AMES – The Cyclones are leveraging their past experiences against ranked opponents through a challenging game schedule to prepare for the intense competition in the Big 12.
“I think the schedule set us up perfectly, just seeing top-tier competition, literally some of the best athletes in the country we played against and now taking that momentum and taking that strategy into the Big 12 league is going to be beneficial for us in the long run,” sophomore center Audi Crooks said.
Heading into the season, Iowa State was already aware of its tough schedule. The first challenges of the season were two back-to-back in-state rivalry games, where the Cyclones were handed their first loss of the season against Northern Iowa before defeating Drake.
“I think we are ready, we have had a tough schedule to start, but I think that has just prepared us,” freshman guard Aili Tanke said. “Now that Big 12 starts, we are 0-0.”
Following the long week of in-state games, the Cyclones faced their first out-of-state tournament of the season against their first ranked opponent in No. 4 South Carolina, where Iowa State was handed its second loss of the season after a 76-36 defeat.
The Cyclones continued their series of games against ranked opponents, facing their final in-state rival, No. 21 Iowa. The Cy-Hawk game ended in a disappointing loss due to the intense pressure, but the team was able to gain valuable skills both individually and collectively.
“We have played some tough teams in some tough environments, and every Big 12 game has big stakes, so we were able to experience that a little bit, so we will be ready,” Tanke said.
On Tuesday, Iowa State played against its third ranked opponent of the season in No. 4 UConn. Although they were expected to lose against this formidable team before starting Big 12 competition, the Cyclones viewed the 101-68 defeat as a valuable learning experience.
Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly mentioned that when setting up schedules, every team does it differently to affect their team.
When setting up the Cyclones’ schedule, Fennelly’s goal was to get his players experienced with the competition so when Big 12 play begins, it will not be the first time they experience these challenges.
“If you play a bunch of bad teams, do you really get better? Do you really know what you are not good at? Do you put yourself in stressful, uncomfortable situations not just in good teams but in road environments?” Fennelly said. “All that kinda stuff that you are going to see in conference play.”
Iowa State’s first Big 12 conference game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. The Cyclones will be entering Big 12 play with a 9-4 overall record.
“Obviously if you look at our record it’s not going to show how good of a team we actually are,” Crooks said. “But we put a schedule together like the one we did because we wanted a lot of trials and wanted to get tested early so that we are battle-ready for [the] Big 12.”
