The Cyclones’ last trip to Kansas City was pretty good to them. Scratch that: It was very good to them.

With wins again Kansas State, Kansas and Baylor, Iowa State walked out of the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. with a Big 12 Tournament Championship trophy. And they didn’t do it alone, bringing a hoard of ISU fans that packed the Sprint Center, besting Iowa State’s home court crowds of 14,356 at Hilton Coliseum.

As the 2014-15 season starts rolling, Iowa State (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) returns to the Sprint Center, dubbed “Hilton South” by fans and TV personalities during the Big 12 tournament run, to take on Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC) in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

“We looking forward to getting back out there at the Sprint Center,” said sophomore guard Monte Morris. “I feel like it’s a home game for us … It makes us feel comfortable down there not being in a hostile environment.”

But that won’t be the only thing working in the Cyclones’ favor when they take on the Crimson Tide on Nov. 24. For the first time this season, transfer Abdel Nader and sophomore Matt Thomas will see the court after serving suspensions for violations of team rules. 

Thomas’ abilities were displayed last season, finishing third on the team in made 3-pointers and averaging 5.5 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. Nader will be in an ISU uniform for the first time in his career after playing at Northern Illinois in 2012-13.

Iowa State’s starting five have scored 165 of the team’s 174 points this season with only Daniel Edozie and Sherron Dorsey-Walker combining to score nine points off the bench. With the additions of Nader and Thomas, the starting five will have a more balanced rotation.

“[Nader] is a pure-bred scorer and [Thomas] can really shoot the ball,” said junior forward Georges Niang. “Having those guys back will take a lot of pressure off of [senior guard Bryce Dejean-Jones] and [Morris] to play long spurts during the game. They will probably have longer rest on the bench, so that’s perfect for us going forward the rest of the season.”

Playing in their first game of the season against an Alabama team that is allowing only 65 points per game, the two will face a gritty matchup without any game experience. But with players like Niang and Dejean-Jones showing their dominance and ability to score early on in the season, the Cyclones are ready to take on their first Power 5 conference opponent.

“They’re very impressive. They shot the heck out of the ball in the first half against Southern Miss,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “They’re extremely athletic and [coach Anthony Grant] has done a really good job with his team, so it will be a great test for us.”

Iowa State will tipoff against Alabama at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The game will be televised on ESPN2. The winner of the game will face the winner of the Arizona State vs. Maryland game, which tips off at 6 p.m. Nov. 24.