During the course of the previous two seasons, the ISU men’s basketball team leads the country with 15 wins against ranked opponents. The Cyclones have a chance to make it 16 on March 2 in a game they arguably need more than any of the victories that have come before.

No. 12 Iowa State (20-8, 10-6 Big 12) squares off against No. 16 Oklahoma (20-8, 11-5 Big 12) in the team’s final home game of the season. The Cyclones can no longer win the Big 12 regular season title, but second place remains a possibility. Big 12 tournament position and NCAA seed lines are still up for grabs, but Iowa State is now sliding steadily in projections for both. Yet the stakes are even higher than that.

It was nearly a year to the day since Iowa State last dropped two consecutive games before the team blew a double-digit second half lead against Kansas State, losing by one point in the final seconds. The future of the season hinges upon how the Cyclones can respond now that they find themselves in the unchartered territory of a bonafide losing streak.

“You had the game,” Niang said. “Obviously, people are going to be upset. You try to hold back your feelings as much as possible but this is a game we had won.”

It was the second contest in a row that the Cyclones were in control late in the second half and failed to finish strong. No. 19 Baylor hit a barrage of 3-pointers down the stretch against Iowa State at Hilton the game before, including four treys on four straight possessions, which helped to bury the Cyclones by nine points.

The scenario against Kansas State was a little different, as the Wildcats led for only 41 seconds throughout the entire game. Of those seconds, 16 happened to be the final 16 of the matchup. That sort of defeat has lingering affects, something Iowa State can ill afford if it hopes to avoid a trifecta of disappointment against Oklahoma on ESPN’s Big Monday telecast.

“It’s a heartbreaking loss,” said guard Naz Long. “There’s no secret to it. Everybody saw what happened.”

The game against Oklahoma must become about rebounding and toughness — in more ways than one.

Oklahoma only out-boarded Iowa State by two rebounds on the offensive glass and two total in the teams’ first contest in Norman, Okla., in which Iowa State produced its least productive defensive performance of the season on its way to a 94-83 defeat on national television.

Round two will also be on national television, but for the Cyclones, that is where the similarities must end. The ISU interior defense was straight up bullied by the potent duo of 6-foot-8-inch OU forwards, Ryan Spangler and TaShawn Thomas. Thomas scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out five assists and swatted three shots just for fun in the first bout, while Spangler added 14 points and 12 boards.

The physical toughness of the ISU defense was never a greater cause for concern after the initial loss to Oklahoma on Feb. 9. The entire team’s mental and emotional toughness has never been a greater cause for concern than it is right now, as a second matchup looms with what is arguably the Big 12’s most potent starting five.

“It’s a hurt locker room in there,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve got to find a way to bounce back.”

Tip off between Iowa State and Oklahoma is set for 8 p.m. CST.