Bragging rights are on the line when Iowa State (5-1) heads into Carver-Hawkeye Arena Friday to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1) in the Cyclones’ first road game this year.

“We need to play good opponents,” ISU head coach Larry Eustachy said. “We particularly need to go on the road and find out even more where we’re at. This will be a good test for us.”

For the first time in a number of years, neither team is going into the game with marquee players and national attention, but both teams have quietly won all but one game and would really like to add this win.

“It’s an opportunity to have a real upset on the road,” Eustachy said. “It’s going to be very difficult. I think both teams are in transition.”

Perhaps another story to the game is the amount of Iowa players on each team compared to past years, with Iowa State sporting two Iowans in the starting lineup and Iowa boasting three Iowa starters.

“When you have players from within the state, it becomes more intensified and I think it’s great,” Eustachy said. “There’s a lot of pride when you’re from the state then when you’re not, that’s just how it is.”

Iowa freshmen Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner and junior Glen Worley are all from Iowa, along with ISU freshman Adam Haluska and sophomore Jared Homan.

“I’ve played against all of them,” Haluska said of Iowa’s starters from the state. “A lot of guys have been staying in the state lately. There’s going to be some great match-ups out there with Iowa kids that’s just going to add to the excitement.”

That’s not the only excitement in the game for Haluska, and Cyclones such as Tim Barnes and Jackson Vroman, as it is their first road game as Cyclones.

“I’ve heard rumors how playing on the road is really tough and a lot different than playing at home,” Haluska admitted.

Haluska has even more to think about as he, a born Hawkeye fan, is very familiar with this rivalry and is finally going to be involved with it as a player.

“I think it’s huge. I’ve been waiting for this game for a long time and I’m really looking forward to it,” Haluska said. “There’s going to be a great crowd and I know both teams are going to be ready to play.”

Some would think after coming off a home loss to Boston College on Monday night, 85-78, the last thing a team would want to do is play on the road. But Eustachy sees things differently.

“I think it’s needed,” he said. “It’s not a concern — it’s a looking forward to. We want to do it. We know how monumental a task it’s going to be, but it’s a game we need to play right now to continue this process of finding out who we are and where we’re at.”

Given the youth of the team and a lack of practice due to so many games, Eustachy believes his team needs more time and isn’t focusing too much on what Iowa will do, but rather on what his team can do.

“It’s more about us than our opponents,” he said. “We play the way we think it should be played, guard the goal, rebound the ball and try to take good shots.”

Though Iowa State put up 78 points against Boston College, a number Eustachy said should have gotten them a victory had they played better defense, he is a little more worried about offense in this game.

“I think [Alford’s] done a real good job,” Eustachy said. “They play tremendous defense. Scoring against them is going to be difficult.”

The Hawkeyes are led by senior Chauncey Leslie, who averages nearly 18 points per game. The rest of the Iowa squad, much like Iowa State, is balanced in its scoring, with two players averaging just over double figures and two averaging just under.

“They’re playing with a lot of confidence at a young age,” Eustachy said. “When you look at the players they have, we hear about how depleted they are, but we’re just as depleted.”

Jake Sullivan continues to lead Iowa State putting up just under 19 points a game. Homan and Vroman are coming off a strong game against Boston College, in which Homan had career highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Vroman is averaging a double-double for the Cyclones, at nearly 15 points and 10 boards a game.

While this game has its intrastate implications, Eustachy’s main focus is the learning experience and the chance for improvement.

“This team just needs time. We’ve got new faces now and we have to be very patient,” Eustachy said. “The coach can’t get too frustrated and the players can’t get too frustrated.”

So what does Eustachy think of the Cyclones’ chances Friday?

“We’re going to have to really play an excellent game just to be in it, in my opinion.”