The regular season is over, and every team is once again on a level playing field heading into the postseason.

In a conference as powerful as the Big 12, every team now has something to play for or something to prove at the conference tournament this week in Kansas City, Mo.

For Iowa State (18-11, 7-9 Big 12), it’s about getting every win possible in order to add the finishing touches to its NCAA Tournament resume.

The Cyclones’ chance to do so will start in the first round of the 2008 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament against Colorado, which they are facing for the third time this season.

Iowa State beat the Buffaloes both on the road, 84-77 in double overtime, and at home, 65-45, this season, but in a power conference with such an array of competitive teams, beating the same team three times is not an easy task.

“The challenge is always to not focus too much on what happened before,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “Now everybody goes into the tournament equal. The seeding is based on who gets to wear what color of uniform – other than that, it doesn’t really matter. Teams that have had great years are playing for certain things, and for teams that had disappointing years have one more chance.”

Despite taking care of the Buffaloes on both occasions this season, Colorado has a propensity for causing problems for all of its opponents. With All-Conference First team selection Jackie McFarland and All-Rookie team member Brittany Spears leading the charge, the Buffaloes will give the Cyclones plenty to worry about.

McFarland has gotten the best of Iowa State so far, pouring in 28 and 18 points in the teams’ two meetings earlier in the year.

“[McFarland] is a great player, and we can’t shut her down completely,” said sophomore Alison Lacey. “We know she’s going to score, but we have to do our best to slow her down.”

Championship week is a special time for teams, and Fennelly knows just how much fun teams of the past have had. But the fact is it’s only fun if the team keeps winning.

“It’s a great time, and everybody wants to go down there and stay,” Fennelly said. “We’ve talked about how great the tournament was last year, but the main reason was that we stayed there the whole week.”

The fifth-seeded Cyclones upset first-seeded Texas A&M to advance to the title game last season before losing to second-seeded Oklahoma and eventually earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But the framework of the team has changed quite a bit since then.

Lacey, a second-team All-Big 12 performer this season, is the lone starter from that team that will be in an Iowa State uniform for the 2008 tournament. The Cyclones lost Lindsey Medders and Megan Ronhovde to graduation, and returners Tocarra Ross and Nicky Wieben both had their 2007-2008 seasons cut short due to season-ending knee injuries.

Along with Lacey, juniors Heather Ezell and Amanda Nisleit are the only other Cyclones on the roster with tournament experience. In order to emulate the successes of last year, those three will need to step up to help lead a team loaded with players taking part in their first postseason game.

“When you look at our main six, half of us have played here and half of us haven’t,” said Ezell. “Now it’s time for the experienced ones to step up and be a leader in positions like this when not everybody is used to it.”