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GAME NOTES: Big 12 Conference rivals square off in Waco tonight, as the Iowa State Cyclones try to upset the 20th-ranked Baylor Bears.

Iowa State is 13-8 on the season, but the team is just 2-4 in conference. The Cyclones put the brakes on a three-game slide in their most recent outing, taking a 64-63 verdict at home over Colorado. ISU began the year 6-0, but a 7-8 mark since has tempered the enthusiasm of its fans. The club is just 2-3 in true road games, and Baylor represents the fifth ranked opponent the Cyclones have faced this season. Iowa State has lost 17 straight to ranked foes, last knocking off a Top-25 team on February 5, 2006 in a 96-79 decision against No. 25 Colorado.

Baylor is enjoying a tremendous season, streaking out to a 16-4 record, which includes a 3-3 mark in Big 12 action. The Bears, who are 10-1 at home, are coming off their biggest win of the campaign as they picked off Texas on the road this past Saturday, 80-77, in overtime. The win, its first in Austin since 1998, was the second in the last three games for BU, which has actually alternated wins and losses over its last six games.

Iowa State owns an 11-7 edge in the all-time series with Baylor, and the Cyclones have won four of the last six meetings. The Bears have however, won six of the last seven previous clashes in Waco, including the last four.

Craig Brackins logged a monster double-double consisting of 27 points and 13 rebounds in powering Iowa State to a narrow win over Colorado on Saturday. Diante Garrett and Justin Hamilton chipped in 10 points apiece for the Cyclones, who shot 42.9 percent from the field, and missed 11 of their 12 three-point attempts. A 21-10 edge in points from the foul line helped the cause, as did a defensive effort that allowed the Buffaloes to convert just 34.4 percent of their total shots. ISU claimed a 52-26 advantage on the glass to offset a 21-4 turnover margin in favor of CU. Brackins is averaging a team- best 16.4 ppg, while ranking second in rebounding at 8.0 per game. He is also the team's top shot blocker with 28. Marquis Gilstrap is the only other player netting double figures at the moment, checking in at 14.5 ppg, and he is the top rebounder with 9.4 per outing. As a team, the Cyclones are hitting 47.1 percent of their field goal attempts, 41.4 percent of their three-pointers and they own a +3.0 rebounding margin. The team is giving up 68.7 ppg on the season, but has seen that figure climb to 76.2 ppg in Big 12 bouts.

Tweety Carter grabbed the spotlight in Baylor's recent overtime win at Texas, scoring 27 points and grabbing six rebounds. A.J. Walton came off the bench to tally 14 points, while LaceDarius Dunn pitched in with a dozen. The Bears shot 43.8 percent from the floor, while the Longhorns managed just a 38.6 percent effort. The two teams combined to go a mere 7-of-27 from three-point range, and they committed 38 turnovers between them. Baylor, which shot 51.5 percent from the field in the first half before cooling off to 28.0 percent in the second, claimed a 27-12 advantage in points off miscues. Dunn and Carter rank one-two on BU's season scoring chart, averaging 18.4 and 17.3 ppg, respectively, helping the Bears put up 78.4 ppg on 49.0 percent shooting, which includes a 39.7 percent showing from beyond the arc. Baylor is giving up 63.8 ppg and owns a +8.7 rebounding advantage.

As good as Brackins is, his Cyclones simply lack the overall talent and depth needed to compete against the better teams in the Big 12, of which Baylor certainly qualifies. Expect the Bears to ride Dunn and Carter, and the energy supplied by the home crowd, to yet another win.