Hilton Coliseum is known for its ear-piercing noise levels and rowdy crowds. For nearly 32 minutes of basketball against No. 19 Baylor on Feb. 25, it lived up to its name.

But through the final eight minutes of the game, the noise fell from a roar to a whimper, as the Cyclones’ play went from high-flying dunking acts and 3-pointers to chasing Baylor shooters as they put on a clinic in one of the conference’s toughest arenas to play.

The loss would keep Iowa State (20-7, 10-5 Big 12) out of first place in the Big 12 at least another three days. It would also linger on players’ minds long after the buzzer sounded.

“It just happened so quick,” said redshirt junior forward Jameel McKay. “I remember us being up, what, eight or 10? I got a rest for like 30 seconds and [I looked up] and we were down… It just happened so fast and quiet.”

The Cyclones were blindsided, but it wasn’t the first time this season. With a chance to keep Kansas matched at the beginning of the conference season, Iowa State picked up a confusing road loss to Texas Tech to give the Jayhawks the outright lead. Then there was a chance to pull within a game of the Jayhawks after a loss to Oklahoma State, but the Cyclones couldn’t beat Oklahoma on the road.

The struggle to keep up with the 10-time reigning Big 12 champions isn’t surprising, but it has certainly become frustrating.

“Obviously I don’t feel that great today,” said junior forward Georges Niang a day after the loss to Baylor. “I’m not hitting the panic button, but I just think we need to improve some things. I think the positive vibes that are going around this team are great, we just need to go hard for 40 minutes.”

The next 40 minutes comes against a team that rarely loses at home. Kansas State (14-15, 7-9 Big 12) has beaten Oklahoma and Kansas in back-to-back games at Bramlage Coliseum and will attempt to knock off Iowa State as they make the trip for the Feb. 28 showdown.

The Cyclones’ last win in Manhattan, Kan. came back before any of the players currently on the team were in ISU uniforms. Scott Christopherson and Royce White were able to pull off a 65-61 win in 2012, but players like Georges Niang and Naz Long have gone 0-3 in Bramlage since then.

With the upset of Kansas fresh on their minds, the Wildcats certainly have the confidence to take down anyone, but with the same fresh frustration, the Cyclones are just as dangerous.

“I don’t know if you can say they get embarrassed a little bit, but they find a way to get back to work. They do a good job of getting over those tough losses when they have them,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “I’m confident that we will bounce back.”