With the Cyclone’s first bumps in the road behind them, all they can do is look ahead at what awaits them – more bumps.

The Las Vegas Invitational over Thanksgiving found the men’s basketball team sitting at 2-2, a record a bit unfamiliar to those who played on past teams.

But head coach Larry Eustachy and company know that defense is their main key to success.

And the players know that is what hurt them in their two losses.

“I know for sure two of the three games, we held teams right at 40 percent or below in the first half,” junior guard Brandon Nicol said. “Obviously, the first game we were up 11 at half. With Penn, we were up two at half, and we ended up giving up big second halves.”

Pennsylvania shot 76 percent in the second half, which led to number two in the loss column for the men.

In a 64-39 victory over Savannah State on Monday, Iowa State held the Tigers to just 32 percent shooting for the game, something Eustachy does credit his defense for. But that won’t stop the team from focusing primarily on defense.

“Our main emphasis is defense, so we work on that every day regardless if we do good or bad in a game,” junior forward Omar Bynum said.

Bynum also pushed the fact that good practices equal good games.

“In practice, we got to bring it every day. We just can’t do good half the time and then go bad,” he said. “We have to put a whole good practice together, so that in the game, we’ll have a good first half and then also bring the second half.”

Sophomore guard Shane Power, who has been tagged as one of the team leaders, said the trip to Vegas was rather educational.

“The experience in Vegas was great, because it gave us three really good teams to play, and I think everyone as a team saw how fast the games are played at that level and how hard the game is played,” Power said. “That’s what we’re going to see from now on.”

And they will be seeing these teams, at least for a while, without starting sophomore point guard and leading scorer Jake Sullivan, who is out with a knee ailment.

But this team has proven to have tricks up its sleeve in the past, and Eustachy is optimistic that this team can still surprise.

“This is the ultimate challenge these young men have met so far,” Eustachy said. “Maybe it will be the most enjoyable season I’ve ever been involved with, because our backs are to the wall.”

The next test for the team begins at 8 p.m. today in the Tribune Cyclone Challenge at Hilton Coliseum where the Cyclones will face Wisconsin-Milwaukee.