WHERE: T-Mobile Center | Kansas City, MO

WHEN: 8:30 PM, Thursday | Mar. 10th

WATCH IT ON: ESPN 2

SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech has a 19-20 record against Iowa State on the hardwood. The Red Raiders have won five of their last six matchups with the Cyclones.

• The Cyclones are 20-11 this season, and they’re seventh in the Big 12 standings with an 7-11 conference record.

• Iowa State is unranked, and they’re 4-6 against teams ranked in the top 25 with wins over Xavier, Memphis, Texas Tech, and Texas.

• The Cyclones have the 269th scoring offense in the country, and they’re 176th in field goal percentage. ISU is 244th in three-point field goal percentage and 212th in three-pointers made.

• Iowa State has the 24th ranked scoring defense in college basketball, and they’re 142nd in field goal percentage defense. ISU’s defense is 14th in turnovers forced, 28th in steals per game, and 173rd in blocks per game.

• The Cyclones are No. 39 out of 358 schools in the KenPom ratings for adjusted efficiency margin. They’re ranked 136th in offensive efficiency and 10th in defensive efficiency.

• Iowa State has six wins over teams ranked in the KenPom top 50 (Memphis, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State, TCU, Oklahoma).

Brockington leads the Cyclones in scoring with 17.5 points per game, and he leads the team in rebounding with 7.2 boards per game. He finished the regular season third in the Big 12 Conference in scoring and third in rebounds. Brockington is shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from behind the arc. He scored 26 points with 18 rebounds in two games against Texas Tech this season.

Hunter was recently named the Big 12 freshman of the year, and he earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshmen team for his efforts this season. He is second on the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game, and he leads the offense in assists with 5 dimes per game. Hunter leads the Iowa State defense and is third in the Big 12 Conference with 1.9 steals per game.

Kalscheur is third on the Cyclones in scoring with 9.4 points per game, and he’s third in assists with 1.8 dimes per game. He's third on the team in steals with 1.2 per game, and he's second in three-pointers made with 1.2 per game. Kalscheur scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting in their last game against Baylor, and he's shooting 48.9 percent from the field in his last six games.

The Red Raiders are looking to bounce back after Saturday’s unfortunate loss to Oklahoma State and will have to do so in a place that’s historically been a struggle for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are 14-24 and have lost eight of their last nine Big 12 Tournament games.

Texas Tech draws a tough Iowa State team in the first round, and they split the season series with the Cyclones this year. Iowa State is one of four teams in college basketball with at least nine Quad 1 wins, so the Red Raiders will have their hands full from the jump in Kansas City.

The Cyclones are the latest team to crack the top 10 in KenPom’s defensive rankings, and Thursday night's showdown will feature two teams who earn their living by making life difficult for opposing offenses. Both defenses are opportunistic in the turnover department, and the team that takes better care of the basketball should have the upper hand in this matchup.

Texas Tech scored 58 of their 119 points in the paint in the first two games against Iowa State and will need to continue being aggressive in attacking the basket the third time around. Getting good ball movement, attacking the interior, and grabbing offensive rebounds will be crucial in breaking down the Cyclones defense.

The Red Raiders have done a solid job of keeping Izaiah Brockington in check during two games this season. The First Team All-Big 12 guard has shown over the course of this season that he is fully capable of taking over a basketball game, and Texas Tech will need to design their defensive gameplan to keep his scoring in check.

Iowa State has averaged 58.3 points in their 11 conference losses, so the blueprint to beating the Cyclones starts with being able to keep their offense in check. The Red Raiders forced 18 turnovers in the first matchup and 16 in game two. If they’re able to duplicate that effort and get good looks in transition as a result, then it will make life easier for a Texas Tech offense that has struggled at times as of late.