How times can change.

Last season, the ISU men’s basketball team drilled Texas Tech by 17 points in Ames. The win earned the Cyclones at least a tie for the regular-season Big 12 Conference title. Meanwhile, Texas Tech was headed for the Big 12 cellar.

This year, it’s the Red Raiders near the top of the league, bidding for a conference championship and Iowa State is in the midst of a six-game losing streak.

The Cyclones (9-13, 1-7) are at the bottom of the Big 12 and will have upset hopes of No. 20 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday. Iowa State also will be looking for its first conference road win.

“It’s not going to be an easy game,” sophomore Shane Power said. “They’ve had a superb turnaround.”

Superb might be an understatement.

The past two Saturdays, Texas Tech has hammered No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 9 Oklahoma State by a combined 37 points in Lubbock.

They won 15 of their first 18 games before dropping an 80-69 decision to Nebraska, Wednesday night.

Sophomore guard Jake Sullivan said that because the Red Raiders lost at Nebraska, ISU has gained confidence, but added that every road game is tough.

“You’re going to have a ticked-off Texas Tech team at home,” Sullivan said. “It’ll be a battle.”

Close games seem to be the trend for Iowa State. It has lost seven games by five points or less this season, including Tuesday’s 52-50 heartbreaker against Texas A&M.

ISU head coach Larry Eustachy accepted full responsibility for the loss to the Aggies, but said he was not embarassed. He said he disagrees with the people that say his team just had an off night.

“This was no clanker,” said Eustachy, adding that Texas A&M was the more determined team. “Collectively, as a team, I don’t think we worked hard enough.”

The Cyclones will have to work even harder against Red Raider head coach Bob Knight’s motion offense.

“The General” won three national titles and 11 conference championships at Indiana in the Big Ten before accepting the job at Texas Tech this year. He has won all four games he’s coached against the Cyclones.

Texas Tech’s offensive production ranks third in the Big 12 in points per game as well as assists per game. They average just over 80 points per game.

Andy Ellis and Andre Emmett lead the charge for Knight. Ellis leads the team with 19.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Emmett chips in with 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

ISU must have production from their leading scorer, Tyray Pearson, for any chance to stay with the Red Raiders. The senior was held scoreless until the 7:17 mark in the second half against the Aggies. He finished with just five points.

The Cyclones also hope to bounce back from their worst shooting performance of the season where they shot an anemic 34 percent from the field.

Sullivan attributed the poor shooting percentage to not playing together as a team. He said the team has worked on executing in practice since the loss.

Despite the season low, Sullivan said the Cyclones still have their sights set on a possible National Invitational Tournament bid, noting that they need 15 or 16 wins to have a shot.

“We’re confident we can do that,” Sullivan said.

The Cyclones and Red Raiders will tip off at 12:45 p.m.