Following No. 25 Iowa State’s win at Texas Tech on Saturday, ISU coach Bill Fennelly was asked in a news conference if he was scared about his squad’s next opponent, No. 1 Baylor.

“Basketball is not about being scared,” Fennelly said after his team’s win against the Lady Red Raiders. “Scared is when I found out my son had a heart defect. Scared is what you hear about what James Pollard is going through — that’s scary. This is a game.”

On Wednesday night, the Cyclones (11-1, 2-0 Big 12) will play their game against the Lady Bears (12-1, 2-0 Big 12) in Waco, Texas, with both teams starting the Big 12 schedule with two wins each.

The wins for Baylor, however, have been more lopsided, beating TCU by 39 points and Oklahoma State by 34 points. Iowa State has earned an eight-point win against Texas and a four-point victory against Texas Tech.

Regardless of the scores of the games in which Baylor has played, Fennelly believes his team always has a shot to go win games like this one.

“No one has found the answer of how to guard them, how to play against them but last year we were tied at halftime,” Fennelly said. “It’s a game where you’ve got to make a lot of shots, you’ve got to do things the right way, things have to go your right way but you’ve got to understand every situation you get in to.”

Baylor is once again led by Preseason National Player of the Year Brittney Griner, who is averaging 20 points per game and eight rebounds per game. Along with Griner, All-America candidate Odyssey Sims is recording 13.2 points per game and dishing out 5.6 assists per game.

“We know we’re not going to shut down Griner,” said forward Chelsea Poppens. “But we know if we limit the amount of shots she takes or Odyssey Sims, she’s a great point guard. If we cover both of them as well as we can, I think we can possibly get a win.”

Griner, standing 6-foot-8, not only provides an offensive threat but a defensive one as well. She is the Big 12 record holder in career blocked shots (633) and is 30 blocks away from being No. 1 on the NCAA career blocked shots chart.

Center Anna Prins said she has a difficult time deciding if the Baylor offense or defense is harder to prepare for.

“With Brittney Griner down low, [with Iowa State] offensively, she protects the basket very well,” Prins said. “As a guard driving in, you always have to be aware of where she is. A post player trying to make a post move on her is very difficult because of her shot blocking ability.”

Tipoff between the Cyclones and Lady Bears is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in Waco, Texas.