Iowa State has done it before.

The Big 12 was established 18 years ago. Since that time, Kansas has lost only nine conference games inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Cyclones have dealt the Jayhawks three of those defeats. On Feb. 2, Iowa State can gain a stranglehold in the race for a Big 12 title by dealing Kansas a fourth.

No. 15 Iowa State (16-4, 6-2 Big 12) will attempt a season sweep of No. 9 Kansas (18-3, 7-1 Big 12), a feat that no ISU team has accomplished since the Cyclones last claimed a regular season championship 14 years ago.

During the previous three seasons, as ISU coach Fred Hoiberg has mixed and matched transfers with traditional recruits, melding them together in his up-tempo brand of basketball to the end of exceedingly positive results, it is clear that Iowa State has become a yearly contender.

Three straight NCAA tournament appearances, a Big 12 tournament title in 2013-2014 and a Sweet 16 berth the same year despite the loss of Georges Niang to a broken foot mold the perennial contender argument, both in the Big 12 and nationally.

A third straight victory against rival Kansas, the 10-time defending Big 12 regular season champion, would go a long way toward Iowa State’s casting off the mantle of perennial contender and assuming the more prestigious and pressurized handle of perennial favorite.

“Obviously going into Lawrence, it may be the toughest place to play in the nation,” Hoiberg said. “It is a heck of a challenge, but we are chasing them right now, so it is obviously an important game.”

A win against Kansas does more than simply regain Iowa State the top spot in the Big 12, which it held for the briefest of moments after sweeping both Kansas and Kansas State at Hilton in back-to-back contests in January. A victory in such a hostile and renowned environment would speak to the most obvious flaw of this ISU team — its ability to produce results on the road.

Iowa State is 1-2 away from home in Big 12 play, while its other two losses came at the hands of non-conference opponents at neutral sites. An interrelated theme in three of the four losses has been Iowa State digging its own grave in the early going.

South Carolina built a 17-6 lead to begin its contest with Iowa State. Baylor jumped on Iowa State 28-11 when the teams met in Waco, Texas, and most recently, a then-winless Texas Tech team opened its home game against Iowa State by stretching out a 29-10 advantage.

“It is so important to come out of the gate quick [at Kansas],” Hoiberg said. “If you don’t, you’re down 20 … before you blink.”

When Iowa State has incurred massive deficits from the jump, the strain on the team has been easy to pinpoint. Panic mode has settled in, the ball stopped moving offensively and shooting numbers plummeted as the Cyclones scrambled to claw their way back into contention.

The Cyclones average 17.8 assists per contest to lead the nation, while committing only 11.3 turnovers per game, which equates to a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio that is the fifth best mark in the country.

Against South Carolina, Iowa State tallied only eight assists compared to 13 turnovers and shot 1-of-18 from behind the arc. The story was similar versus Texas Tech, when Iowa State posted 10 assists and 10 turnovers, while connecting on only 6-of-31 3-point attempts.

“We just took too many contested [3-pointers] against Texas Tech,” Hoiberg said. “A lot of that was a product of getting down so big and we were trying to get it all back at once, and you can’t do that.”

While Iowa State was ultimately able to make its losses close, mounting a comeback will be more difficult against the superior talent of Kansas.

It is a fact not lost on forward Georges Niang.

“[It’s about] consistency and playing 40-minute games,” Niang said. “I feel like that’s one thing coach has been preaching to us. Once we can start playing 40-minute games, I feel like a lot of the games will be more smooth sailing then they have been.”

In Iowa State’s previous two outings leading into Kansas, the Cyclones found their stride early, mounting a double-digit lead heading into halftime versus Texas and stretching out a similar advantage against Texas Christian early in the second period.

The quick starts led to sharing the ball more freely, which opened up better looks and resulted in greater offensive efficiency, namely field goal percentages topping out in the mid-50 range.

A similar effort will be required at Kansas, as Iowa State’s 31-of-61 effort from the field was the primary reason it won the first contest, despite Kansas attempting 14 more field goals, which was contributed to by second-chance opportunities earned on the offensive glass.

“We are going to come in as if we are gunning for that first place again,” said guard Naz Long, who led the Cyclones in scoring with 20 points in the team’s first matchup with Kansas. “We fell off, but we are gunning back for it, so we have a chip on our shoulder.”