Just like with any rivalry, the Cy-Hawk basketball rivalry has had its fair share of instant classics; games that fans, players and coaches alike remember like it was yesterday.

For a long time, the go-to game for Cyclone fans in any discussion about the Iowa State – Iowa rivalry was the game at Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 19, 1987. Iowa State won that game in overtime, 102-100, on the back of Lafester Rhodes’ 54 points, which is still the Iowa State record for points in a single game.

Two years ago, that classic was challenged.

Iowa State defeated Iowa, 83-82, at Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 10, 2015. The game featured a 30-point first half performance from Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff, a historic 20-point comeback from the Cyclones and one of the best atmospheres for a basketball game in the long history of Hilton Coliseum.

Thursday at 7 p.m., Hilton will host its first Cy-Hawk game since that classic. Both teams have changed, but the memories of that night haven’t faded.

This is the story of that game, told from the eyes of those who played, coached and watched the game unfold.

Pregame

John Walters, Cyclone Radio Network: It was a big deal. Iowa State was undefeated, I think they were 7-0 heading into that game. There was a lot of excitement about two really good teams playing and I think it might’ve been the first time they were both rated since the Lafester Rhodes game 30 years ago, which was one of the most memorable games in the history of the series.

Matt Thomas, then-Iowa State junior guard: Obviously, with both teams being ranked it was a different feel than other years. Anytime with the Iowa — Iowa State game, there’s a ton of hype and buildup, but it probably was intensified a little bit that year since both teams were ranked.

Gary Wade, Iowa State public address announcer: Being an Iowa grad and being an Iowa kid, there’s always been that big of a buildup for me. But it was maybe the first time that both have been ranked and I don’t know that that had ever happened before. There was a little bit more on the line than people would really say.

The first half

Monte Morris, then-Iowa State junior guard: I just remember they came out on fire. Uthoff was playing really good. We never really got off to a good start, our offense was sluggish and we got ourselves down 20.

Walters: It was something. Uthoff was absolutely amazing, making every shot he put up there.

Wade: I was there when Lafester Rhodes scored 54 points against Iowa, so it was a similar thing except Lafester went for the whole ball game. But Uthoff, we knew he was a good ball player. You knew he was capable of something like that. He was just unconscious.

Morris: It was like man, he’s not missing. Uthoff is a great player and he had it going that night. But we knew that if we stopped everybody else he wasn’t going to keep it going like that. He only finished with 32 so we did our job in the second half on him.

Thomas: I think he was comfortable in the first half. And he was making tough shots. He was comfortable and any time you allow a good player to be comfortable and play in a rhythm, there’s a chance they can get hot and go off like that. That’s one of the best individual performances that I’ve seen, especially in just one half of play.

Iowa State entered halftime trailing 49-35. Uthoff had 30 points for the Hawkeyes, but that changed once Matt Thomas was matched up with him in the second half.

Thomas: To be honest, I can’t remember being told to guard him. I just remember being out on the court and being matched up with him. I can’t really remember if coach [Steve] Prohm said I was going to be guarding him. It was more just that I was guarding him and the first few possessions I did a good job, I was just trying to limit his touches, just trying to make it tough on him and not let him get the ball.

Walters: And the thing about it that was so unique was that the minute Uthoff cooled off or that Iowa State figured out an answer to him, Peter Jok went off. Peter Jok scored a bunch in that second half and they built the lead up to 20.

Morris: When Matt has confidence, he’s a heck of a player. And his confidence rose leading up to that game and throughout that year for sure.

Walters: That was big for Matt. You knew that was within him to do something like that, but he hadn’t done that, that often at that point in his career. That night was special for Matt, he was great on both ends of the floor and he hit some really big shots.

With 16:26 to play, Iowa led 62-42. The Cyclones were in a massive hole, but thanks to Thomas’ defense on Uthoff and some timely shots, Iowa State began a comeback.

Steve Prohm, Iowa State coach: Being down 20 your first year here, not a lot of people know you and you’re getting beat by your rival by 20 and you’re like “oh man, this isn’t good.” What stuck out in my mind the most that night is we cut it to 18, and the roof came off this place. And I was like, “man, that doesn’t happen everywhere.”

Wade: Uthoff scores 30 points and we’re down what, 14 at halftime? There was no panic, there was no worry. Coaches are just telling them things are going to work out, you do what you do, and we’ll get hot. [Jameel] McKay I think had 20 points, Monte hit the key shot and he had 20 points, it’s just Iowa State basketball. You just wait and wait until the crowd kicks in, until you get a spurt.

Thomas: We turned it on late and then our fans were a big part of the reason we came back, helping will us back in the game and we made more plays late than they did to come out on top.

Walters: Crowds in Hilton Coliseum always think that Iowa State is coming back. When Iowa State dug that deep hole in that game, even though there were some apprehensive moments from a fan perspective or a broadcaster’s perspective, in the back of your mind you’re thinking, they’re gonna come back. All it takes is one play with the Hilton Coliseum crowd, like one hustle play or 3-pointer, all it takes is something to kind of get that crowd energized.

Morris: I don’t think there’s been a game in Hilton since then that’s been as loud as that one.

Prohm: Here what’s cool is, they will you to win. The biggest thing that sticks out, well, there’s really three things. First, being down 20 and thinking that, you know, we were (7-0). Second thing is, being down 20 and we score and the roof came off. And then obviously Monte’s shot and the atmosphere afterwards was electric. That was my first real introduction to Hilton Magic.

With 1:05 to play, Iowa led 82-76 and had the ball. Jameel McKay stole the inbound pass and kicked the ball to Morris, who found Thomas in the corner for a 3-pointer. Iowa failed to inbound the ball on the ensuing possession, resulting in a five-second violation. After two Georges Niang free throws, Iowa State trailed by just one point. In just a few seconds, the deficit shrunk from six points to one.

Walters: As I recall, Iowa State’s down 20 at one point in the second half. They come all the way back, and you think OK, now it’s their game. But there’s still a couple minutes to go and Iowa hits a couple shots and they stretch that lead back out to six and you’re thinking, ‘oh my gosh.’

Thomas: That turn of events, if it doesn’t happen, we don’t win that game. Our fans being so involved in the game, they helped will us back into the game. A lot of things have to go your way to come back down from 20 with only 15 minutes left in the second half and that was one of those plays that if it doesn’t happen — if Jameel doesn’t get the steal and if I don’t hit that shot, just like Monte’s game winner, all of those plays have to happen to win that game.

Wade: The floor was bouncing. The old floor we had during the [Johnny] Orr years wasn’t as good a floor as they make today. And that floor would bounce and do a lot of stuff under me that I could feel. But I hadn’t felt that for a couple, maybe three years with the new floor. That’s one of the nights, it’s come back a couple times, but in that instance it was going nuts. I wear a headset but my ears were pounding and I could just feel the floor vibrating.

Walters: Jameel got the deflection, Matt hit that three, and all of a sudden you knew it was anybody’s game again. It just turned on a dime, and it all kind of set up for Monte to hit that game-winner.

Trailing by one in the waning seconds, Iowa State gave the ball to Morris with the game on the line.

Morris: It was supposed to go to me. We were running this play where we slip out the ball screen. We kinda screwed it up actually. Then everybody just told me to go make a play and luckily I made a hell of a play that’s going to be remembered for a long time. I’m just happy it went in because it would’ve been a long, quiet week if I missed that shot. I never shoot floaters that way, off the leg that I shot it off of. It was kind of an awkward shot that I never really practice, it was kind of a reaction. But once I let it go, I knew it was going in.

Thomas: It was obviously huge. It put us up and I mean, Monte hit multiple big shots in his career at Iowa State. That one at home against Oklahoma when they were ranked No. 1, it’s fresh in my memory as well as the game-winner in the Big 12 Tournament when we were sophomores versus Texas, but the one versus Iowa is right up there with those.

Walters: As far as just entertainment value, how do you top a guy with 30 first-half points, Iowa State being down 20 in the second half and coming all the way back to win it? For entertainment value I’d put that game right at the top.