The Maui Invitational is one of the most prestigious in-season tournaments in college basketball. It’s also one of the most difficult.

The shorthanded Iowa State men’s basketball team knows what it will be up against. With eight active scholarship players playing in the three-day invitational, the Cyclones will have to be at the top of their games all week long.

Their first test? Traditional powerhouse program Arizona on Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

Iowa State comes into Monday’s contest undefeated, with wins over SWAC teams Alabama State and Texas Southern and a victory over Missouri. Those wins have given the Cyclones some confidence, but winning three games against the likes of Duke, Gonzaga and others is a whole other proposition.

It’s something coach Steve Prohm knows all too well.

“Only focus right now these guys know is Arizona,” Prohm said. “They’re good enough, right now that needs to be our focus.

“Sean [Miller] is obviously one of the top coaches in the country.”

The Wildcats are undefeated at 3-0, with 30-plus point wins over Texas El-Paso and Houston Baptist and a 21-point win over Cal Poly. The Cyclones will be Arizona’s first major-conference opponent. Iowa State will have to deal with center Chase Jeter, who is one of three Wildcats averaging 14-plus points per game.

Jeter has the tough task of replacing former Arizona center and No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick, DeAndre Ayton. Ayton averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, leaving big shoes to fill for the redshirt junior.

The Wildcats have had a poor start to the season from deep, shooting only 31.1 percent as a team so far. The Cyclones having an advantage in the shooting department could be a key factor in deciding who makes it to the winner’s bracket on Tuesday.

Freshman Iowa State guard Talen Horton-Tucker said the Cyclones are taking it one game at a time.

“We just got to focus on who we’re playing against right at that moment,” Horton-Tucker said. “Once we think about other people, you get beat.

“That’s why we gotta stay level-headed and focus on the task at hand.”

Horton-Tucker had a breakout performance in the Cyclones’ last game against Texas Southern, and they’ll need the talented freshman to be his best all week long in order to keep up with the level of talent Iowa State will face.

Marial Shayok, one of the most experienced players on a young Cyclones team, has been in multiple preseason tournaments in New York (twice) and Myrtle Beach, but he’s never been to Maui.

Shayok sees the young players making improvements.

“I think we’ve shown some strides like the Mizzou game, of where we can be,” Shayok said. “This next week is a big challenge for us defensively.”

Iowa State is fresh, on a three-game win streak and looking for a statement start to its season. This week in Hawaii will be a good barometer as to how good the Cyclones actually are on both ends of the floor.