With its entire team returning from an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, the ISU women’s basketball team will embark on what coach Bill Fennelly called its toughest non-conference schedule ever.

The Cyclones will take on defending national runner-up and possible preseason No.1, Stanford, along with several other tough opponents.

“We know what we’re getting into, and hopefully we’re ready to handle it,” Fennelly said. “It will be a lot of different teams with a lot of different styles of play, and we always try to have a travel opportunity for our players.”

The matchup with Stanford and postseason qualifier San Diego State will come on the team’s trip to Hawaii for the Waikiki Beach Marriot Classic in November. Minnesota, one of the top teams in the Big Ten, will travel to Hilton Coliseum, along with Sweet 16 participant Vanderbilt and in-state rival Drake.

Iowa State goes on the road to face the other two in-state rivals, Northern Iowa and 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifier Iowa, as well as Creighton, which defeated Big 12 regular season champion Kansas State at the Civic Auditorium, in Omaha, last year.

“You always start with the in-state teams, they are always tough,” Fennelly said. “We always try and develop series where our fans can see some really good teams. With Vanderbilt and Minnesota coming in, those are games that our fans will enjoy.”

Fennelly also said the trip to Hawaii is good for recruiting and a great experience for the players.

“The administration has been really good about supporting those kind of things,” Fennelly said. “That is part of playing at a high level: You need to travel and showcase your program.”

Preseason workouts prepare team for onset of practice

Before practice does start for the Cyclones, the team participates in preseason workouts and is in the process of those right now.

Fennelly said the team is a little bit behind where he would like it to be right now, partially as a result of some nagging injuries.

“[Alison Lacey] has been hurt and hasn’t done anything all fall, and Heather [Ezell] has been out with some knee stuff,” Fennelly said. “Not one time have we even come close to having everyone there, so we have been a little disjointed in trying to get things moving.”

Post players Toccara Ross and Nicky Wieben are both coming off season-ending ACL injuries last season and have been participating in workouts.

Fennelly said he has been happy with the new freshmen and how they have looked so far.

“Especially the freshman guards have come in and been in good shape,” Fennelly said. “The kids that have been there are making progress.”

After banner year, Big 12 poised for another outstanding season

The Big 12 became the first conference not only to get eight teams into the NCAA tournament but also to go 8-0 in the first round of the tournament.

Eleven of the 12 teams actually made the postseason; Kansas, Texas Tech and Colorado participated in the postseason NIT, and each school returns at least three starters. Missouri and Iowa State both return their entire team. Oklahoma was prevented from returning their entire team because of shoplifting, committed by guard Jenna Plumley, which caused her to be suspended indefinitely.

Fennelly said, with the way recruiting seems to be going, the Big 12 could start getting eight teams into the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis.

“I think as coaches we go into it, at least I do, thinking the Big 12 should get eight teams in every year and maybe some year it will be more,” Fennelly said. “The challenge becomes that someone doesn’t get beat up in the non-conference and you don’t beat each other up to the point that you can’t get in.

“I think the country has a great appreciation for what the Big 12 has provided in all of our sports and certainly women’s basketball is one of them,” Fennelly said. “The teams not only got in but they did a good job when they got in.”

The Big 12 also became the first conference to have more than one team with a conference record under .500 into the NCAA tournament. Iowa State, partially because of some injuries, was one of those teams.

Fennelly said the tough non-conference schedule will help prepare the team for the Big 12 schedule.

“That schedule could really help, or you could be so beaten down that you are in trouble,” Fennelly said. “We are going to see a lot of different styles; these are all things you can build on and what you hope to say is that what you can do well against Stanford, you can do well against anyone.”

Team looking for male practice players

The Cyclones are preparing for the start of official practice on Oct. 17 but are short one thing right now.

Several of the male practice players that the team uses to prepare for opponents either graduated or were unable to participate this season. The team is looking for people to replace them.

Fennelly said this is the traditional fall transition that the scout team goes through each year.

“We just need to find some people that have a little more time that fit our practice times, which is becoming increasingly hard,” Fennelly said. “Some years you have a lot returning just like your regular team. We’re just trying to find some guys that can help us out.”