johnson much of the game. “[I need to] make him work from bad position on the court and not let him get deep.”

After the Nebraska game, which was within obvious reach for the Cyclones, rebounding is one battle the team knows it has to win in Wednesday’s war to have a chance to win.

“As a team, we have to make sure we outrebound these guys. Otherwise we don’t really have a chance to win,” Vroman said. “We have to contain penetration better than we did last game. It’s going to come down to who plays tougher.”

Iowa State has shown what it can do when playing effectively for a full game — especially when the Cyclones dominated Colorado last week. Getting that flow going is something leading scorer Jake Sullivan is most worried about as a win over Missouri could boost Iowa State’s chances for a bid to the National Invitational Tournament.

“We just have to execute better for 40 minutes, same story all year long,” Sullivan said. “Contain Johnson and Ricky Paulding, really come out and execute well and play hard.”

Paulding has been playing great basketball as of late for the Tigers, pitching in 23 points in a road win at Kansas State. He is leading the team in scoring at nearly 17 points a game.

“I think there is a few of them in this league from the perimeter that can do it,” head coach Larry Eustachy said about players taking over a game. “If it’s not [Texas Tech’s] Andre Emmitt, it’s [Paulding]. I think he’s a professional.”

The only two seniors for Iowa State that will be bidding farewell are Clint Varley and Omar Bynum. Varley, who has been suspended indefinitely due to a drunken driving charge, is expected to suit up but may not play.

Marcus Jefferson, who has been making trips to and from Chicago during the last two weeks to be with his ailing mother, is expected to play.