Iowa State women's basketball hosts Baylor on Saturday; Bears coming off loss to Kansas

Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly was walking through a hallway of Hilton Coliseum Wednesday night on the way to his postgame press conference when he received some potentially bad news. Baylor, one of the Big 12 Conference’s top programs and the last remaining undefeated team in the league, had lost at Kansas.

“I guarantee you the team we’re playing Saturday is in a really bad mood right now,” Fennelly said at the time.

That could make things more difficult for the Cyclones. Saturday’s contest was already going to be a tough challenge. Baylor's loss means Iowa State will be playing a highly motivated team. The Cyclones (11-4 overall, 4-0 in Big 12) play host to No. 7 Baylor (14-1, 3-1 in Big 12) on Saturday at noon at Hilton Coliseum.

“My guess is it's probably not a good thing,” Fennelly said Friday while meeting with reporters on Zoom. “They came straight from Lawrence to here. So I’m sure they’ve been in a really good mood in Ames and the weather. So my guess is they’re going to be pretty fired up.”

Saturday’s showdown will be among the toughest of the season for the Cyclones, who have become one of the surprise stories of the conference. Iowa State has rattled off seven straight wins and is 4-0 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones won at Oklahoma State, took down Kansas at home and then went to BYU and picked up a victory. Their marquee win of the season came Wednesday when the Cyclones stormed back from a 19-point deficit to beat a West Virginia team that had just dropped out of the USA Today coaches poll.

Saturday offers a chance for an even bigger opportunity against a top-10 team that ranks second in the conference in scoring at 82.7 points per game.

“Baylor’s the most talented team we’ve played and I don’t think it’s close,” Fennelly said.

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Saturday's game presents an opportunity for Iowa State to bolster its postseason resume with a victory over a ranked opponent. ESPN women’s basketball bracketologist Charlie Creme has the Cyclones reaching the NCAA Tournament in his latest projections. While it’s only January, Saturday is still a huge game.

“We went into the week knowing this was going to be, without question, the hardest week up until now with the style of play that we’re going to face,” Fennelly said. “Baylor’s so skilled and so talented and solid that we’ll have our hands full.”

Former Cyclone Denae Fritz, who transferred to Baylor in the offseason, is among those players. She's averaging 2.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 10.4 minutes per game.

For the Cyclones to tally another big win, they’ll likely have to avoid falling into a giant hole like they did against West Virginia. Iowa State’s ability to battle back (similar to the Nov. 12 Drake game, which ended with a loss) was inspiring but unlikely to be replicated against Saturday’s foe.

“We’ve got to get ready to start the game,” Fennelly said. “They’ve been a great first-quarter team. Statistically they’ve dominated the first quarter all season. So I think for us, starting the game is going to be a huge part of any chance to have success.”

Fennelly is also preparing his team for another unusual challenge. This week's snowstorms could impact travel to Hilton Coliseum. The arena has typically provided a major home-court advantage for the Cyclones, especially this season as the young squad navigated through some sluggish stretches. Fennelly said he’s preparing his team to treat it like a road game. He also cautioned fans to be careful when deciding if they should travel to Saturday's game in Ames.

“That’s the kind of crowd that it’ll probably be, if not less,” he said. “You can use that as an excuse or whatever. It’s a game and you put the uniform on and play the game the right way. The people who aren’t at the game are going to be at home on their couch having a cold one, watching the game. People are going to pay attention.”

The Cyclones' 4-0 Big 12 record, in what was expected to be a rebuilding season for the Cyclones, has surprised everyone, including Fennelly.

“I knew that I think we were ready to at least get into the league and compete and see what was going to happen,” Fennelly said. “But a lot of unknowns when you start the league.”

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Game preview: Iowa State women's basketball vs. Baylor on Saturday