Road warriors

AMES - Don't call it a road renaissance.

Not yet, anyway.

But as Iowa State prepares for Tuesday's 8 p.m. Big 12 game at Texas, it's clear leaving the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum fails to diminish team's collective confidence and may even enhance it.

“For some reason we're able to come together,” said Cyclone guard Scott Christopherson, who added he isn't anywhere near pronouncing his team a good traveling team. “I think we realize when we're on the road it's just the 13 or 14 guys in our locker room and the coaches and that's all we've got. And I think we've done a really good job of kind of coming together and having each other's back and really going into those games focused.”

ISU (14-5, 4-2) seeks its third conference road win of the season against the young, struggling, but dangerous Longhorns (12-7, 2-4).

And that's worth noting.

The Cyclones went winless in Big 12 games played away from Hilton in three of the past four seasons and haven't won as many as three conference road games since 2004-05.

So what's changed with this team - which is 2-1 in the Big 12 both home and away?

“It's definitely a different level of focus,” said ISU forward Royce White, who leads the team in five statistical measures, including scoring (13.3 points) and rebounding (9.3). “You feel like you're surrounded by the enemy and it's just like it's a war. Anytime you go on the road, especially in this league against tough competition, it's definitely a war and a battle.”

Expect another one in Austin, where Texas has lost just once this season - last Saturday's 69-66 setback to No. 5 Kansas.

ISU stands 1-8 all-time in the Longhorns' gym and must control dynamic scorer J'Covan Brown, who averages a Big 12-best 19.5 points per game.

He scored 19 in his team's 77-71 loss to the Cyclones early this month at Hilton.

“I think he had 19 points in about 20 minutes,” said Christopherson, who had three assists in Saturday's 76-52 win at Texas Tech. “He's kind of the head of the snake for them, so we've got to try to shut him down the best we can.”

Easier said than done, as is winning on the road.

One key for ISU away from home has been rebounding.

The Cyclones have emerged with an edge in that category after all three conference road games.

“If you do that, you're going to give yourself a chance to win,” ISU coach Fred Hoiberg said. “If you go down there and get pounded on the glass in another team's hostile environment, you're not going to have much of a shot of winning the game.”