It didn’t take a psychic to predict that the start of the Big 12 slate would be difficult for Iowa State.

Larry Eustachy had a feeling it would start this way.

The Cyclones are 10-3 overall, but are winless after two conference games against No. 12 Kansas and No. 4 Texas. Slow starts offensively plagued Iowa State in both games. The Jayhawks began last week’s game on a 22-2 run and the Longhorns were up 23-7 after the first 12 minutes of Saturday’s game. The Cyclones were defeated by a combined 49 points in the two games.

With fifth-ranked Oklahoma coming to Ames this weekend and a road game against No. 11 Missouri on tap for Jan. 21, Eustachy could be concerned about his team.

The fifth-year coach isn’t.

“They’ll hang in there and they’ll be fine,” Eustachy said. “We know what this program is based on, and I’ve been in these situations before, so I feel comfortable in handling how we’ll get thorough this part of the schedule.

“You won’t hear me complain about it. It’s an opportunity to play these great teams and only makes our team better.”

With five Big 12 teams in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, strong opponents are something the Cyclones will have to get used to. Eustachy said the quality of the opposition has been upgraded after a relatively soft start to the schedule.

“The teams we’ve been playing have a lot to do with why we haven’t shot it well and why we haven’t guarded,” Eustachy said. “When you put [Kansas and Texas] together, they might have five or six professionals.

“That’s our biggest problem — the coaching and players of the other teams are outstanding.”

Eustachy believes his team must hit bottom before it can improve. Past ISU squads he has coached have done it, and he thinks the 2002-03 version will as well.

“This team is starting to get a bottom to them,” Eustachy said. “They haven’t bottomed out yet. Once we bottom out and really understand how hard you’ve got to do it, we’ll start moving forward and possibly win some games.”

Chris Alexander, a 7-foot-1 center who joined the team late last month, could be a big part of that turnaround. The junior has scored six points and grabbed eight boards in 26 minutes against the Longhorns. His playing time has increased while he still works into playing form.

He also bolstered Iowa State’s inside presence for the Cyclones to run their offense through, freeing up players on the perimeter.

“Chris will be allowed to do what he wants to do,” Eustachy said. “If he wants to become a starter and do the things it takes to become a starter, he can do that. He’s as quick as any front-line guy we’ve got.

“I’ve been impressed with him this week, far more than I ever have. He has potential be one of the better front-line players in this conference.”