AMES – During Big 12 Conference media day, Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly raved about how good his team is and how pumped he was for fans to get to watch them play this season.
They finally get their chance.
The 17th-ranked Cyclones will unofficially kick off the 2025-26 campaign when they host UW-Oshkosh during an exhibition game on Oct. 28 at Hilton Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.
“I’m just really excited for our fans to get to see them play because they’re really good and have a chance to be a very, very good team,” Fennelly said last week.
Excitement has been building for a while with the Cyclones, who enter the season with huge expectations. Iowa State begins the season ranked No. 17 in the USA TODAY Sports Network Coaches poll and No. 14 in the Associated Press poll.
The Cyclones, who have the Big 12’s preseason player of the year in Audi Crooks, were also picked to finish second in the league this season.
But it’s a familiar story for Iowa State which began last season with similar high hopes. That season ended with the Cyclones unable to accomplish many of the things they set out to do.
Will this season be different? Fans will certainly find out once the season gets going. Here are three things to follow during Tuesday’s exhibition game.
What will Jada Williams bring to the point guard position?
Iowa State faces the tall task of replacing Emily Ryan, one of the best point guards in school history. Ryan, the program’s all-time assists leader, wrapped up her eligibility last season and is now a graduate assistant for the Cyclones. Jada Williams, a transfer from Arizona, will take over the starting spot. Williams has plenty of experience, averaging 11 points, 2.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds in two seasons at Arizona. She’s expected to be more of a scorer than Ryan was and bring a different type of dynamic to the spot. But what exactly will that look like? Iowa State players have also praised Williams’ defense.
Can an X-factor emerge?
The Cyclones could always count on their top two scorers from a season ago in Crooks and Addy Brown. Crooks is one of the best post players in the nation and Brown is one of the most versatile players in the country. But when Iowa State was at its best, the Cyclones got contributions from others. Arianna Jackson was a big factor at times last season. So was Sydney Harris. The two could be again this season with Jackson starting and Harris coming off the bench. Williams might be an option as well. So could Wofford transfer Evangelia Paulk, who averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season.
How does Kenzie Hare look?
One of the reasons for Iowa State’s struggles last season was the absence of Kenzie Hare. The Marquette transfer appeared in just 10 games and averaged 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game before being shut down and undergoing surgery for a preexisting hip injury. But Hare, who suffered a setback with another injury this summer, is now healthy and ready to return to form. Iowa State hopes it can get the same type of contributions from Hare that made her a dangerous player at Marquette where she broke the program record for 3s in a season by a sophomore (91). Hare gives Iowa State another ball-hander, some strong defense and a gritty player on both ends of the floor.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 3 things to watch in Iowa State women’s basketball exhibition game Tuesday
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
