There’s a developing theme with Iowa State basketball this year.

There are two Cyclones teams, either of which can show up at any time.

Some days, the good team shows up. Days like the 77-60 win over No. 5 Kansas, for example, show how much potential lies within coach Steve Prohm’s team.

On other days, like the 58-57 home loss to Kansas State on Jan. 12, the Cyclones look more like a team coming off a 13-18 season would normally look.

However, Iowa State’s win over Texas Saturday afternoon showed something new.

The Cyclones played poorly. They shot 43 percent, were outscored in the paint by 10 points and only got 12 points (3-of-14 shooting) from Big 12 leading scorer Marial Shayok. Normally, that’s a recipe for a loss, even at Hilton Coliseum. It looked like that was bound to happen Saturday as well.

Until they won.

“We really were in the same position two weeks ago and weren’t able to finish,” Prohm said. “Their focus was better … we’re making strides.

“Talen [Horton-Tucker] had a great game, but when the building was getting the most alive, he was the one off the bench, leading the cheers. That’s when you know you’re getting closer to where you need to be.”

That’s the first time I can remember seeing Iowa State close out a nightmarish game all season. It shows a change within the team.

Iowa State’s leading scorer for the afternoon was Horton-Tucker, who finished with 15 points. He sat on the bench for the final two minutes. It’s rare — really rare — for a team to voluntarily send its leading scorer to the bench in a five-point game with two minutes to go, but this is a team that looks fully bought-in.

A lot of that, I think, is due to the player leadership on the team. That starts with redshirt senior guard Nick Weiler-Babb.

“He’s been here the longest,” Prohm said. “I think he feels an obligation to the past probably more so than any of these other guys, because he was around those guys that won so many games.

“There’s this [sense of] ‘I can’t let the past down.'”

Weiler-Babb did his part. He hit the tying 3-pointer with 5:16 left after the Longhorns had taken a lead. Then, with the Cyclones leading by one in the waning moments, Weiler-Babb banked in a wild runner to extend the lead to three.

He said he had practiced the shot two years ago and had seen NBA players, namely LeBron James, make the same shot in the playoffs.

“It’s kind of a shot you mess around with,” Weiler-Babb said.

That shot, and Weiler-Babb’s description of it, just about sums up the entire game for Iowa State. It wasn’t the type of game the Cyclones want to be in, but they still managed to come out with an important win.

Iowa State still has holes. The team frequently goes cold for prolonged stretches, and rebounding is often a chore with the four-guard lineups. Still, there’s something to be said for a team that beats a .500 Big 12 team while shooting 42.6 percent and getting off nights from its two most talented players (Shayok and sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton).

“This is a great win,” Prohm said. “I’m really proud of our team.”