Coach Bill Fennelly was frank when asked about what the Cyclones needed to beat Baylor on the road Wednesday night.

“A miracle,” Fennelly said with a chuckle. “[Baylor] can’t play the way they normally play.”

Coming off of a loss to Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve, Iowa State is heading into the meat of a difficult conference stretch, including two match-ups with the sixth-ranked Bears in two weeks. The 7-6 Cyclones will have to compete with a difficult atmosphere in Waco, Texas, and with four newcomers on the roster, Fennelly said the Cyclones will have to make sure they don’t lose the game “before they even get on the airplane.”

In Iowa State’s last two trips to the Ferrell Center, the Cyclones have lost by a total of 63 points. Iowa State hasn’t beaten the Bears since a 76-71 home victory on February 28, 2015. In that win, Fallon Ellis led the Cyclones with 18 points and was one of four Iowa State players to score in double figures.

Emily Durr only played two minutes in that game, but the senior guard is the only member of the roster remaining from the victory and her experience in tough road environments will be a big boost to this largely inexperienced Iowa State team.

Durr knows how tough it can be for a young player to be confident in Waco.

“As a freshman and sophomore, it is a huge mental state to have,” Durr said. “You’ve got to get over that…It’s just a game, it’s basketball and we know how to play it.”

The Bears are famous for their long line of high-quality centers, from Brittney Griner to current starter Kalani Brown. The junior center is averaging 22.2 points per game and shooting 73.6 percent from the floor.

Iowa State will have to throw the kitchen sink at Brown to limit her impact, which is why the health of junior center Bride Kennedy-Hopoate is so important to the Cyclones’ chances. The Aussie’s physical style of play is unmatched by any other post on Iowa State’s roster.

Kennedy-Hopoate was elbowed in the face during the third quarter of the Cyclones’ loss to Oklahoma. She underwent concussion protocol and returned in the fourth quarter to play the last four minutes of the game.

Kennedy-Hopoate said she was feeling good and was excited for the challenge.

“It’s gonna be really good for us to see what we can do against one of the best,” Kennedy-Hopoate said. “It’s exciting, and we’re ready.”

As if the strong post play wasn’t enough, the Bears lead the Big 12 in every offensive category, averaging 92 points per game on 52.8 percent shooting from the floor.

Baylor also leads the conference in assists per game (23.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio at nearly 2-to-1. A large part of that efficiency can be attributed to the efforts of senior guard Kristy Wallace, who is averaging 5.3 assists per game and shooting 44.7 percent from 3-point range.

Wallace is just the latest Baylor guard to impress Fennelly.

“Whether it’s Odyssey Sims, or Niya Johnson, or now it’s [Wallace], they always have a guard that does exactly what they need,” Fennelly said. “She’s experienced, she’s tough-minded.”

However good Baylor is (“They check off all the boxes” according to Fennelly), the Cyclones have a chance to test themselves against a top-10 opponent.

Fennelly is really interested in how his team responds to that test.

“I think you learn a lot about yourself in these kind of games, good and bad,” Fennelly said. “Hopefully there’ll be more good that comes out of it.”