The ISU men’s basketball team has had no shortage of story lines this season, and that trend continues as Iowa State preps for a road showdown against West Virginia on an ESPN Big Monday game.

Plenty of questions revolve around forward Jameel McKay after he did not play in Iowa State’s win against TCU on Saturday night, and ISU coach Steve Prohm was tight-lipped about the reason after the game.

Iowa State has had two players emerge as big-time contributors recently in McKay’s absence, and on top of everything, Iowa State’s next opponent, West Virginia, is ranked No. 10 in the country.

Here are the top five story lines you need to know going into Monday night:

Jameel McKay saga continues

The senior forward did not play against TCU, and Prohm didn’t give a reason other than it was a coaching decision.

McKay missed two games earlier this year when Prohm suspended him indefinitely. McKay came back from suspension and played in two games for Iowa State before missing the TCU game.

While it’s not clear what McKay did, it seems like a minor issue. McKay warmed up, sat on the bench and was in uniform. Prohm repeatedly stated that McKay was not suspended again.

Prohm said “no question” when asked if McKay would be available to play against West Virginia on Monday, and guard Monté Morris thinks McKay will play against the Mountaineers.

How to beat West Virginia

West Virginia has shown it is one of the Big 12’s best, and beating the Mountaineers in Morgantown is no easy task, but the keys to getting out of Morgantown with a win are pretty simple.

“Rebound, don’t turn it over, take care of the ball,” said redshirt senior Abdel Nader. “Anytime you play West Virginia – home or away – it’s the same two things. I think we did a really bad job on the defensive boards the first time and that’s why we ended up losing. Do those things and we’ll be alright.”

That’s easier said than done. West Virginia creates havoc with pressure defense and is adept at crashing the offensive boards.

Even more problematic: Iowa State gave up 20 offensive rebounds against TCU, and TCU is the worst rebounding team in the Big 12. With McKay being a question mark at this point, grabbing rebounds becomes a serious concern.

Forward Deonte Burton will be called upon to pick up some of that slack, and Burton has proved he’s capable after pulling down 14 rebounds against TCU.

“We need his kind of rebounding effort up in Morgantown,” Prohm said. “He rebounded really well against them last time.”

Iowa State’s Steph Curry?

Nader has burst onto the scene for the Cyclones, averaging 25 points per game over his last two games, leading senior Georges Niang to make an interesting comparison.

“He turned into Steph Curry overnight,” Niang said after the TCU game.

Shortly after, Prohm chimed in with his thoughts on the comparison to the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player.

“Yeah, that was probably a stretch,” Prohm said.

But in all seriousness, Nader has found his groove, and that spells danger for Iowa State’s opponents. Nader has an NBA body and the ability to create mismatches in one-on-one situations.

“I’m coming off some good games so my confidence is really going right now and I think confidence is everything in this game,” Nader said.

Deonte Burton stepping up

Burton has been inserted into the starting lineup since McKay’s suspension on Feb. 6 and has made the most of his opportunities.

Burton has reached double-figure scoring in all five of his starts and posted a monstrous 23 points and 14 rebounds stat line against TCU.

His dazzling dunks have been fan favorites but more importantly, Burton’s 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame is yet another matchup nightmare for opponents. He’s skilled enough and fast enough to score from the wing and also strong enough to bang bodies and score in the post.

Against West Virginia, his ability to rebound against bigger bodies will likely come into play.

Road game woes

Nothing illustrates how tough the Big 12 can be quite like Iowa State’s road woes.

The parity throughout the Big 12 has been highly publicized and anybody can beat anybody on any given night. Unfortunately for Iowa State, the Cyclones have been on the short end of that stick too many times – especially in close road games – this season.

“We’ve had four really tough road losses in conference play,” Prohm said. “Three overtimes, one where we had a shot to beat Oklahoma in regulation and we didn’t finish. We just want to put ourselves in a position to finish.”

With West Virginia tied for second in the conference standings and being especially tough at home, Iowa State might have another Big 12 game come down to the wire Monday night.