Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy knows what he is in for when his team travels to Columbia, Mo., to take on Missouri in what will be the toughest test his team has faced this season.

“This is going to be a very difficult game for us. We don’t match up at all with them. They shoot a lot of three-pointers, and we’ve struggled with defending that this season. They also do a lot of on-ball screens, which is one of our weaknesses defensively,” Eustachy said.

Missouri (13-6, 6-1) is the hottest team in the Big 12, but much like Iowa State a couple of weeks ago, remains unranked.

The Tigers have won six straight games in conference play after falling to the Cyclones to begin play in the Big 12.

They have registered several impressive wins, including beating Kansas 81-59 at home, and back-to-back road victories at Colorado and Nebraska.

“I don’t think they’ve done a whole lot different. I think they have found a way to play, and they’re sticking with it, which is smart. Quin Snyder has done a good job of getting them to play their kind of style, and they are winning because of it,” Eustachy said.

The Tigers have been buoyed by the return of star freshman Kareem Rush, who scored 21 points in 26 minutes at Nebraska and has generally been very solid since returning from a suspension Jan. 29.

“He adds a whole other dimension to them. He is a pure three man, and those are hard to find now. He can penetrate, shoot the three, and really is an exceptional player,” Eustachy said.

Missouri is led by sophomore guard Keyon Dooling, who puts in 16.0 points per game.

But the most explosive player for Missouri is guard Clarence Gilbert, who shoots 42 percent from three-point range and is averaging 13.3 points per game. Rush is next at 12.6.

Gilbert showed his long-range ability against Iowa State the first time these two teams met when he nailed six three-pointers in the 86-81 ISU win.

They play an up-tempo style, and Eustachy knows that especially at the Hearnes Center it could be dangerous.

“We need to get the tempo in our favor, we can’t allow them to come out and run all over us,” Eustachy said.

A big factor in the game when the teams met in game one was Stevie Johnson, who scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds.

“Stevie matches up very well with Missouri, especially if they play the same small lineup that they did the first time. He’s closer to 6-3 than to 6-4, and when he has to play guys like Eduaurdo Najera, he struggles,” Eustachy said.

The health of Marcus Fizer, who leads Iowa State with an average of 20.4 points per game, has been in question recently.

Eustachy tried to explain the problem that his star player is suffering from.

“There’s a bone spur on top of the foot and a bone spur on the bottom of his ankle. They’re pointed, like a pyramid if you will. One is sticking out east to west, one is sticking up north to south.

“When he bends down in a certain way to explode to jump up, they touch and it’s awfully painful,” Eustachy said.

Fizer and his teammates will have to be at their best to come up with their 18th win in 19 games.