While many teams in the Big 12 are still jockeying for position as the regular season winds down, Iowa State isn’t feeling that pressure.

No. 21 Iowa State (21-9, 10-7 Big 12) will head to Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday to take on No. 1 Kansas (26-4, 14-3 Big 12) in the final game of the regular season. As for seeding in the Big 12 Tournament, though, the Cyclones likely won’t move much.

Regardless if Iowa State wins or loses Saturday, it will likely be the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. While who they play is still to be decided, chances are still high that the Cyclones will be the sixth seed.

Kansas seems locked into the No. 1 seed for the Big 12 tournament, too. Because a loss wouldn’t affect the Cyclones much, point guard Monté Morris said they’re just going to have fun with it.

“We’re just going to go in there and play loose; have fun with it,” Morris said. “Don’t try to go in there and play too tense. Just play basketball and let the chips fall where they may… I’m going to have fun. It’ll probably be one of my funnest games I’ll play here.”

Senior Jameel McKay knows they don’t have much to play for seeding-wise, but he still has something to play for.

“We may say we have nothing to play for, but I want to play to win,” McKay said. “I want to beat them. I haven’t lost there. It’s a chance to sweep them. I don’t know if that’s ever been done.”

Since his suspension in early February, McKay has had some ups and downs. Some games, he would play a normal amount of minutes, while others he would only get a handful of time.

The past two games, though, McKay has seemed to return to his old self. Against Kansas State last weekend, McKay had a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Against Oklahoma State just two days later, McKay picked up a team-high 10 rebounds.

Even though his offensive game may not be as prominent as it once was, McKay isn’t fazed by it. His focus is on what he does best.

“We’ve got to rebound the ball,” McKay said. “The last couple of games, I’ve come out wanting to rebound the most. I think that’s the way I can help the team the most is rebounding. That’s where we’ve been putting the effort to the last couple of practices: rebounding and defense. And I think it’s shown in our last few performances.”

And as for his return to the court, McKay said he feels like he is playing totally different than he used to.

“It’s day and night; I think you can tell,” McKay said. “Even last game, I didn’t agree with some of the calls made, but I still had fun. I enjoyed it. Right now, I’m just doing it. It’s the last stretch run. I want to win. I want to win in a big way like never before at Iowa State.”

So while Saturday’s game may not affect Iowa State’s or Kansas’ stock in the conference tournament, senior Georges Niang said that shouldn’t affect the game at all.

He knows it’s going to be a battle, and the Cyclones will have to be focused if they’re going to end the season on a three-game win streak.

“Both teams are going out there to win the game,” Niang said. “Obviously, neither team has anything to lose, but I think it’s the pride of defending your home court and then us going down to a place where not a lot of people can come out with a win.”