As Iowa State’s season continues to wind down, things have not been going the Cyclones’ way as they enter their final six games losing their last five of six games.
Iowa State will be looking to turn that around, but it will not come easy as they host a defensive juggernaut in No. 7 Kansas State on Wednesday night.
This season, the Wildcats have heavily relied on the success brought by its superstar center, Ayoka Lee, who has been widely known as one of the best, if not the best, center in the Big 12.
In her 18 games played, Lee has averaged 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game which all are within the top seven in the conference, as she’s been a force to be reckoned with all season long.
But during Kansas State’s past six games, they have had to compete without Lee on their team, as she underwent an ankle surgery that kept her out for nearly a month. In those six games, the Wildcats still maintained a positive record (4-2) but had also dropped their first two conference games in back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and then-No. 12 Texas.
With Lee being out, there was a clear weakness within the Kansas State team as the average point margin between the teams they beat during this stretch was 4.25. Three out of those four games finished within one score, as the Wildcats had to fight down to the wire to secure some tough wins.
However, Lee is expected to be available and healthy to play against Iowa State in Ames on Wednesday night as Kansas State will regain its star player at a key time during its season. The Wildcats currently sit in second place in the Big 12, only behind No. 23 Oklahoma.
Iowa State center Audi Crooks has not faced as talented of a center as Lee in her short time in collegiate play, and she explains how it will be a great challenge for her to go up against one of the best in the conference.
“Since [Lee] is one of the more established centers in the league, it’ll be nice to play a more well-known level of post-competition so I look forward to that matchup,” Crooks said.
Aside from Lee, one of the biggest reasons for the Wildcats’ success is the defensive side of the ball, as Kansas State leads the Big 12 in average points scored against (54.3) while holding opposing teams to its worst shooting from the field (34.4%).
The reason that the Wildcats have played such dominant defense comes from the team’s height average, more specifically, the guards. Kansas State currently has five guards who hold at least a height of 5’11” while Lee sits at 6’6” in the post.
As Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly prepares for this dominant Wildcats team, he realizes that getting the offense going will be a difficult task with the height and versatility of a team like Kansas State.
“They’re a really good defensive team. I think the biggest thing is their big guards. They’re physical, long and can switch a lot. When you have tall guards, it creates a harder shot selection,” Fennelly said.
Iowa State guard Kelsey Joens believes beating the Wildcats will not be easy, especially with their defensive prowess, so she prepares to help get the Cyclones offense going against Kansas State Wednesday night.
“They’re gonna be super aggressive. We just gotta take care of the ball and find the open person while doing the simple things that will make everything fine,” Joens said.
This matchup with the Wildcats will also be the final weekday game that Iowa State will host this season, as the Cyclones will take on No. 7 Kansas State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+.
