Two familiar teams will find themselves in unfamiliar positions when the Kansas State Wildcats stroll into Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday night to face the Iowa State Cyclones.

Kansas State (15-7, 6-6), picked by most writers and coaches to finish last in the Big 12 Conference, is currently tied with five other schools for fourth place. Meanwhile, ISU (11-14, 4-8) finds itself 11th out of 12 teams.

The Wildcats are eyeing a postseason tournament, while the Cyclones have their sights set on gaining momentum for the Big 12 Tournament.

After a convincing 80-63 win over Colorado, a strong finish is still possible for ISU.

“I think the Colorado game was one that our team desperately needed,” ISU Coach Tim Floyd said. “We played very well. We were able to get our confidence level up again.”

Kansas State dominated ISU in the first meeting of the year between the teams, maintaining a lead throughout and winning 77-59.

Floyd was impressed by the Wildcats play in the January meeting. “I thought they were an outstanding team. They did a tremendous job of attacking our defensive conversion.”

Floyd said he has always viewed Kansas State as one of the best defensive teams in the league, especially when facing the Cyclones.

The Wildcats have held the Cyclones to an average of 58 points per game over the last three contests.

Kansas State Coach Tom Asbury said he is not sure that his teams always play well against ISU, but he knows one thing for sure. “I think they certainly play well against us,” he said.

Asbury said the rivalry has been one that allows both teams a chance to win games at the end, and he’s not taking anything for granted.

“We’re certainly not looking at any past history heading into this game,” he said.

Floyd said one key to the ISU win on Saturday was “the fact that we were back home. We gave our crowd something to holler about.”

Asbury is well aware of the Cyclones’ home court advantage during his four-year tenure at Kansas State. However, he said his team needs to approach the game in the same manner as any Big 12 road contest.

“They’re real tough at home,” Asbury said of ISU. “You just need to take care of business and play defensive and rebound.”

He said he is worried about ISU coming on strong down the stretch because of the mix of strong coaching and young talent.

Floyd hopes his team’s defensive effort against Colorado continues, but he is worried about offensive production. “I think our biggest concern is ‘Where will our baskets come from?'” he said.

Floyd said the Cyclone interior players played well defensively on Saturday and will need to do that against the Wildcats’ inside forces of Manny Dies and Shawn Rhodes.