It’s been a long time since Iowa State has experienced the comforts of home.

It’s also been awhile since the Cyclones have defeated the perennial power of the Big 12 Conference: Oklahoma State.

On Sunday, the 16th-ranked Cyclones will return to Hilton Coliseum while trying to snap a 12-match losing streak to the ninth-ranked Cowboys in the most anticipated dual of the conference season.

“Our team is progressively getting better and better,” redshirt junior Ian Parker said. “I’m just really excited to compete with the best in the Big 12 and some of the best in the country in a dual meet setting.”

It’ll be the first time in the Kevin Dresser-era Iowa State has hosted Oklahoma State. In the past two meetings the programs have faced off, it’s been one-sided.

Parker was the only winner from the dual two years ago in the Cowboys 31-3 victory, while last season the Cyclones won four matches — one by injury default — and dropped a 22-15 decision.

The memories Parker had of those duals are still vivid to this day.

“My freshman year, we got killed; and then my sophomore year, it was kind of closer, but really not that competitive,” Parker said. “We’ll be able to compete with them this year.”

Which is why this time around, Dresser believes the preparation will be better.

“We just have to be ready,” Dresser said. “We’ve got to win the close matches, and somebody’s probably gotta go out there and win that’s not supposed to win, and I think we’re capable of that.”

Over the course of the opening month in 2020, the most days between duals Iowa State has had off is five.

With the postponement of the North Dakota State dual, it has had eight days between the South Dakota State dual last week and Sunday’s tilt.

“We’ve had a lot of quick turnarounds,” 125-pounder Alex Mackall said. “We have a lot of time to work on our technique and get our bodies felling good.”

After pinning Danny Vega in the Cyclones 22-17 win over the Jackrabbits, Mackall will look to grab a signature win against Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni, who is ranked fourth by InterMat.

It’s the second time this season Mackall — ranked 12th — could face a top-five opponent. Last year, Piccininni put together a 14-2 major decision win over Mackall.

“Any time we get a top-10 matchup, it’s exciting, especially competing at home,” Mackall said. “I’m looking forward to this match.”

When asked if he’s also focusing on the longer term aspects of the potential dual when it comes to seeding for the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Championships, Mackall isn’t worried about that.

“I’m not really a guy who’s ever focused on what seed I’m going to be or where I’m at in the bracket,” the redshirt junior said. “I just like to take everything one match at a time.”

Still, Dresser’s appetite for this matchup is palpable.

“He’s ready for a big test, and obviously, Nick’s a big test,” Dresser said. “He’s an All-American; you don’t get these opportunities much, and true competitors, this is what they thrive on and look for. There’s gotta be some signature wins along the way that give you signs that [say], ‘OK, this guy is ready to get on the podium.'”

“I think we’ve had a couple from Alex and a couple from some other guys. They’ve got a lot of guys that we can hang our hat nicely if we come out with some wins at other weights as well,” Dresser said. 

The Cowboys possess a top-15 grappler in six weight classes, and a pair of them could have potential impacts of how the dual plays out.

Eleventh-ranked Sam Colbray might get his first test in conference since dropping down to 174 in 12th-ranked Joesph Smith, whom has only wrestled three times, posting a 2-1 record.

Then, there’s the dilemma at 149.

Dresser reiterated that Jarrett Degen is 50-50 for the dual. He added that he hopes to have an idea on where the All-American is at and make a decision by Saturday.

The plan is to weigh in both Degen and Ryan Leisure.

“He’s been training, working out for over a week,” Dresser said of Degen. “If we think he’s ready to go, he’s going to be ready to go.”

If Leisure does get the start once again, he might be getting a much stiffer test in the form of the undefeated and third-ranked Boo Lewallen. Leisure managed to only hand-fight 11th-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer of South Dakota State, but a third period escape gave Pohlmeyer the 1-0 win.

If Degen is the on the mat, he’ll face Lewallen for the first time since 2018 when he lost in sudden victory, 11-9. Lewallen medically forfeited a season ago.

Potential toss up matches like 174 and 149 are microcosms of what Iowa State is trying to accomplish, having not defeated the Cowboys in Ames since 2009.

The Cyclones are fully aware of how close the two programs are in terms of rankings and regular lineups.

“We need to be doing the right things all week long to give us a shot on Sunday,” Dresser said.