KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cyclones are back in Kansas City, just a year removed from their Big 12 tournament championship run. However, this time is a little bit different.

ISU men’s basketball takes the stage at the Sprint Center less than 24 hours after finding out who they will be playing as Texas Tech and Texas face off Wednesday night. While the team has prepared for both schools already, they will be watching the game intently from their hotel rooms.

“I think guys will go in there with a coach Hoiberg kind of mind,” said Georges Niang. “Just watching it to just pick out flaws of the other team rather than just sit there and watch the game to enjoy it.”

Last season, the team knew who they’d be playing on Thursday night as a 4-seed, giving the team days to prepare against the 5-seed. But with the 2-seed, the team has to prepare for both the 7- and 10-seeds as they play for a spot in the second round Wednesday.

While the team doesn’t expect the undetermined opponent to cause a big change in game planning, the Cyclones know they have a target on their backs after winning last year’s tournament and are prepared for anything.

“It’s no secret that it’s March and it’s win-or-go-home,” said Naz Long. “Our backs are against the wall, but you’ve got to love pressure in this game. You’ve got to love March and love everything about it, so we’re ready to go.”

Bench important in tournament

Much of this year’s team is familiar with the Sprint Center and last year’s run as four of the five starters were on that tournament champion team. But the likes of Jameel McKay, Bryce Dejean-Jones and Abdel Nader have yet to experience the Big 12 tournament and what ISU fans and players call “Hilton South.”

While ISU coach Fred Hoiberg says there are no concerns about the trio’s mindset, he made it clear that they would be key parts of the Cyclones’ success, specifically Dejean-Jones, Nader and fellow bench player Matt Thomas.

“People ask about who is your most important player, and I think our bench, it’s our whole bench,” Hoiberg said of the three. “All three of those guys I think have very important roles to come off and try to keep momentum.”

Hoiberg mentioned Dejean-Jones’ impressive night in the season finale against Texas Christian, scoring 15 points after going 3-for-3 from the field. With Thomas’ shooting much improved and Nader being a consistent threat off the bench, the Cyclones will be a tough out in the deep Big 12.