The Cyclones arrived in the Lone Star State on Friday afternoon without a pair of their top six players as they get set to face the Cougars in a top-10 Big 12 showdown at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

An ISU spokesperson released a statement this evening that both starting point guard Keshon Gilbert (muscle strain) and sixth man Curtis Jones (illness) would be unavailable.

Gilbert is averaging 14.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this year. He's started every game during his two-season run with the Cyclones and is one of just 13 players in the country to hit those marks this season.

While much of his work has come off the bench, except for a run of starting games throughout Milan Momcilovic's injury absence, Jones is the team's leading scorer with 17.2 points per game. He's adding 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists on average while shooting nearly 37-percent from long range.

With Gilbert and Jones on the shelf, Cyclone guard Tamin Lipsey, who has been playing through a broken thumb in his right hand, would likely ascend to be the team's primary ball handler.

UNI transfer and super senior Nate Heise, who is coming off perhaps his best game with Iowa State, is likely to gain the start against Houston. The wing player scored 11 points and has hit a combined 4-of-7 3-pointers in two of his past three games.

Veteran reserve small forward Demarion Watson and shooting guard Nojus Indrusaitis, a true freshman and former four-star who has played sparingly in his first season, could also slide into ISU's rotation on Saturday afternoon.