Texas @ Iowa State preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 7, 2018 ) Iowa State 64, Texas 68

No. 20 Iowa State looks to solidify its place in the national rankings while staying in the hunt for the Big 12 title when it hosts Texas on Saturday. The Cyclones, who have won four of their last five games, including back-to-back victories against Mississippi (87-73) and West Virginia (93-68) in the last week, are one of five teams with five wins at the top of the conference standings.

"All I know is that we're going for that No. 1 spot," Iowa State guard Nick Weiler-Babb told reporters. "Everybody in the league is a good team and you can't take any days off." Texas bounced back from two straight losses with one of its best efforts of the season as it upset 12th-ranked Kansas 73-63 on Tuesday. The Longhorns had dropped five of their six previous contests before ending their 10-game losing skid to the Jayhawks, and they hope to stay within striking distance of the chasing pack by notching back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since Jan. 2014. "If we want to finish near the top of the standings then we must put together consecutive efforts like that and stay focused on putting winning above everything else," Texas coach Shaka Smart told reporters. "But the reality is that everyone in our league is really challenging."

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT TEXAS (12-9, 4-4 Big 12): Dylan Osetkowski led the way with a season-high 16 points and dished out three assists to lead the Longhorns to their first win over Kansas since an 81-69 triumph on Feb. 1, 2014. Kerwin Roach II added 15 points to finish in double figures for the 16th time this season as Texas improved to 6-1 in its last seven home games against Top 20 opponents. Jaxson Hayes registered 13 points and nine rebounds while Jase Fabres knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 12 points.

ABOUT IOWA STATE (16-5, 5-3): Lindell Wigginton went 13-of-16 from the free throw line en route to a season-high 28 points to help the Cyclones post their largest margin of victory in the rivalry with West Virginia. Marial Shayok added 18 points and five rebounds against the Mountaineers to finish in double figures for the 20th time in 21 games while moving within five points of reaching 1,000 points for his career. Weiler-Babb filled up the stat sheet as he produced 14 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists to move into 15th place on Iowa State's all-time steals list with 291.

TIP-INS

1. Texas has won the last four meetings with Iowa State.

2. The Cyclones have won their last three games by an average margin of 17.6 points.

3. Osetkowski is 20-of-23 from the free throw line over his last four games.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 82, Texas 72