Iowa State has been close, but so far unable to put together a Big 12 win

AMES - Steve Prohm is approaching Iowa State's 14-game losing streak and 0-15 Big 12 Conference record just like he would approach a long winning streak.

It's the classic coaching cliche about focusing on the next game.

Iowa State (2-18) ends its 2020-21 men's basketball regular season with three games in five days - two of which are against top-20 opponents.

The first is against No. 15 Texas (14-7, 8-6) at 6 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN+) in Hilton Coliseum.

'You just have to stay in the moment and not get caught up at looking at (loss number) 16, 17 or 18,” Prohm said. 'Whether it's a winning streak or a losing streak, I've been a part of both, you have to stay in the moment. This is the first time I've been on the other end of it, but even when you're winning, it's about the next game, the next practice and then the next game.

'When you start getting ahead of yourself, that's when you can get off course.”

Even with all of the losing the Cyclones have done, the team hasn't given in and it hasn't folded.

Iowa State led then-No. 2 Baylor for most of the game and pushed the Bears to the edge before losing the lead and the game, 77-72, in the final minutes last Tuesday.

The Cyclones dug themselves a 35-21 hole in the first half Saturday against TCU but got out of it and actually led several times in the second half before the Horned Frogs retook the lead and put the Cyclones away, 76-72.

'I think they're playing with a lot of pride and a lot of purpose,” Prohm said. 'I wouldn't say it if they weren't. We had a bad five-minute stretch in the TCU game where they went up 14 points, but we responded to that. Against Baylor, we were terrific, we were good against Oklahoma for the final 25 minutes.

'We just have to work on limiting those tough moments because these teams are very good. We can't have five-minute long bad stretches.”

Iowa State had one of those stretches Prohm talked about the last time the Cyclones played Texas.

Iowa State was up 16-10 early in the game, but four minutes later, Texas took a 20-16 lead and maintained it the remainder of the game, winning 78-72.

'We need to break through and get a win for these players so they can feel good - even if it's just for that moment - and understand that their perseverance and resiliency has paid off,” Prohm said. 'Hopefully that's (Tuesday) night but we have three good teams this week.”

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