When Iowa State headed into Northern Iowa two years ago, the Cyclones were expected to have no trouble returning to Ames with a victory.

By the end of the night, Iowa State struggled to overcome a 13-point deficit, but managed to barely escape with an 80-74 overtime win.

Tonight, the Cyclones, who dominated Missouri-Kansas City, 77-45, in their season opener, find themselves in a similar situation as they travel to UNI’s McLeod Center as an overwhelming favorite. Despite the high expectations, Iowa State is trying not overlook the rivalry game.

“I told the kids that one of the hardest things to do is to play an in-state rival on the road, a game that everyone thinks Iowa State should win” said coach Bill Fennelly. “It’s one of the biggest games on [Northern Iowa’s] schedule. You have to go in knowing that.”

The match-up against the Panthers (1-0) is Iowa State’s (1-0) first time on the road this season and will be the first of six straight road games.

Fennelly said how the team responds to playing away from the confines of Hilton Coliseum will be a key factor in the game.

“There’s a lot of things this team hasn’t seen yet,” Fennelly said. “That’s where your older players need to understand how to help the others get through those kinds of things.”

Under the veteran leadership of five senior players, Iowa State is almost a complete opposite of this year’s Panther squad.

With no seniors on the roster, Northern Iowa is trying to rebound from a 13-18 season.

One of the lone bright spots to come out of last season for the Panthers was the emergence of guard Jacqui Kalin. Named the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, Kalin led her team in scoring and assists.

The sophomore guard provided the majority of her team’s offensive production during last year’s match-up in Ames, where Kalin torched the Cyclones for 22 points, despite losing 69-41.

“Every highlight on her freshman highlight tape was probably here last year,” Fennelly said. “They could have sent that game tape in and she would have been an All-American.”

Kalin, however, has experienced a minor set back to her sophomore debut after spraining her ankle during practice three weeks ago. She did not play in the Panthers’ season-opener and it is unclear if she wil ready to go against the Cyclones.

Having looked at many of Northern Iowa’s players during the recruiting process, Fennelly said the team knows what to expect.

“There won’t be any surprises. It‘s just a matter of doing things the right way and playing the game the way we need to in a totally different environment,” he said.

With games against in-state rivals Northern Iowa and Iowa, as well as No. 8 Stanford on the schedule during the upcoming road trip, Fennelly said the capabilities of this year’s team will be known when the Cyclones end the road stretch against Iowa.

“There’s not going to be any secrets when we come back from Iowa City. We’re going to see what we have and what we don’t have as long as we stay healthy,” Fennelly said.