On the surface it sounds so simple. Stop Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley, and Iowa State has a chance to close out the regular season with a win.

Of course, there's a reason Beasley is considered both a National Player of the Year candidate and a likely top pick in April's NBA Draft, should he choose to leave school early. Coaches around the Big 12 know how much of a force Michael Beasley can be, and few have been able to slow him down.

Beasley will visit Hilton Coliseum for the first and likely last time on Saturday, when the Cyclones (14-16, 4-11) host Kansas State (19-10, 9-6). Iowa State doesn't have much to play for -- besides giving seniors Jiri Hubalek and Rahshon Clark a proper sendoff -- but the Wildcats sure do.

Despite Beasley's 26.9 points, 12.6 rebounds a game and NCAA-record 26 double-doubles by a freshman, Kansas State is on the bubble for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats appear to be in good shape after clinching a bye for next week's Big 12 tournament, but losing to Iowa State, losers of eight of its last nine, certainly wouldn't help their cause.

Kansas State beat Colorado 78-72 on Tuesday, snapping a four-game losing streak.

"Getting a bye is huge. It eliminates one day that you have to play a hard basketball game. It gives you a chance to make a run in the Big 12 Tournament, number one. And then, number two, it solidifies you as one of the elite teams in the conference," first-year coach Frank Martin said after beating the Buffaloes.

Iowa State is coming off perhaps the most heartbreaking loss in a season full of them, losing in double-overtime at Missouri, 81-75, on Wednesday. The Cyclones led by as much as 12 in the second half, but the depleted Tigers forced OT. Then, after Iowa State rallied from six down to send the game into a second overtime, Missouri pulled away to ensure that the Cyclones would go winless in Big 12 road games.

Iowa State is currently the 11th seed for the Big 12 tournament. If the Cyclones lose Saturday and Colorado and Oklahoma both win, they'll fall to the 12th and final seed. But Iowa State coach Greg McDermott saw the kind of performance from his team against Missouri that he hopes will pay dividends down the road.

"We had some guys that made a few mistakes, but I couldn't be more proud of my team. We battled, we competed, we believed we could win when the odds looked stacked against us. I'm just really proud of the effort our guys gave us," McDermott said after the Missouri game.

Saturday will also mark the final game for Hubalek, Clark and reserves Mark Currie and Mike Smith. Hubalek and Clark are the last key holdovers from the Wayne Morgan era, and both will be remembered among Iowa State's better post players.

Hubalek, often an enigma early in his career, has been a bright spot this season, leading the team in points (13.1) and rebounds (7.5). While it could be argued that Clark's athleticism was better suited for Morgan's up-tempo system, he has been invaluable for McDermott both as a defender and as a leader.

But Hubalek and Clark will be needed for much more than Senior Day festivities. For Iowa State to have a chance against Kansas State, those two will have to find a way to contain Beasley. He scored 33 points -- the most by an Iowa State opponent -- and grabbed 15 boards in just 22 minutes the last time these teams met back on Jan. 26. The Wildcats won that one 82-57 in Manhattan, Kan.

Beasley is hardly the only frontcourt headache Kansas State presents, though. Forward Bill Walker, who like Beasley was a high school phenom that followed former coach Bob Huggins to Manhattan, is averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds a game.

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