KANSAS CITY, Missouri — It’s tough to beat a team three times in one season — at least that’s how the cliché goes.

On Thursday, coach Steve Prohm and company will attempt to do just that.

No. 23 Iowa State (20-10, 12-6 Big 12) will take on Oklahoma State (20-11, 9-9 Big 12) in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Championship at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Sprint Center in an attempt to beat the Cowboys for a third time this season.

And while many around the sports world believe in that logic, Prohm isn’t fazed by it.

“When you look back, if you beat them two or three times, that’s more just for the résumé, building for the NCAA. That’s it,” Prohm said. “Were not going to be thinking, ‘Hey, are we going to make this shot based on whether we beat them twice?’

“We’ve got to play well. You don’t play well, you’re not going to win. You play well, you give yourself a chance to win.”

Iowa State has been successful against Oklahoma State this season and in recent years. The Cyclones beat the Cowboys by 10 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and snuck out a three-point win in Ames on senior night.

Iowa State has won the last nine matchups between the two teams, too.

Yet the series isn’t as lopsided as one might think. The last 12 outings have been decided by an average of just 4.7 points. The game nearly always comes down to the final minutes of the contest.

It’s that reason, guard Naz Mitrou-Long said, that they can’t overlook the Cowboys.

“That’s exactly it. That’s why we don’t take these guys lightly,” Mitrou-Long said. “A two-possession game each time, it could have easily went in their favor and we could have been down nine games straight. We’re going to come out tomorrow, stick to our basics and do what we have to do to get a W.”

The last time these two teams saw each other was fewer than 10 days ago, something both Prohm and Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood said they enjoyed. The game is still fresh in their minds, and that helps to make preparations easier.

That doesn’t mean, though, that fans should expect to see a bunch of strategy changes from either team.

“I think it’s good,” Prohm said. “I think they have a good feel for us, we have a good feel for them, let’s just go play now. Both teams will probably do some tweaking a little bit, but I couldn’t see a whole bunch of different changes. We both know each other well.”

Both teams are entering Thursday’s game coming off losses. Oklahoma State dropped two games, one to the Cyclones and the other to No. 1 Kansas. Iowa State fell to No. 11 West Virginia on Friday on the road.

Iowa State’s loss snapped its six-game winning streak, too. Though, point guard Monté Morris said that doesn’t matter.

“We’ve been doubted all year,” Morris said. “So many people have said things about us, so we just actually trying to prove the doubters wrong. With this team, going on a six-game winning streak and then losing to [West Virginia], that’s not going to stop this train. We’re going to keep playing good basketball and definitely make a run because we’ve got great players.”

An Iowa State run to a third tournament title in four years, though, starts with a win Thursday morning. That, the Cyclones said, is all they are focused on.

“Whether we beat them twice, split or got swept, it doesn’t matter,” Prohm said. “It’s about what happens tomorrow at 11:30.”