Although hampered by injuries last year, the Cyclones caught a late season spark, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

With 11 of last season’s top scorers returning, Iowa State, predicted by the Big 12 coaches to finish third in the conference, is poised to make another run at the tournament.

“There’s a lot of possibilities about this team,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “This team could be good. This team should be good. How good? I don’t know.”

The success of this year’s team is dependent on several factors, but Fennelly identified reliable play from the point guard as a top priority.

Junior guard Alison Lacey, the team’s leading scorer from last season, spent the majority of the season managing the point. Fennelly, however, has decided to move her into more of a wing position, where he feels Lacey will have the ability to be a more versatile scoring threat.

Making this move leaves a question mark at point guard.

Because Lacey and senior guard Heather Ezell were in and out of fall practice with injuries, Fennelly targeted freshmen guards Whitney Williams and Alexis Yackley as candidates for the role.

Although Williams and Yackley played substantial minutes in both of the Cyclones’ exhibition games, the coaching staff made the decision to go with the more experienced Ezell.

“Six of our first seven games are on the road and I don’t know if that’s a great position to put anyone in, especially a freshman,” Fennelly said. “Heather’s got the experience. She understands what it takes.”

The move from off-guard to point doesn’t seem to bother Ezell.

“I told a couple of the coaches that I’d almost rather be there if I have Alison [Lacey] and Kelsey [Bolte] on the wings,” Ezell said. “Those two definitely can score a lot better than I can. So if it’s getting them the ball then I’m fine with that.”

Ezell will get the start, but Fennelly said Williams, Yackley and Lacey will also see time at the point.

Receiving a bulk of the passes from the point guards will be Iowa State’s solid returning post players, led by senior starters Amanda Nisleit and Nicky Wieben.

Wieben was on track last season to score more than 400 points before she suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Jan. 16, against Texas. After a slow recovery process, Wieben said she is ready for the season to begin.

“Getting hurt last year was something that happened last year and I really want move forward with this team,” Wieben said.

Senior forward Toccara Ross, the leading Cyclone rebounder in the 2006-2007 season, was down in December of last year with an ACL injury of her own. Ross, however, was granted a medical redshirt.

The Davenport native had a bumpier road to recovery than Wieben. After feeling continued discomfort in her knee, Ross had her knee scoped toward the end of October. The scope revealed no further damage to the knee, but the surgery pushed back her season debut closer to Thanksgiving break.

In the absence of Ross, freshman Ashley Arlen has made a significant impact in the early-going. Arlen, whom Fennelly said has been the “biggest surprise so far,” combined for 15 points and 10 rebounds in two exhibition games.

With the emergence of Arlen, the Cyclones have an even larger array of talent to choose from, causing the battle for playing time to increase.

How the players handle the limited time on the court, Fennelly said, will be key to the team’s success.

“Someone is not going to play as many minutes as they did last year. And are you willing to sacrifice some minutes for the betterment of the group? We’ll have to see how that goes,” Fennelly said.

Regardless of the team’s depth, this year’s schedule offers the team little time to catch its breath. Seven of the Cyclone’s opponents are ranked in the preseason top 25 poll, including last year’s National championship runner-up, No. 2 Stanford.

“It’s the toughest schedule that we’ve ever played,” Fennelly said. “There’s no question we play in the best league in the country. That’s not my opinion, that’s a fact.”

Last season the Big 12 was the first league in the history of Division I women’s basketball to have eight teams advance past the first round of the NCAA tournament. Seven of those teams, including Iowa State, were either selected or received votes in the preseason poll.

With all the returning talent, the Cyclones have the ability to reach the NCAA tournament. The way the team addresses its areas of concern will be the deciding factor in determining how deep into March they go.