Just as the ISU men’s basketball team is taking a sigh of relief after playing five ranked opponents in its last six games, the team is reminded of just how tough the lower-end teams are in the Big 12.

One of those teams is Baylor, who comes to town this Saturday in search of its first Big 12 win.

Iowa State was in a similar situation last week before defeating Nebraska to get in the win column in the Big 12, so the team knows just how hungry Baylor is.

“I think they’re in the same boat we are,” Iowa State’s Jared Homan said. “They need a win and we need a win, so it’s a key game for both of us.”

Iowa State, 11-6 and 1-5 in the Big 12, is coming off a 68-55 road loss to Oklahoma State, which extended their national-best win streak to 15 games. After hanging within four points much of the second half, the Cowboys pulled away late, leaving the Cyclones in the dust.

Turnovers killed the Cyclones in the game as they committed 23. The Cowboys also held Iowa State to just over 34 percent shooting in the second half.

“Turnovers have plagued us all year,” said freshman Adam Haluska, who had a team-high 15 points against Oklahoma State. “And that’s something we work on in practice but never carry out in the game.”

Homan said cutting down turnovers was one of the things the team focused on in Thursday’s practice.

“Oklahoma State has some of the best defense in the country, but no matter who we’re playing against, we still can’t turn the ball over that much,” Homan said. “We’ve got to be stronger with it.”

Baylor, 9-7 and 0-5 in the Big 12, is lead by forward Lawrence Roberts and guard John Lucas. Roberts is averaging nearly 15 points and 10 rebounds per-game.

Lucas, son of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Lucas, is scoring just over 14 points every time out.

Homan said he played with Lucas at a camp last summer and remembers Roberts from last season. Lucas and Roberts combined for 31 points in last season’s 5-point victory over the Cyclones in Waco, Texas.

“We know that those guys are some big-time players,” Homan said. “Their offense and their team is really keyed around those two. They also have some real good role players that can really do some things for their team. They’re x-factors who can jump out and really take the game over if they want to.”