Iowa State may be playing its best basketball of the season — and it comes at the perfect time.

After falling to then-No. 7 West Virginia 85-72 on Jan. 31 at Hilton Coliseum — the Cyclones’ worst home loss in seven years — Iowa State rattled off three wins in its next four games, including a road win against then-No. 2 Kansas, one of the best road victories in program history.

On Saturday, the Cyclones kept the good times rolling. 

Iowa State (17-9, 9-5 Big 12) cruised to victory against TCU (17-10, 6-8 Big 12), winning 84-71 at Hilton Coliseum for its third consecutive win and its fourth in its last five games. The Cyclones have won their last three games by a combined 37 points. 

The victory also put Iowa State in a three-way tie for second place in the Big 12 with Baylor and West Virginia — two teams that have beaten the Cyclones this season, but remain on the schedule for one more regular season matchup. 

After suffering a couple of losses to underwhelming teams in Big 12 play, the Cyclones may be starting to come around with just four games to play in the regular season. The Big 12 Tournament starts in just over two weeks, and the NCAA Tournament lurks just around the corner.

“There were a couple of rocky patches at the start, but we knew we were going to be here,” said guard Naz Mitrou-Long, who put up 25 points and seven rebounds against TCU. “We believed in ourselves. And here we are. That being said, it’s not done. That’s been our motto the whole time — win the day. So it’s an awesome position to be in, but again, we’re not done.”

The surge in success has a lot to do with freshman forward Solomon Young stepping into the starting lineup. 

Since Young started against Oklahoma on Feb. 11, the Cyclones have seemed like a more physical team. In the win against Kansas State on Wednesday night, Iowa State out-rebounded the Wildcats 32-31 — the first time the team has won the battle on the boards in Big 12 play.

Young played 26 minutes Saturday and had four points and four rebounds, while the Cyclones and Horned Frogs had 28 boards each. Forward Darrell Bowie, who didn’t play against Kansas State, had six points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. 

“I thought we were more physical with [TCU],” coach Steve Prohm said. “Solomon did help, but I thought Darrell helped. I thought he stepped in and and did some good things.”

While the team recognizes that it has been playing well, there’s still much to do. 

And on Monday, the Cyclones will have a quick turnaround when they take on Texas Tech after just a 48-hour break. 

“That’s when you want to play your best basketball — late in the season,” Mitrou-Long said. “We’re starting to do that. We’re putting some complete games together. We’re putting together some team wins. It was a collective group effort. We feel good about it, but we’ve got to get a huge road win.”

In a Big 12 climate that is as competitive as any conference in college basketball, Iowa State can’t afford to get too high with so much on the line down the stretch. 

“The more you win this time of the year, the more the games mean,” Prohm said. “That’s just it. Our focus needs to be on that. We’re playing well. But this league can humble you quick if you start praising yourself too much.”