Hilton Coliseum has seen a number of big games in its 23 years of existence.

There was the time Danny Manning led his Kansas team into Hilton in 1988. The Jayhawks won the NCAA title that season, but couldn’t escape Ames with a win, going down to the Jeff Grayer-led Cyclones, 88-78.

And Oklahoma State came to town in 1992 ranked second in the country. Behind Fred Hoiberg and Justus Thigpen, however, the Cowboys were derailed, 84-83.

Just a few years ago, Kansas came into Hilton Coliseum as the top-ranked team in the country, with the Cyclones not far behind at No. 6.

But Hilton has never seen anything like this. And neither have ISU fans.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys will ride into Ames tomorrow tied for first place in the Big 12 standings with a record of 11-2.

They have all the components of a great team. Desmond Mason is sometimes unstoppable.

His backcourt mate, Doug Gottlieb, might not shoot well, but he is among the leaders in the nation in assists.

Meanwhile, Brian Montonati is an underrated post player. And Joe Adkins and Glendon Alexander are dangerous swing players that are capable of exploding.

As a team, the Cowboys lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, where they allow only 58 points per game, field goal percentage and assists.

They are currently ranked 10th in the country.

But, while this isn’t exactly David vs. Goliath, the Cowboys will face a team with a number of compelling stories.

Let’s start with the star of the group, Marcus Fizer.

He shocked friends and family in his native Louisiana when he became the first McDonald’s All-American to attend Iowa State.

And for two years, Fizer heard a lot of “I told you so’s.”

However, this season, now surrounded by a very capable supporting cast, he has risen to the star level everyone had projected for him when he arrived on campus in 1997.

The odds-on favorite for Big 12 MVP, he will have a life-changing decision to make after the season.

He has seen his stock steadily rise this season, and should be — at least — a top-20 pick in the NBA draft.

For right now, however, Fizer says he is concentrating on winning the Big 12 title.

And after scoring 35 points to down Texas Tuesday night, who could doubt him?

Then there is point guard Jamaal Tinsley. The flashy playmaker from Brooklyn never played high school basketball before going off to junior college in California.

He wasn’t given much of a chance to survive out there by anyone, but that’s just what he did. And now he is an invaluable member of a very good college team.

Guard Michael Nurse wasn’t recruited by any major Division I schools besides Iowa State.

Then last November, Nurse was hit by a truck on a street in Ames. He came back shortly thereafter, but wasn’t the same player.

Now, he is the team’s second-leading scorer and a clutch performer.

As a team, the Cyclones are going for a number of records this season. This could be their first conference title since 1945.

It could be the first time since 1992-93 that Iowa State goes unbeaten at home.

Iowa State is only two wins away from setting the school record for most wins in a season with 25.

Another factor that can’t be overlooked when appraising this team is the fact that they are so easy to cheer for.

Sure, there are some very talented players on the squad.

But they’ve taken the underdog role and played it perfectly.

Undersized? No doubt. The Cyclones have played the entire conference season with one man over 6-foot-8. And now he’s hurt.

Deep? I don’t think so.

Playing seven people most games, Eustachy has gotten unbelievable efforts from Kantrail Horton, Nurse, Fizer and Tinsley night in and night out.

No, Iowa State isn’t the most talented, athletic or gifted team in the world.

But they are one of the strongest, toughest and most durable in Cyclone history.

Iowa State has a chance tomorrow to make history by winning the conference for the first time since 1945.

Larry Eustachy was right when he said that no matter what happened the remainder of the season, the team would go down in the history books.

Just where their place in those books is going to be could be determined tomorrow.

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Josh Flickinger is a senior in journalism and mass communications. He wants his last home game to be a win. Badly.