Just a few months into the college basketball season and the Iowa State Cyclones are the surprise of league. Ranking in at No. 9, the team is currently undefeated as they head into conference play. The Baylor Bears would love to play upset and give the team their first loss as the two face off for a Tuesday night showdown.
The top 10 ranking is the fist in school history for Iowa State since 2000-01 after putting together their best start in school history. Iowa State's offense has yet to slow down as the entire unit is shooting 48.8 percent from the field. Iowa State opened up their Big 12 play with a win over Texas Tech. 73 points was their lowest scoring total of the season, while they were outrebounded and missed a majority of their three-point shots. However, a bounce back could be in store against Baylor.
The Bears have one loss to their name and are currently on a six-game win streak, winning games by a margain of 23.0 points since losing to Syracuse. Since the loss, Taurean Prince has provided a strong offensive spark. He put up 12 points in the first half against Savannah State while at least three other teammates put up 11 points each.
The Bears will rely heavily on leading scorer Cory Jefferson, but he has not faired well against Iowa State in his career. He has averaged just a mere 6.0 points in his five games. On the other end, Melvin Ejim who is coming off a strong game against Texas Tech, has averaged 12.2 points on 60.5 percent shooting in his last five games against the Bears.
Both teams are looking to contend for the Big 12 this season and could be well on their way to doing so. Iowa State has won their last two games against top-10 opponents and looks to continue the streak.