With only two regular season games left on the schedule for Iowa State, the Cyclones are preparing to take on No. 18 West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum.

As Iowa State gets ready to take on another ranked opponent — one that already beat them 65-56 Feb. 3 in Morgantown, West Virginia — the message from Head Coach Bill Fennelly remains the same: to control what the team can control.

With two games to go, Fennelly said the message is still the same as it was since July 16.

“Control what you can, embrace today and we’re looking forward to practicing this afternoon and going out and playing a very good West Virginia team tomorrow,” Fennelly said.

Fennelly said the chance to beat a ranked opponent is always a positive thing and special, especially right before the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments.

He added that when you play in the Big 12, you play everyone twice, so the team thinks about who they can sweep and that they also don’t want to get swept.

“For us, we have a couple sweeps, which helps your record,” Fennelly said. “Texas got us twice, you try to avoid that with West Virginia.”

Senior forward Kristin Scott said the next two games are important for Iowa State to win to decide seeding for the tournaments.

Scott said the Cyclones didn’t play their best at West Virginia and hopefully they can show up better and play a better game against the Mountaineers at home.

“For this game, it’s paying more attention to detail and our scouting report defense, I think that’s one of the biggest things,” Scott said. “We always talk about how it’s too late in the season to work on the basics so I think… just paying attention to detail and focusing on our scouting report is key.”

Scott said she expects West Virginia to play well and that both teams know what the other is capable of, so both teams will be ready to play.

The game Wednesday is also Senior Night for Iowa State, where the Cyclones will honor their three seniors on the team: Scott and guards Madison Wise and Rae Johnson.

Wise said she has been putting off thinking about it too much because it makes her sad that it is coming to a close.

“Just looking back on the four years here, Kris, Rae and I have had a great time, a great experience,” Wise said. “Everything in Ames has been so good to us, so it’s sad to think about but it’s exciting.”

Fennelly said it is a little odd for Iowa State to be celebrating Senior Night on its second-to-last home game, but the seniors need their moment.

“I feel bad that the fans aren’t here and the families can’t be on the court,” Fennelly said. “But we’re gonna do the best we can to make it a special night for them, and they’ve earned that.”

With the NCAA granting athletes an extra year of eligibility, the three seniors on the team will have the opportunity to return and play for Iowa State next year as well.

Fennelly said he hasn’t had those discussions with the three seniors yet, but they will sit down and talk after the season is over to see what everyone wants to do.

“Some schools did it during the year, I didn’t feel that was appropriate, they need to focus on this season,” Fennelly said.

Iowa State is set to tip off against West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be available to watch on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.