AMES – It’s been a rough stretch of games for the Cyclones. After losing 3-1 to Kansas on Friday, their losing streak has grown to five games. Iowa State looks to get its first win in October when it plays Houston on Thursday.
The Cyclones sit at 4-6-2 this season, 1-5 in Big 12 play. The Cougars are 6-3-4 on the year and 1-3-2 in conference. Along with Iowa State, Houston has been in a skid, too, dropping its last two games. The most recent was a 3-2 loss to No. 25 West Virginia.
Iowa State has faced a tough slate of opponents over the last five games. According to the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a ranking based on a team’s performance, strength of schedule and winning percentage, all five teams – Colorado, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU and Kansas – are in the top 20 of the RPI rankings.
Iowa State head coach Matt Fannon sees RPI as a better reflection of his team than what shows in its record.
“It’s one of those where, when you put it into perspective a little bit… I think we’re doing all right,” Fannon said. “It’s just not been a fun couple of weeks.”
The Cyclones sit at 82nd in the RPI rankings through Tuesday. Despite RPI giving a nuanced view of this Iowa State team, it’s the consistency in its play that has truly held the team back.
“I think that, frankly, we know we haven’t played well enough in the last couple of games,” Fannon said. “I think if we’d be able to put together some consistent performances, you’ll see a different version of who we can be.”
However, it’s the losses that have taught a painful lesson in perseverance. For Fannon, it’s about leaving the past in the rearview mirror and looking ahead to the future.
“I think that what we have to do is make sure that you know our mentality isn’t affected by the last couple of weeks… So I think if we can be physically tougher in the game and mentally tough enough to not worry about the last couple of weeks, then we’re going to be good,” Fannon said.
And what the future holds is a date with Houston. The Cougars have been a tricky opponent for the upper echelon of the Big 12. Unlike Kansas, they have an orthodox playstyle, similar to many other Big 12 teams, including Iowa State.
“They [Houston] want to build, they want to play, but they also are a bit more like us in that they want to get the ball into their wingers and they want to create chances that kind of way,” Fannon said.
With that style in mind, the focus on preparation ahead of the game has been about recentering and upping the ante.
“If we can get back to the best version of ourselves, then we’ll go and win the game,” Fannon said. “So, can we bring a bit more intensity, can we bring a bit more fight in the transitional moments and can we just have a bit more calmness to take care of the details.”
Iowa State plays Houston at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Cyclone Sports Complex.
