AMES — No. 3 Iowa State will look to beat Iowa on the road Thursday for the first time in 10 years with help from its experienced point guard.

The game between Iowa State and Iowa will be the 78th edition of the Cy-Hawk men’s basketball series. 

Iowa leads the all-time series 48-29, but the series has been very even as of late. The series has been split 5-5 over the last 10 matchups, and the Cyclones hold an 11-9 advantage over the last 20, including last season’s 90-65 victory in Hilton Coliseum. This win gave the Cyclones their largest margin of victory in the series.

While Iowa State has seen more success in the Cy-Hawk series in recent seasons, one area where it has still struggled is when it has to take trips to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. 

The Cyclones are 0-4 in their last four road games against Iowa, and 2-8 over their last 10, having not won in Iowa City since 2014. 

If Iowa State wants to extend its winning streak against Iowa to two games, it will have to figure out a way to win on the road. 

“I think anytime you go on the road, you play a good team, it’s going to be tough,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “It doesn’t matter where that is.”

“I’ve never been to that arena, so it’s going to be cool,” sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic said. “Last year, it was a blowout, so we’ll see how it is this year.”

The Hawkeyes are off to a 7-2 start to begin the season, with notable wins coming against Washington State and Northwestern, and losses coming against Utah State and Michigan.

Iowa has the 19th-ranked scoring offense through its first nine games of the season, averaging 86.1 points per game. 

The Hawkeyes are led in scoring by Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort, who average 16.8 and 16.4 points per game, respectively, but they also have two other players who score in double-figures in Josh Dix and Pryce Sandfort.

Where Iowa struggles is on the defensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes have given up an average of 73.3 points per game so far this season, which ranks 240th in the country. 

Otzelberger says that his team is focusing on the little things in order to put an end to the four-game losing streak in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“If you’re going to win a game on the road, you have to have tremendous focus, you have to keep your emotions in check, you got to play one possession at a time,” Otzelberger said. “You’ve got to win on the margins, you have to do a good job on the glass, limit turnovers. Things we value all the time.”

One player that the Cyclones will turn to is junior point guard Tamin Lipsey, who seems to do all of those little things that go toward winning. 

“Tamin [Lipsey] is a really good point guard, one of the best in the country,” Momcilovic said. “What he does on the court doesn’t really show on the stat sheet, but he’s the best defender on our team, gets the offense going, runs the offense.”

“He’s somewhat of a superhero to me,” Otzelberger said. “He’s such an impactful leader. His presence on the court is something that really gives us confidence.”

Lipsey is one of just two players, along with junior guard Demarion Watson, who was on the 2022-23 team that last made the trip to Iowa City, which ended in a 75-56 loss to the Hawkeyes.

“I haven’t really talked about it [the 2022 game] at all since that day,” Lipsey said.

Lipsey says that the memory of that defeat will help him and his team going into Thursday night’s matchup.

“It’s a rivalry game, both teams are going to come out wanting to kill the other team,” Lipsey said. “Just knowing that even though it’s another game on the schedule, you can’t take away that there’s a little bit more to it than just a game.”

Lipsey, an Ames native and lifelong Iowa State fan, is no stranger to the Cy-Hawk rivalry, but a lot of his teammates are, as five Cyclones will be playing in their first Cy-Hawk game.

“Me and guys like Cade Kelderman who grew up in Iowa know a lot about it,” Lipsey said. “Just knowing that maybe it means that much more to me and him, and then the other guys getting to see this battle, I think it’s gonna be exciting. “

Iowa State faces Iowa at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The game will be broadcast live on FS1.