Iowa State has struggled this season with its size.

That’s not something that came as a shock. The Cyclones know they’re a small team. Deonte Burton, who plays as the team’s “center” a lot of the time, is only 6-foot-4.

Now, Iowa State’s four-guard lineup is effective at times, causing teams to adjust when defending a non-traditional lineup. But when Iowa State coach Steve Prohm uses that lineup, he still has one issue: size.

Iowa State (11-6, 3-3 Big 12) nearly overcame that issue Monday night when it hosted No. 2 Kansas (17-1, 6-0 Big 12) on ESPN’s Big Monday but couldn’t complete the comeback in the end, falling 76-72. The issue, mainly, came inside, where the Jayhawks out-rebounded Iowa State 41-24 and had 52 of their 76 points in the paint.

“That’s the game right there,” said guard Naz Mitrou-Long, who finished the game with 18 points. “41 to 24. You get beat on the glass like that, you lose the game. That was the case tonight. That’s why we lost the game.”

Kansas dominated a majority of the contest — Iowa State held the lead for the final time at the 18:00 minute mark in the first half. Its advantage, though, was inside. Center Landen Lucas, who stands at 6-foot-10, had 14 points and six rebounds, going 7-of-9 from the field. Carlton Bragg Jr., also 6-foot-10, finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

“[Attacking inside] was the plan. Carlton did great,” Lucas said. “Personally I didn’t think I did very well given the matchup. I think I could have done better, I could have rebounded a lot better. I’m not very happy about that. But there are always things you can improve on.”

Kansas coach Bill Self knew that it would be an issue adjusting to guard a team without a true center. That showed several times throughout the game when Iowa State went on several big runs to get back within striking distance — most notably its 9-3 run in the final two minutes of the game.

“Right when we thought we could kind of pull away, they made the run and it was just important for us to put it to an end before they could take the lead,” Lucas said.

That size differential, Self said, is something he wishes they could have attacked more.

“They’re not very big. And they play small a lot,” Self said. “When they play Burton at the five, they’re small. It makes them really, really hard to guard. But if there is an advantage we would have, it would be in standing height. We’ve got to take advantage of throwing it inside some and certainly getting to the glass.”

It seems Prohm is committed to the four-guard rotation, though. His only true center — 6-foot-9 freshman Solomon Young — played just six minutes Monday and had only two points.

Yet the rebounding woes didn’t go away. Forward Nick Weiler-Babb and point guard Monté Morris each grabbed seven rebounds, while Burton and Mitrou-Long picked up five and two, respectively. The other four Cyclones who saw the court Monday didn’t record a single rebound.

“We’ve settled into a rotation now,” Prohm said. “We may have to figure out the five if it just becomes this, but whose proven that they can rebound at the five 17 games into the season? Monté Morris is our leading rebounder I think in conference play.”

Now six games into the conference season, Prohm is still focused on the pinnacle issue he’s faced this season: improving on the defensive end. Cleaning up on the defensive glass and not allowing easy layups — both issues against Kansas — is something he thinks will get the Cyclones over the hump.

And really, they are close. Against Kansas, they fell by four points. Against No. 4 Gonzaga, they lost by two. Against No. 6 Baylor, it was two points. Against No. 20 Cincinnati, it was one point.

Four of Iowa State’s six losses were by a combined nine points — and all were to teams now ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

To finally get over that hump, Prohm said it’s likely going to happen on the defensive end.

“We’re just small. It is what it is,” Prohm said. “We have to go back to the drawing board on the steps for us to be better defensively, because we’ve been good at times. That’s the frustrating thing. It’s two [points], it’s four [points]. If you were getting hammered, it’d be different. But every game is coming down to the last four minutes … we just have to find a way to become a better defensive team.