AMES — No. 8 Iowa State (21-5, 11-4 Big 12) takes on its toughest opponent of the season Saturday. Though the Cyclones have not faced this team yet this season, and this will be the only time in the regular season, it doesn’t mean Iowa State isn’t ready.

That team is none other than No. 5 Houston (22-4, 14-1 Big 12). The Cougars pounced on the scene last season, their first in the Big 12 after leaving the American Athletic Conference, and won the regular season title. They are on pace to do the same this season.

While these teams have many similarities, including their lockdown defensive ways, there are some differences that, when exploited or acted upon, could make all the difference come game day.

For starters, Houston is one of the slowest-paced teams in the country, but that’s how it wins. When the pace of the game slows to better fit the Cougar defense, it allows them to control everything.

“Houston makes you pay for your mistakes,” Iowa State senior guard Curtis Jones said. “They’re just a really good team.”

A set Houston defense is scary, and when it gets time to settle, it forces 14.2 turnovers per game, with 7.9 steals on average. With that, it feeds the offense, as the Cougars get nearly 18 points off of turnovers per game.

“Everybody talks about, wants to make a comparison to this year, last year,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “They’ve got a lot of experienced guys that have grown old in their program. They’re really committed as much as ever to their plan defensively, how they guard the ball on the ball screen and turning people over.”

The KenPom basketball ratings currently have Houston third overall, with Iowa State not too far behind in ninth. But what sticks out about the Cougars is, once again, their adjusted tempo.

Out of all 364 schools, Houston ranks 361st in tempo yet is third in defensive efficiency. That has helped the Cougars hold opponents to 57.6 points per game.

On offense, Houston doesn’t score a lot, but it also doesn’t shoot a lot. At 75.4 points per game, the Cougars make the most of their offensive opportunities and have the seventh-best adjusted offensive efficiency in the country.

Houston makes 46% of its field goals and is 39.4% from 3-point range.

Iowa State isn’t too far back from Houston, as the Cyclones ride in 18th for their offensive rating and are 12th defensively.

Last season, Iowa State and Houston played three times, and all were defensive slugfests. In Ames, Iowa State won 57-53. In Houston, the Cougars won 73-65 in a game where Iowa State was stuck at four points in the opening 10 minutes.

The final meeting was in the Big 12 Championship game, where the Cyclones dominated in a 69-41 win.

While those games can give an idea of what may happen on Saturday, there are a few key differences on both sides.

The biggest difference for Houston is that Jamal Shead is gone. Shead was the top defender for the Cougars last season when Houston had the top-ranked defense in the country.

Now, Houston has players like guards Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan on the defensive end, who each average over one steal per game, much like Iowa State’s junior guard Tamin Lipsey, who will match up with Uzan.

“I always take my matchups with a little chip on my shoulder,” Lipsey said. “He’s a great player, great facilitator, so I’m gonna try and disrupt that.”

Lipsey will need two steals on Saturday to break the all-time steals record in Iowa State program history.

Though the Cougars have fallen to third in terms of defensive efficiency, that still means it has maintained its intensity and is still one of the toughest in college basketball.

The main component of the defense is on-ball pressure. Houston makes every offensive possession for its opponents a nightmare, guarding defenders well beyond the 3-point arc and making them uncomfortable.

“It’s about controlling the tempo of the game,” Otzelberger said. “Making sure that the ball gets where it needs to be. That there’s no floated, lofted, careless passes because live ball turnovers in a game like this are the difference.”

The Cougars’ man defense is their best aspect. When teams try to pick and roll or drive, the on-ball defender sticks to his man like glue, not allowing any separation, which forces either a tough shot or a bad pass where another defender is already waiting.

With that man defense, the help defense goes hand-in-hand. If the ball handler tries to make a move inside or break towards the paint, another defender arrives almost immediately and tries to swipe at the ball.

That help and trap defense is exactly why Houston averages nearly eight steals per game, and why the points off turnovers are so high as well.

Iowa State’s offense relies on inside-out play. It prides itself on its ability to either score inside or kick it out to an open shooter for a 3, and the Cyclones are good at it. Not a whole lot of their shots come from the midrange unless it’s a floater from Jones.

Having the bigs inside that can score and make it to the foul line, combined with Iowa State’s ability to kick it out and make shots outside, could be the needed recipe to take down a Cougar team that is on pace to be a No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re gonna aim, set our standard to be at our best on Saturday and come out with a win,” Otzelberger said.

The game will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday and be nationally televised on ESPN.