As the ISU basketball team looks to extend its all-time record winning streak to 12 games, their opponent on Sunday afternoon looks to salvage a season that appears to be spiralling downward in a hurry.

The Colorado Buffaloes (9-5, 0-2) are coming off consecutive demoralizing losses to Kansas and at Missouri.

The Buffs gave up an average of 92 points in the two games, including surrendering 100 to Missouri.

They have been a team that has seen a number of peaks and valleys this season, as impressive wins over Gonzaga and California were offset by losses to Colorado State and Hawaii.

They come into Hilton Coliseum to face an ISU team that is playing as good as they have in three years.

In fact, the Cyclones are off to their best start since 1987-88, when under Johnny Orr’s direction, they started out 16-2.

Iowa State (14-2, 2-0) is coming off a thrilling 66-65 win over Nebraska, in which power forward Marcus Fizer poured in 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

Fizer, the Big 12’s leading scorer at 20.8 points per game, sees the Cyclones as a team that can keep up the good play.

“We know that every Big 12 game is going to be tough, there’s not going to be any letdowns, so we need to be prepared every time,” Fizer said.

In three games a year ago, two of which were won by Colorado, Fizer averaged 18 points per contest.

But the real weapon on the offensive end was forward Stevie Johnson.

The 6-foot-5 forward, averaging 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, scored 13.3 points and grabbed 11.6 rebounds in the three games a season ago.

Colorado is led by Jaquay Walls, who puts in 14.7 points per game. Also in double digits is Jamahl Mosley, at 10.9 per game. Richard Fox is averaging 9.4 per game, along with a team-high 7.9 rebounds.

Walls is an explosive scorer who put in 32 points in a win against Villanova this year.

Fox, a freshman center from Denver, has had the typical ups and downs of a first-year player, but is a presence on the glass and could pose a problem for the Cyclones, as they have only one player, Paul Shirley, that stands taller than 6-10.

Mosley, meanwhile, is coming off a season-high 22 points in the Buffs’ loss at Missouri.

So the Buffs have plenty of weapons offensively that can hurt Iowa State.

The big problem, that has been magnified in the first two Big 12 games, is the ability to stop other teams from scoring.

Meanwhile, on the strength of Fizer and newcomers Jamaal Tinsley and Kantrail Horton, Iowa State is putting up an average of 80 points per game.

The Cyclones have won all 11 games they’ve played at home, and 13 in a row overall at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State will look to extend a number of streaks when the two teams face off on Sunday afternoon.