Carver Hawkeye Arena will be unlike anything the ISU women’s basketball team has seen in this young season.

A top 25 team, a true shot-blocker in the post and an ever-hostile rival crowd seem to stack the odds against the Cyclones (5-1, 0-0 Big 12) when they travel to face the No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2, 0-0 Big 10) at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11.

“Iowa’s by far the best team we’ve played up until this point, and I think it’s one of the better teams Iowa’s had in a long time,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “I really like their team. They’re very balanced; they can score from everywhere on the court in a variety of ways.”

While slowing down Iowa’s balanced scoring–which features four players averaging double digits–may appear to be the key for Iowa State, who early on this year has seen its fair share of defensive struggles, history suggests differently.

Since the 2007-2008 season, the home team in the Cy-Hawk battle has claimed the win in each and every contest. Since the series’ last road win – an 80-74 ISU victory in 2006 – the Cyclones have dropped three consecutive games in Iowa City by a combined 50 points, including losses of 20 and 22 points in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

So perhaps instead of grinding it out in a defensive battle, Iowa State will be in need of a high-scoring, fast-paced shootout to turn the tables on Iowa.

It’s not uncommon for Fennelly-coached teams to light up the scoreboard, evidenced by the team’s 10 three pointers made per game. To hit anywhere near that mark, however, the Cyclones will need the services of Brynn Williamson, who was locked down by Stony Brook on Dec. 7 to the tune of three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

To her, though, that might not be a concern moving forward.

“Last night [Dec. 7], everyone was kind of losing their heads about it and I thought it was really fun because I got to see all my teammates [step up],” Williamson said. “I mean, I don’t care if a girl wants to sit in my face for 30 minutes of the game in the corner with me. That’s fine. I’ll just watch everyone else do what they do best and hopefully we win the game.”

Essentially negating Williamson from the stat sheet, though impressive, did not have a major effect on the Cyclones against Stony Brook, as they managed to put up 74 points despite shooting only 46.6 percent from the field.

So although Iowa now has a blueprint for minimizing Williamson’s impact on the contest, the wealth of scoring threats at Fennelly’s disposal still remains largely intact, much credit for which has to be given to the success his coaching staff found when it opted for a five-guard lineup against Stony Brook.

Switching to the smaller, more versatile five-guard look may lead to Iowa State nullifying one of Iowa’s biggest defensive threats, senior center Bethany Doolittle.

“It all comes down to whatever’s working for that game,” said ISU guard Jadda Buckley. “If that’s what’s getting us buckets, getting us stops, what’s helping us score [and] getting a win in the overall, that’s what matters.”

Doolittle, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall, is averaging almost a pair of blocks per game and has certainly affected the trajectory of many others. With a lack of experience in the post, Fennelly said confidence will be the biggest factor to avoid letting Doolittle own the lane.

“We haven’t faced a shot-blocker this year, but I think when you face a shot-blocker, the number one thing you can’t do is be scared of getting your shot blocked,” Fennelly said. “Unless you’re Brittney Griner, then I’m not going in there and I don’t blame you. Everyone else, it’s kind of the thought of the shot block that’s almost worse than the block itself.”

The stage is set for the Cyclones, who not only risk missing out on a signature win early in the season, but also could find themselves on the losing side in two of three games over a two-week span.

As Fennelly noted, however, worrying about what might go wrong won’t help, so the Cyclones are simply embracing the opportunity to etch their names in Cy-Hawk history.

“It’s going to be really fun,” Williamson said. “It’ll be a tough environment to play in because I’m sure they’re ready and it’s their home gym, but like I said, we’re going to take Hilton Magic on the road to Iowa City and see what we can do with it.”