While Cyclone fans are packing their bags for Kansas City, Mo., and anticipating the NCAA Tournament bids, the ISU players are dreaming only of the next 40 minutes of game time. The No. 13 Cyclones (22–5, 10–4 Big 12) square off with Colorado on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum for their final regular season game.

“It’s very important. Coach [Bill Fennelly] stresses about how the next 40 minutes are very important to us, and just being able to focus on the next game — not any other games after that, not Big 12 Tournament, not anything. The next 40 minutes are the most important to us,” said senior forward Genesis Lightbourne.

The Cyclones will have to work without a chunk of their puzzle Saturday, just as they did Wednesday night. Due to an illness, senior point guard Alison Lacey was unable to travel with the team to Stillwater, Okla., and will be absent on the court again Saturday.

Lacey might not even be in the building this weekend. Without its captain, the ISU offense will have to regroup and avoid turnovers and mental mistakes that plagued them against Oklahoma State on the road.

“I think the whole thing was just us being able to find ourselves,” said senior guard Denae Stuckey. “And when [Lacey] doesn’t play, every other person has to step up and play even harder, and our big thing was turnover mistakes [against Oklahoma State].”

Against the Buffaloes, five seniors will be honored after the game as they say goodbye to Hilton despite knowing the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament are in Ames. Beginning March 21, the Cyclones will host the NCAA Tournament, giving Lacey a chance to put on her uniform in Hilton if she isn’t present Saturday.

“Obviously I want her here and I’d love to have her be recognized after the game with the other seniors, but that decision will be made by the doctors and by us,” Fennelly said. “Whatever they feel comfortable with and whatever she feels comfortable with, that’s what we’ll go with and hopefully she’s here. Hopefully she’ll get a chance to be recognized by her fans.”

Along with Lacey and Stuckey, seniors Lightbourne, Anna Florzak and Shellie Mosman will be honored Saturday for their contributions during their time at Iowa State. While Lacey and Stuckey have seen plenty of time on the court, the other three seniors made contributions off the court, along with their energy from the sidelines.

“I think it’s a very unique group of people,” Fennelly said. “We have five seniors and they, like a lot of college teams, come from everywhere.”

The Australian import, Lacey, has been a starter and key player for Iowa State ever since her freshman year, and took hold of the point guard position this year for the Cyclones. Lacey has averaged 17.1 points and 5.3 assists per game this season, and recently became just the first player in ISU history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career.

Stuckey is known for things that aren’t seen in a box score. Her tight defense and hustle plays have made her a key player for the Cyclones, and this season Stuckey stepped into a leadership role alongside Lacey. When the game is on the line, or the Cyclones need to regroup, Fennelly often pulls aside his three leaders — Lacey, Stuckey and junior Kelsey Bolte — to get things back on track.

“They’ve all contributed in their own ways; and certainly for [Genesis] and Anna and Shellie, they haven’t played a lot, but their contribution was made in a lot of ways, besides the game nights,” Fennelly said. “There’s a lot of things that they’ve done that I think people on the inside know that they’ve done that on the outside you usually don’t recognize that.”

Florzak, from Kansas City, Mo., has been on the Dean’s list four semesters and was honored as an ISU Scholar-Athlete three times.

Of Florzak’s 27 field goals, 24 have come from 3-point land.

Just 65 miles west of Ames, Mosman is a native of Carroll, and has been a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll every semester at Iowa State and was honored this season as a member of the Chick-fil-A Winter Community of Champions by the Big 12. Mosman posted a career high in points this season against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, where she compiled 14 points in early December.

Lightbourne, from Las Vegas, missed part of her senior season after having her left knee scoped as a result of a lateral meniscus tear. During preseason and after her return from surgery, Lightbourne has helped the freshmen find their way, as she was the only returning player for Iowa State who had any experience in the post.

“I might not have the most experience courtwise, but you kind of get to know the coaches expectations a little better because you’ve been in the system and just trying to be able to answer those questions,” Lightbourne said. “I feel like that’s the main part, is just trying to help them out, trying to make them feel comfortable and being able to contribute whenever I can.”

In the last four seasons, Iowa State has gone to the NCAA Tournament each year, including last year’s run to the Elite Eight for just the second time in school history. As different as they may be, all the seniors share that and other postseason memories.

“There’s going to be a very short list across the country of graduating seniors that can say they played in four straight NCAA Tournaments, and they’ll be able to say that,” Fennelly said. “And I think that their contribution to our university will go way beyond their time as an Iowa State student athlete.”