Rebound.

It’s a term used when a player grabs the ball, after a missed shot, with two hands and brings it down to change the possession to the other team.

Iowa State realized on Thursday night, in its close 84-78 win over Cy-Hawk rival Iowa, that rebounding is a key part to having a successful season. It’s not a needed part to win, but an important part.

The Cyclones were outrebounded by 22 rebounds as the Hawkeyes won that battle 53-31. Iowa also won the offensive rebounds by a margin of 20-6. Iowa State will need to improve on that part of its game for the Alcorn State game at 5 p.m. on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.

“We gave up 20 offensive rebounds,” said junior guard Nick Weiler-Babb after the Iowa game. “We can improve on that. There’s some good things we can take [from the game] but we can also grow.”

The Cyclones definitely have size with forwards like Solomon Young, Cameron Lard, Hans Brase and Jeff Beverly. It’s just making sure they’re effective in the rebounding game.

Coach Steve Prohm said he wants the team in general to become more physical in games and especially down by the basket. To him, the forwards are just jumping to grab the ball, but should be attacking it with physicality and creating more space to undoubtedly get the rebound.

In the first eight games of the season, the leading rebounder for Iowa State is guard Nick Weiler-Babb with seven rebounds per game. That’s right, a guard.

Young is next in line with 5.4 rebounds per game and Lard comes in close third with 5.2 rebounds per game. Beverly, though, is totaling the most offensive rebounds this season with 17 and Young is second with 12 offensive rebounds.

“We haven’t done a 5-on-5, up and down, practice in a while because the last time we did that Jakolby [Long] got a concussion and Mike [Jacobson] sprained his foot,” Prohm said. “We’ve got to get better at attention to detail.”

Well, the details regarding Alcorn State will favor Iowa State in many categories. The Braves are 2-7 this season with the two wins coming against non-NCAA teams.

They are being outrebounded 359-306 along with turning the ball over two more times than their opponents this season. Alcorn State is being outscored by its opponents with a 735-643 margin and have allowed a 46.5 field goal percentage and 40.0 3-point percentage.

The only thing the Braves are in advantage of is the steals category with a 71-60 margin. According to Kenpom, Iowa State is ranked 62nd in the country, while Alcorn State is ranked 339th out of 351 teams.

On paper, Alcorn State will be an easier opponent for Iowa State compared to Iowa last Thursday, but Prohm and the players aren’t looking at this as an easy win. The Cyclones are riding a six-game winning streak and they don’t want to snap it any time soon.

As good as this win is we’ve got to get it, celebrate it tonight and then it’s over with tomorrow,” Weiler-Babb said after the Iowa win.

Iowa State will be coming into the game with nine of its 10 active players this season. The only player out is Zoran Talley Jr., who was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot last week.

Prohm said he will be reevaluated after Christmas and the team will have a better timetable for the incoming Big 12 regular season that kicks off on Dec. 29 against Kansas State. The Cyclones did get Jakolby Long back against Iowa and, with his three minutes of play on Thursday, looks to be slowly getting back his senses after being out for the Western Illinois and Northern Illinois games due to a concussion.

After the game against Alcorn State on Sunday, the Cyclones get to focus on finals week at Iowa State and have five days until its next game against Northern Iowa in the Hy-Vee Classic at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“We kind of see where we’re at now, we grow every day,” Weiler-Babb said. “We just try to get better day by day.”