Cyclones take on wounded, dangerous Bears Monday night

AMES - Baylor's been pretty good when playing teams not named Kansas or Missouri.

21-0 good - coupled with two losses each to the Jayhawks and Tigers.

So when upstart Iowa State rolls into Waco, Texas for Monday's 6 p.m. ESPNU-televised Big 12 showdown with the No. 6  (as of Sunday) Bears, it's not just sole possession of third place in the conference that will be teetering on the line.

Pride also hangs in the balance, particularly for Baylor, which comes off a 17-point blowout loss Saturday at Columbia.

“They're still a great team,” said ISU guard Chris Allen, who scored a career-high 25 points in Saturday's 69-46 shellacking of Texas A&M. “Like I said, during this time, this is when teams start to pick it up, so they're a great team, but just haven't picked it up that notch that they need yet. I don't want them to pick it up on us.”

The Cyclones (18-7, 8-4) and the Bears (21-4, 8-4) are deadlocked at third in the conference standings, two games back of Kansas and Missouri.

And improving that standing is very much part of ISU's internal conversation - at least star forward Royce White's.

“I would think everybody in the organization is embracing it,” the Cyclones' leader is scoring, rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals said of facing the Bears. “Anytime you get the chance to go up against a top-10 team, a high-profile team like that - and what's on the line now, that sole possession of third place, you've just got to embrace it and be hungry.”

A Cyclone upset would ensure a .500 or better finish in the Big 12 for the first time since the NCAA Tournament-worthy 2004-05 team went 9-7 in league play.

“We're going out there and playing the right way right now,” Hoiberg said. “Every single time we take the floor, we're playing the right way.”

Allen's recent re-emergence comes at a propitious time for ISU, which seeks to finish strong and let the tournament situation take care of itself, with no hopeful speculation required.

“We had a really long (talk) before he really got it rolling in these last four,” Hoiberg said. “We just really talked about his role and how he needed to go out there and play aggressive every single night and live in the moment. That's exactly what he's done.”

So who wins Monday night?

“It's interesting,” Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said. “A perimeter team like Iowa State against a strong post team in Baylor. (The Bears) need a win. I think if Iowa State shoots the ball well, does a good job on the glass, they can beat Baylor.”