AMES — After Monday night’s devastating loss to Arizona in Tucson, in which Wildcats’ guard Caleb Love hit a half-court shot to send what would’ve been an Iowa State win to an eventual overtime loss, the No. 3 Cyclones look to bounce back at home in a game against Kansas State on Saturday.

One of the biggest issues that arose for Iowa State was the sense of urgency that was needed to potentially seal a sweep in the desert but did not end up coming to fruition after Love’s heroics.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger felt as if his team deserved the win against Arizona, but knows that increasing the urgency and desperation of wanting to bounce back is key for not only what lies upon them this Saturday, but for the rest of their season.

“We’re coming off a game that felt like we should have won,” Otzelberger said. “Our urgency and desperation to practice great and play great is going to carry forward. Our guys are going to come out really hungry with fire in their stomach to get a win.”

As soon as the Cyclones landed back in Ames from their trip to the Grand Canyon State, they knew they had to get back to their winning standards and that began in their first practice back home.

“First practice back was really intense,” junior forward Joshua Jefferson said. “[Otzelberger] expected a lot of urgency from us. In the beginning of practice, he put it on me to get the team going, so beginning to start fast was the emphasis we’ve put on.”

This style of urgency will be most prominent against the other Wildcat team in the Big 12 that has rattled off two key wins against then-No. 23 West Virginia and Oklahoma State, in which Kansas State had gotten off to a hot start in both games.

Against the Mountaineers, the Wildcats entered halftime with a 42-18 lead, which led to their eventual 13-point win over West Virginia to end a six-game skid they had previously been on.

Against the Cowboys, more of the same occurred as Kansas State went on to take a 45-23 lead en route to an 85-57 win.

Both victories did, however, happen at Bramlage Coliseum, as the Wildcats have not won a true road game this season, which has led to their 9-11 overall record and 3-6 conference record.

Nonetheless, Kansas State will try and build off its two-game winning streak by going into Hilton Coliseum and stealing a win in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.

“The main thing is they start real fast,” senior guard Keshon Gilbert said. “They had West Virginia and Oklahoma State down in the first five minutes so we just gotta come out and start fast.”

The Wildcats are led by a trio guard tandem of David N’Guessan, Brendan Hausen and 6-foot 10-inch versatile big guard Coleman Hawkins.

While N’Guessan leads Kansas State in scoring at 12.3 points per game, and Hausen being a close second at 12, Hawkins will be the main player to watch, as he not only averages 10.9 points but also leads the Wildcats in every other major category as a big guard.

It’s something that’s all too familiar being played out at Iowa State with Jefferson, as the matchup between the two players with similar size and playing styles will be the matchup of the game come Saturday.

“They’ve got some really good personnel. They’ve got depth. They’re playing with a lot more confidence right now,” Otzelberger said. “So it’s our job to start fast, set the tone, get after them, defensively dictate everything right from the jump.”

The men’s basketball version of Farmageddon will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday from Hilton Coliseum. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN2.