A quick opening to the regular season awaits the Cyclones this weekend when they face Cleveland State at 2:30 p.m. Sunday then turn around and play Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Monday.

“We might have to juggle the lineup for the two games in two days; that’s not something we do much anymore,” said head coach Bill Fennelly. “We’ve worked them pretty hard in practice this week, though.”

The first opponent will be somewhat of an unknown. Cleveland State has only played one exhibition game — a loss to the Ohio Girls Basketball Report Legends — and it opens its season Friday against Virginia.

Cleveland State returns only two starters from last year but has some talented freshmen and sophomores who will see a lot of minutes.

The second opponent, Northern Colorado, is also getting a fast start to the season on the road. The Bears play at Nebraska on Friday, then travel to Des Moines to face Drake on Sunday playing in Hilton Coliseum on Monday.

“We’re going to have to go deeper on the bench,” Fennelly said. “Everyone will have to play more minutes.”

Some Cyclones aren’t too worried about exhaustion, though.

Senior forward Katie Robinette said the team’s three or four practices a week are often harder than the games.

One thing that might be an issue, though, is size in the post. Iowa State has enjoyed a big size advantage in its two exhibition games, and outscored its opponents in the paint 90-26 so far, but it will face a taller lineup Sunday.

“It will help us get ready for the Big 12,” Robinette said. “There are some big girls out there.”

Cleveland State has four players taller than 6 foot 2 inches, and some strong guards who can rebound well. Northern Colorado has three women that size, but two are freshmen and the other is a sophomore.

“[Cleveland State] is a Division I team, and we have to play them accordingly,” Fennelly said. “They have some athletic guards, not unlike us, who can rebound the ball well. And they’ll have a tough test behind them already, playing Virginia Friday night.”

The Cyclones will keep their starting five of Mary Fox, Megan Ronhovde, Brittany Wilkins, Anne O’Neil and Robinette. Lyndsey Medders was slated to start before the season began, but she has some minor injuries.

“The starting five is set for now,” Fennelly said. “Anne O’Neil is just playing better right now, but Lyndsey will see a lot of time in the game.”

Fennelly said he hopes Iowa State doesn’t get caught looking ahead to the next game or toward any others down the road.

Robinette said that’s hard sometimes.

“We try to take it one game at a time, but it is in the back of my mind,” Robinette said. “The Big 12 will be starting soon and we’ll be going to Las Vegas for a possible rematch against UNLV, the team that knocked Iowa State out of the NIT last year. It’s always there,” she said.