The team with the worst scoring defense in the Big 12, allowing conference opponents 67.6 points per game, will bring a game plan Iowa State hasn’t seen this season.

No. 20 Texas is a fast-paced team with a mindset to push the ball down the floor and wear down opposing players as quickly as possible.

“They want to go up and down; they want to play fast. They’re going to play 10 players [and] they’re going to try and wear you down,” coach Bill Fennelly said. “They’re going to try to shoot the three.”

Aside from the Longhorns’ (13-5, 2-2 Big 12) 77-63 victory over Oklahoma State on Wednesday, snapping the Cowgirls’ 11-game winning streak, Texas allowed its previous three opponents over 90 points, edging past Texas Tech in double overtime 95-90, but falling to two previous opponents after allowing a high amount of scoring.

“[Against Texas] just playing smart and not getting worried or tensed up, just going out there and trying to play relaxed and have fun [will be important],” said senior guard Denae Stuckey. “When you have fun it’s easier to play hard.”

The Cyclones (14-3, 2-2 Big 12) will enter Austin after a “fun” defensive effort, shutting down Big 12 offensive standout Danielle McCray, of Kansas, to just six points Wednesday night. If the ISU defense was ever ready to shut down a speedy Longhorn offense, now would be the time.

“Just knowing that we can guard some of the best players in the conference, and even college basketball, I think [is important],” said junior guard Kelsey Bolte. “So just knowing that we can do that and bring that same effort that we had [against Kansas] to the floor every night [is key], because we know we could do it then, so ‘why can’t we just keep doing it the rest of the season?’”

McCray averaged more than 20 points coming into Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday, but was shut down by Stuckey’s defensive effort, stuck like glue to McCray, and the help from the strong Cyclone defenders behind her led to a conference win.

“The effort that we had, the whole defense that we had, was amazing,” Bolte said. “Everyone was aware of where [McCray] was on the floor; the communication we had amongst each other — [we were] always talking about where she was [and] always talking about where we needed to be.”

The Cyclones may have a vivid memory of Texas from last season, as the Longhorns were the only team to defeat Iowa State at home, in front of a pink crowd of 12,424 on the Cyclones’ breast cancer awareness night. In uniforms trimmed with pink, the Cyclones fell to Texas by just three points.

With Texas’ lack of defense comes its intensity on the offensive end, as the Longhorns are second in the conference in rebounding offense.

This year Iowa State will enter Longhorn country full of solid performers on offense. Senior guard Brittainey Raven leads Texas with 15.2 points per game, with junior Kathleen Nash averaging 13.6 ppg and 7.3rpg. Nash ranked second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage as of Jan. 17 and currently sits at a 50.6 percent mark from  beyond the arc.

“Any time you play Texas you’re playing at a great environment on the road. You’re playing a team that has 10 high school All-Americans; you’re going to have to play a great game,” Fennelly said. “They’re top 20 for a reason. They’re one of the most talented teams in our league and certainly one of the best coaches in our league. Our level of play has to go very high.”

Aside from the Cyclones’ last two Big 12 games, Iowa State had a tough time finding the basket, offensively, and will need to find mismatches and spread the court to continue improving on offense against the Longhorns. A team that likes to press, Texas will be sure to apply a high amount of pressure, forcing Iowa State to take care of the ball and not allow any points off live ball turnovers. Fennelly said his team will need to do ‘anything you can to hang around four minutes at a time’ when facing the Longhorns in Austin.

“[We expect to see] aggressive defense; aggressive, physical play, and I think that’s the biggest thing,” Bolte said. “I think we’re just going to have to focus on being strong with the ball, being aggressive — go to the basket, and be strong and finish, We’re just going to take what we can get.”