Thanksgiving break will be a little shorter for the ISU women’s basketball team, as they will travel to Iowa City on Wednesday to battle intrastate rival Iowa.

The Cyclones will enter the game at a slight disadvantage, as it will be their first regular season game. The Hawkeyes will have two games under their belt as they start tonight against Marquette and play on Sunday vs. Utah.

“Obviously it’s a big game, it starts the season,” ISU coach Bill Fennelly said. “Anytime you play your rival and open up the season [at Iowa], I’m sure there will be a lot more emotion than most opening games.”

Iowa returns all 13 members from its team of last season but ISU junior guard Tracy Gahan said it isn’t a main concern.

“We do have pretty good leaders on our team right now, we do have some young faces, but they’ve stepped up in practice. I think we’re gonna be fine,” Gahan said.

Iowa State lost three key players from last season’s team that beat Iowa 79-69. Stacy Frese, who scored 19 points against the Hawkeyes, has graduated to the WNBA along with Desiree Francis. Also gone from the team is Monica Huelman.

Senior co-captain Megan Taylor expects that the Hawks will enter the game with a lot of confidence.

“I think obviously they’re gonna come in very confident, I’m sure their coach has them pumped up for the game, and they have two games before us,” Taylor said.

Playing at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is something that the Cyclones aren’t used to doing to start off the season, but once the game gets going, the Cyclones feel that they will be settled down and ready to go.

“I don’t really think it’s a concern,” Gahan said. “Maybe they’ll be a little bit more calm coming into it. We might still have a little bit of nerves, but when the game gets going, I don’t really think that’s going to play into effect at all,”

Fennelly said that opening at Iowa is “obviously a disadvantage” but added that “if you can’t get ready to play that one, you’re never going to be ready.”

Senior guard and co-captain Erica Haugen pointed out that one of the main concerns coming into the game will be cutting down on turnovers.

The Cyclones have turned the ball over 38 times in their two exhibition games, both victories.

“[We need to] limit the turnovers that we make, and cut down on the stupid turnovers, the ones that we don’t need to make,” Haugen said.

Taylor added that defense is also something that could use some work, along with everything else.

“I think [we need to improve] a little of everything,” Taylor said. “There’s not one thing that we can key on, but I think the big thing that we need to really work on is our defense. Our offense is gonna come, we’ve got people who can score.”

The Iowa-Iowa State rivalry has added a new face this year, as the Hawkeyes have a new coach, Lisa Bluder from Drake University.

Bluder compiled a record of 187-106 at Drake, and has a 7-3 record against the Cyclones while at Drake.

Perhaps the biggest factor in the game will be the rivalry itself.

“Everywhere we go it’s ‘beat Iowa, just beat Iowa, we don’t care what you do,'” Haugen said of the rivalry. “It’s a huge game, they have just as much pressure to win, just for that factor, as we do.”

Taylor said that the Cyclones will have to “be on our toes” because the Hawkeyes won’t be intimidated.

“They are all going to be experienced because they’ve all played us,” Taylor said.

The game starts at 7 p.m. in Iowa City.