With four games to go in the regular season and a conference title on the line, Iowa State women’s basketball is simply focused on Wednesday’s matchup with Kansas.

The Jayhawks lost a matchup against the Cyclones Jan. 26 but have since won their past seven games. The winning streak has boosted Kansas to a 10-4 Big 12 record, just one game out of the top spot, which is shared between Baylor and Iowa State at 11-3.

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly is excited for the final stretch of the season, saying that it is the reason that people buy into work that goes into being great.

“This is why you’ve done what you’ve done your whole year,” Fennelly said. “Everyone invests a little bit more, and I think it’s easier to ask that of them, especially at this point in the season.”

The thing that makes Kansas such a tough matchup is the team’s scoring balance. Averaging 72.8 points per game as a team, the scoring leader for the Jayhawks is Holly Kersgieter, and she averages just 14.0 points per game.

Just about any player on the Kansas roster is capable of scoring double figures, and Fennelly is aware of this.

“They’ve been very efficient offensively; they’ve won games in a lot of different ways,” Fennelly said. “Their offensive balance is really, really good.”

The 77-62 win over Kansas back in January was important for the Cyclones at the time because it snapped Iowa State’s two-game losing streak; however, Kansas has vastly improved since then, and the Cyclones are fully aware of that.

Pursuing a regular-season Big 12 title is appealing to the Cyclones, but right now, they are solely focused on taking the season one game at a time. Sitting in a tie with Baylor at the top of the standings, every game will be crucial for the Cyclones from here on out.

Iowa State point guard Emily Ryan said that while it is hard to ignore where the Cyclones currently stand, if they want to finish on top, they will have to block out the noise.

“We’re aware of where everyone is just because you’re gonna see it,” Ryan said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. We’re really focused on Kansas right now and just doing what we can to beat them.”

Through all of the buzz, one thing is clear for the Cyclones: stay focused on the task at hand.

The game is set to be played at 7 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPN+.