A tough stretch of the schedule begins on Saturday for the Iowa State Cyclones who visit Texas A@M. The Cyclones opened Big 12 play with a 77-71 win at home over Texas and take on an Aggie team that lost its league opener and stands 9-4 overall.

I.S.U. coach Fred Hoiberg says any time you go on the road in the league it is tough and they hope to there and still one on the road with a great performance. Senior guard Scott Christopherson says defense and rebounding were the keys against Texas and that will be the case all season.

Christopherson says they were able to get enough stops to get a lead and then in the second half they were able to rebound better. He says rebounding and defending in the paint will tell how they do in the conference season.

Anthony Booker and Melvin Ejim have given the Cyclones a boost off the bench and Christopherson says they add needed depth to the front court. “Both of those guys are going to be huge for us going through league play, it’s such a physical league,” Christopherson says. He says all the battling will mean some times when they have foul trouble and will need everyone to get through.

Iowa State is 11-3 overall.