With eight new players on the roster, Iowa State was a completely new-look team from last season’s Big 12 Championship group. The reigning Big 12 champions will start the journey to try and repeat as Iowa State takes on No. 17 Baylor.
“Now you’re getting to the point in the season when you lose you go home,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “There’s 14 teams in this league and only one of those teams gets a trophy.”
A 5-0 start and a 4-0 finish in league play helped the Cyclones finish 12-6 in the Big 12 and grab a fourth-place finish in the regular season. Big contributions to the team were freshmen Audi Crooks and Addy Brown, the former a unanimous All-Big 12 selection and the latter a Big 12 honorable mention.
Iowa State finished the regular season 4-0, which included a win over then-No. 15 Kansas State on the road. Baylor is riding a winning streak of its own, 6-0, that started with a win over Texas Tech, who the Bears beat in their first game in the Big 12 Tournament.
Iowa State ended up as the fourth seed with a double-bye due to a tiebreaker over Baylor. Both finished 12-6 in the conference, but Iowa State won the lone game between the two in Ames, 66-63.
Crooks and senior Hannah Belanger led the charge for the Cyclones in the first game. Crooks scored 23 down low while Belanger scored 15 and shot 3-for-4 from the perimeter.
The Bears will look for revenge in the rematch. Baylor has eight upper-classmen, six of whom are seniors, so the experience may come into play this time.
“Beating anyone is hard, and we’re playing a top-20 team,” Fennelly said. “We beat them on Jan. 13. That’s two months ago.”
Offensively, Baylor and Iowa State average around 75 points per game. Defensively, Baylor has the edge, with opponents scoring 59.3 points per game while Iowa State gives up an average of 68.1.
Baylor has three players that average more than 10 points per game in forward Dre’Una Edwards, guard Sarah Andrews and guard Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. The defensive side of the ball is likely where the game will be won or lost for either team.
“This isn’t best out of seven, it’s best out of 40 minutes, so who knows how that’s going to go,” Fennelly said. “When you get into the postseason, don’t let the other guy dictate how the game is played.”
Iowa State starts the Big 12 Tournament at 11 a.m. Saturday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
