Iowa State women’s basketball head coach Bill Fennelly, along with select players, flew to Kansas City to attend Big 12 basketball media day Tuesday.

With the season quickly approaching, Fennelly gave insight into what to expect out of Iowa State. Although Iowa State’s season ended in a Sweet 16 run, the team knows there’s more to prove in the upcoming season.

Iowa State will enter the year with a target on its back, topping the Big 12 Preseason Poll and starting the season ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25 Poll. That is the second-highest Preseason AP Top 25 ranking in program history.

“I think we’re in a better position than we were to start the year last year,” Fennelly said. “We’ll see where the next six months takes us.”

Throughout the preseason, Fennelly has praised the current state of the team, as all five starters are returning, with the addition of impactful offseason pickups. Fennelly has even said the current team is one of the greatest he’s ever coached, rivaling the dominant 2000s team.

The returning team is special, and Fennelly sees that. They have the talent to make waves, and there seems to be no limit to their ceiling.

“It takes me back to one of the greatest times as Iowa State’s coach back around 2000,” Fennelly said. “This group is almost the exact same.”

Although the Cyclones look as good as ever, the Big 12 also appears to be a powerhouse. A lot of Big 12 teams made it far in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and look to be coming back stronger.

Four teams, including Iowa State, were ranked in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, with Texas coming in at No. 3. Baylor and Oklahoma also cracked the top 20. With how dominant the Big 12 looks, Iowa State will have to be on point during every game in the conference season.

“You better show up and play,” Fennelly said. “There were times maybe where you kind of felt you could pencil in two wins here or there. That’s not going to happen this year.”

Fennelly reiterated how tough the schedule is and isn’t going to take any weeks off. To compete with other strong teams in the conference, the Cyclones will have to figure out areas to work on going forward.

To give themselves the best chance of success, the Cyclones will have to learn to adapt well to different styles of play. Texas’ pressure and Baylor’s size gave them problems during Big 12 play, and Creighton got the better of them during the NCAA Tournament.

“You can’t really just work on one thing,” Ashley Joens said. “You have to work on everything.”

One huge offseason transfer that should help the Cyclones immensely is 6-foot-6 forward Stephanie Soares. Fennelly has noted on multiple occasions that Soares is every bit of that height, and the added length will fill the holes the Cyclones had last year.

“The ability for Steph to stretch the defense will be something we didn’t have last year,” Fennelly said.

Not only that, Soares should take some attention off Joens, allowing Joens to be even more productive. Fennelly said he didn’t know the analytics but was sure Joens was one of the most double-teamed players in the nation.

With all the pieces coming together, Cyclone fans should be in for another memorable season. From his first game in front of a crowd of 310 to now being one of the top schools in the nation in attendance, Fennelly has seen the hype grow exponentially around women’s basketball.

The sport as a whole is continuing to grow every year, and conference executives are starting to take notice. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said he wants to see more women’s basketball on primetime, as continued growth deserves continued support.

“We want to amplify and elevate women’s sports in every way possible,” Yormark said.

However, Iowa State’s focus is at home. Hilton Coliseum continues to be one of the most special places in the Big 12 to play, thanks to the fan base.

The Hilton Magic was in the air every single home game as the Cyclones cruised to a Sweet 16 finish. The players know how special Hilton is and are working hard every day to bring the magic back for the upcoming season.

“We have the best fans in the country,” Joens said. “By far.”