The Iowa State men host Iowa Thursday night in the 77th meeting in the series. The home team has won seven of the last eight games and the teams traded blowout victories the past two seasons.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger who says the Cyclones need to excel in the areas they can control.

It will be the first taste of the Cy-Hawk rivalry for several new players.

Otzelberger says the first key against the Hawkeyes is defense.

Cyclone sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey is coming off a triple-double in a win at DePaul and as a native of Ames has followed this series.

Lipsey’s first game in the rivalry was a 75-56 loss in Iowa City last season.

Iowa is 5-3 overall and after getting manhandled at fourth ranked Purdue the Hawkeyes face another difficult road test.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery who says the Cyclones are a balanced team.

McCaffery on sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey leading the Cyclones in scoring, rebounding and assists.

The Hawkeyes have won four of the last five and lead the all-time series 48-28.