Bill Fennelly has been proud of what his team has accomplished this season: A second-place finish in the Big 12 only to No. 1 Baylor, another 20-win season and an NCAA tournament berth for the seventh consecutive year.

Now his squad must carry that success through into its first game in the NCAA tournament.

No. 23 Iowa State will take on Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. The meeting will be the first ever between the No. 5-seeded Cyclones (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) and the No. 12-seeded Bulldogs (27-5, 15-1 WCC).

The matchup will also essentially be a home game for Gonzaga as the game will be played in its home arena in front of its fans.

“Playing in the Big 12 is the toughest league in the country,” said ISU guard Brynn Williamson. “Even road games in the Big 12 are just like [traveling to Gonzaga]; you go there and there’s so much momentum and games that maybe you should win on paper maybe you don’t because of the atmosphere. It will be a true road game, but we have a week to prepare.”

The format of teams playing on their home floor has been present in the past as well and is a challenge Fennelly welcomes. Playing in front of 6,000 fans on the Bulldogs’ home floor will provide a better experience than playing in an empty gym somewhere.

In following Gonzaga’s program, Fennelly has developed an appreciation for how they do things within it.

“A team that I think likes the high-speed, play at home, beat up on people and move on to the next level,” Fennelly said. “We know what we’re going up against, but we’ve played in some really tough environments in our league, in Iowa City, at UNI. It’s not going to be anything our kids are going to be bothered by.”

For center Anna Prins, this trip to the NCAA tournament will be the fourth-and-final time in her career at Iowa State.

When thinking about her time as a freshman, Prins really didn’t know exactly what the NCAA tournament really meant in terms of the experience it would give her until she actually got there. Going to the NCAA tournament four times in her career is something that Prins can look back on fondly.

When preparing for Gonzaga, Prins said there is one thing she and the rest of her team has learned to do in order to get ready for an opponent.

“Trust the coaches,” Prins said. “They are a great scouting coaching staff and they know what they’re doing. I’ve watched Gonzaga in the past, they’re a great team, well-coached. It’s all about understanding what the game plan is, really studying it, paying attention to what the coaches have to say.”

Tipoff for Iowa State and Gonzaga will be at 3:15 p.m. CST on Saturday at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. The game will be televised on ESPN2.