One team has been on guard Senna Johnson’s mind in the past few days: TCU (12-11, 4-8 Big 12). 

When Iowa State (12-11, 4-8 Big 12) travels to Forth Worth, Texas, on Saturday, Johnson, who struggled in the last matchup, will get another shot at the Horned Frogs. 

It’s something that she hasn’t been able to shake in the days leading up to the game. 

“That’s been on my mind a lot lately, but I’m really excited to play them again,” Johnson said. “I think it’s going to be a good game.”

Just a couple of weeks ago, on Jan. 27, Johnson took the court despite dealing with a left knee injury she sustained against Baylor in the previous game. It was a game-time decision to put her in the lineup, but the team ultimately cleared her to play. 

Almost immediately, it was evident that Johnson didn’t look like her normal self. She seemed hesitant to drive the lane, and it showed in the statistics.

Johnson had three points in the first half, going 1-for-6 from the field. But her second half was even worse, as she went scoreless and finished 0-for-5 from the field. The Cyclones lost that game, 72-62. 

Her struggles didn’t last long, as she returned to normal against Oklahoma three days later. 

As ISU coach Bill Fennelly prepares himself for the second go-around against TCU, he regrets his decision to put Johnson in the game. 

“We shouldn’t have played her,” Fennelly said. “She wasn’t hurt, but she was in a position where probably it would’ve been smart to sit her. You could tell. The way she played — we watched the film again this morning — she wasn’t herself. You could tell. She tried to play, she wanted to play, she was released to play, but I should’ve just stepped in and said no.”

But this time he doesn’t have to worry about a tough decision regarding Johnson. With Johnson in the lineup and fully healthy, Iowa State hopes to get out of the recent funk.

“When she’s healthy and doing the things that she can do, she’s an All-Big 12 player,” Fennelly said. “But it will be nice to have her back and hopefully we can keep her healthy the rest of the way. She feels really good. She feels the best she’s felt, literally since she fell in the Baylor game.”

But it’s going to take more than a healthy Johnson to end Iowa State’s recent struggles, losing seven games of its last eight. 

The Horned Frogs have a tendency to shift their defense, making it hard for the Cyclones’ to get a constant flow, Fennelly said. It’s part of the reason why TCU handed Iowa State a loss two weeks ago. 

The big threat, though, is the Horned Frogs’ ability to score. TCU leads the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, which lends itself to long runs that can put a game out of reach. 

“They can put them up on bunches, so you’ve really go to be careful of that,” Fennelly said. “It starts with their ability to really break you down on the bounce with their guards.”

The key for the Cyclones this weekend will be to push their tempo and keep a rhythm in the face of a constantly changing defense.

“With them changing up so much, it’s just kind of like recognizing what kind of defense they’re in early so you can get a flow going because it is hard when they’re in different defenses,” said guard Jadda Buckley. “So we’ve just got to try and stay calm.”