It’s not every day the defending national champions come to town.

The ISU women’s basketball team has its work cut out for it as it hosts No. 8 Baylor – the defending NCAA women’s basketball national champion -ÿWednesday night.

“It’s a big game,” said freshman guard Heather Ezell. “We’ve got the defending national champions coming in and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The Bears (13-3, 3-3 Big 12) won their first 10 nonconference games before dropping their Big 12 opener against Missouri. Baylor is 3-3 in its last six games, including losses to Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

ISU coach Bill Fennelly has had the Cyclones’ (12-4, 3-2) attention turned to this week for quite some time.

“When we started practice I told them that at the end of January, which is Colorado, Baylor and Kansas State, we’re going to have a really good idea of where we are or where we aren’t,” Fennelly said. “The challenge of playing two really good teams at home is hard, but at the same time, if you want to be a good team you have to compete in those games.”

Junior guard Lyndsey Medders said she agreed, especially considering the state of the Big 12 this season.

“We’re talking about being a bubble team, with 17, 18 or 19 wins,” she said. “If you see a win against Baylor, and hopefully we can grab a couple more, that’s what’s going to elevate our status.”

Fennelly said the Cyclones can’t afford to be intimidated by the Bears’ national championship, especially considering they have lost multiple players from the championship team.

Still, talent remains at a high level in Waco, Texas.

“We’re not really playing the defending national champions, we’re playing a program that won the national championship,” he said. “They have some different players, but the same mentality -ÿtoughness at both ends of the court.”

The Bears are led by standout All-American Sophia Young, who is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. In addition, Baylor averages almost 74 points while outrebounding its opponents by 4.6 every game.

“We’re going to do what we always try and do, which is shut down their best player, but you can’t completely shut down a player like Sophia Young,” Medders said. “She’s too athletic and too experienced.”

Fennelly said he agreed.

“I told our players that she’s the best all-around player this team will face this season,” he said. “She scores, she rebounds and she defends. She’s got a lot of high energy.”

In addition to Young, Fennelly said Baylor’s staff and athletes rank among the nation’s best.

“They have arguably one of the best coaches in the country, and arguably one of the top two or three players in the country,” he said. “The names are different, some of the numbers are different, but the Baylor program stands for something.”

Fennelly said the key to a Cyclone victory lies in rebounds, free throws and turnovers. The only Big 12 team Iowa State has outrebounded this season is Colorado, a game Iowa State won.

Turnovers and fouls remain the biggest factor in Iowa State’s play. In their loss to Texas the Cyclones had 30 turnovers, compared to the four turnovers in their win over the Buffaloes.

If Iowa State keeps those areas under control, does it have a chance to beat Baylor?

“I think we do,” Ezell said. “We don’t want two disappointments in one season. We feel like we have a chance to play with them.”

It’s a game the entire team feels it needs in order to open some eyes this season.

“We’re going to get their best shot, but they’re also going to get ours,” Medders said. “We’re a team that needs this win, and then is going to need a win against K-State.”

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.