DALLAS — With a 97-70 win over Texas A&M in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, Iowa State earned the right to play No. 1 seed Kansas in Friday’s second round. Though Kansas is No. 4 in the country and has beaten Iowa State four straight times, the Cyclones can’t wait to play them.

“This is why we came down here, to play the big boys,” Jake Sullivan said. “We wanted Kansas and we got them.”

Iowa State is the No. 9 seed in the conference tournament, but beat the No. 8 seed, Texas A&M, and are hoping to continue with more upsets.

“Two years ago I was upset in the first round by Baylor, so hopefully we can do it to Kansas,” Sullivan said. “We think we can beat them, we really do. We have a lot of confidence. We’re really coming together as a team and trusting each other.”

Kansas is known for winning games by playing at its own tempo, which is very fast. Head coach Larry Eustachy is hoping to keep the game slow and limit possessions.

“The less possessions, the better for us, the more ball control we have,” he said. “They speed you up so fast and get you going so fast, it’s something we’re going to have to deal with. It’s possibly the best team in the country we’re playing tomorrow. They’re a run-away freight train that’s out of control.”

Iowa State, which won a conference game away from Hilton Coliseum for the first time in two seasons Thursday, wants to bounce right back from the win and keep the focus.

“We’ve had trouble after we’ve had big wins coming back the next night,” Sullivan said in reference to dominant home wins against Colorado and Missouri then losses on the road at Nebraska and Kansas State. “We have to come out and play real focused.”

The Jayhawks are led by Big 12 Player of the Year Nick Collison, an Iowa Falls native who puts up nearly 19 points a game.

“You want to limit his catches and keep him off the glass, so that’s going to be the goal,” big-man Jackson Vroman said about defending Collison.

Kansas pounded Iowa State 83-54 in Ames when the Big 12 season kicked off back on Jan. 6. The second meeting between the two was a 70-51 Kansas victory in Lawrence, Kan., but Iowa State was hanging in the game until late.

“We played better at their place; we were in it the first half, now we just have to do it for 40 minutes,” Sullivan said. “We’re playing well as a team. Everyone is contributing right now.”

Despite learning on Feb. 27 that Wayne Simien is out for the season, the Jayhawks have won 11 of their last 12 games. They lead the Big 12 in scoring offense, scoring margin and field-goal percentage.

“They’re unbelievably coached and talented and we certainly have our hands full,” Eustachy said. “But we’re anxious for the challenge.”