The question of whether Iowa State will face Oklahoma State or Kansas in its first game of the Big 12 tournament is lingering, but an even bigger question is will No. 4 be putting on her jersey Friday in Kansas City, Mo.?

Last week senior Alison Lacey came down with a bronchial illness, preventing her from walking just a few steps before losing her breath. In Iowa State’s final regular season game against Colorado, Lacey could barely utter the words to her teammates in the pregame huddle before becoming fatigued.

As of Monday, coach Bill Fennelly said Lacey’s status is 50-50 for Iowa State’s first game of the Big 12 tournament. While Lacey said after the Colorado game she is improving each day, Saturday was the first time Fennelly had seen her standing upright.

“I would’ve told you last Friday afternoon no shot, wouldn’t even think about it,” Fennelly said. “She says she’s feeling better, she’s starting to get to the point where there’s a possibility she’s going to play, but we’re going to be smart about it.”

Without No. 4 on the court, a guaranteed shot as the shot clock winds down is out of the picture, and a true ball handler is absent. Lacey’s teammates and Cyclone fans count on Lacey’s signature last second left-handed drive and layup after an offensive setup has fizzled.

“It’s really different playing without her, and if we could choose we’d want to play with her either way, hands down,” said junior guard Kelsey Bolte.

When Lacey is taken out of the picture, it’s not just up to sophomore Whitney Williams and senior Denae Stuckey to take the ball into their hands more, literally, but the entire team as a unit has to step up another notch.

“Everybody, the fans and everybody who watches us to play they look for Aus [Lacey] to make the last shot when the clock is running down,”Stuckey said. “Well with her not playing we have to make up something, we have to make something happen without depending on her to make the last shot.”

Lacey was recently named to the All-Big 12 first team, a unanimous selection and this year become the first Cyclone player to record 1500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career. Fennelly hopes the Canberra, Australian native will finish out her career the way an Iowa State-great should.

“You hate to see someone who’s impacted our school and our team so much not be able to finish competing,” Fennelly said. “I’m hoping that happens and the good news is I think that no matter what happens this weekend, a week later she’ll have at least another week to get ready and hopefully get to play at Hilton.”

Griner’s suspension

Last Wednesday Baylor’s freshman Brittney Griner laid a right-handed jab into the face of Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle and was ejected from the game. Barncastle fouled Griner while she was fighting for position in the post, and after the whistle blew, Griner punched Barncastle with 9:01 to play in the game.

A one-game suspension was mandated by the NCAA after an ejection in a game for Griner’s action. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey instilled another one-game suspension, putting Griner out for the Bears’ Big 12 Championship opener.

“Personally I thought it was way too lenient of a punishment for the action that occurred,” Fennelly said. “But that’s my opinion and I would’ve handled it totally different. But obviously Baylor and the Big 12 felt that was appropriate and that’s what we’ll go with and if we see them, we see them.

Baylor lost to Texas on Saturday in the team’s final regular season game without Griner. The Bears fell 70-54 after allowing the Longhorns a 19-0 run to start the second half.

Baylor faces off with Colorado on Thursday, Mar. 11 at 7:30 p.m. If the Bears can surpass the Buffaloes without their starting center and go on to beat Oklahoma, Baylor could match up with Iowa State in the semi finals on Saturday, Mar. 13.

If the Cyclones and Bears advance to the semi finals, Griner would be back in the lineup for the game.

“It’s unfortunate for our league and it’s unfortunate for Brittney Griner, it’s unfortunate for Baylor but that decision was made by people a lot smarter than me,” Fennelly said in regards to Griner’s action.

A Husker Story

Nebraska is the team to beat in the Big 12 tournament, without question. The Huskers have maintained an undefeated 29-0 record and Fennelly argues they are the story of the season, aside from the obvious Connecticut women’s basketball team that won its 71st consecutive game, breaking the record previously set by the Huskies.

The only two teams in the nation without losses this season are Connecticut and Nebraska, and the Huskers have played in arguably one of the toughest Big 12 schedules in a long time.

“They’re a team unlike most teams across the country, they can play slow, they can play fast,” Fennelly said, “All that stuff combined has made them a great story and certainly a story that is one that no one anticipated.”

What makes Nebraska the ‘perfect storm’ as Fennelly called it earlier in the season, is in Big 12 Player of the Year Kelsey Griffin, along with the other five seniors. Griffin averaged 20.4 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game and leads the Big 12 with 17 double-doubles and ranks second in field goal percentage.

“I think it’s a combination of a fifth year senior that’s playing like an All-American in Kelsey Griffin, a bunch of other seniors that last year got a lot of playing time in critical situations that now they can not have to be the person,” Fennelly said. “It’s a team that has played five and six seniors most of the time, a freshman point guard [Lindsey Moore] that was the perfect fit at the first time.”

Lindsey Moore stepped into the point guard position this season for Nebraska and averaged 5.7 points per game and 4.34 assists.

Although Nebraska has proven to be the top team in the conference, beating each Big 12 foe in regular season, the other six Top 20 teams could give the Huskers a run for their money.

“I don’t think they’re head and shoulders above anyone by any stretch,” Fennelly said. “I don’t think anyone is going into the tournament feeling like it’s a mismatch like UConn is in the Big East tournament.”