The comforting familiarity of Allen Fieldhouse will be nothing but a distant memory during today’s first road test.

No. 19 Kansas will travel north to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Jayhawks look to improve to 2-0 against a team they defeated 77-56 last year in Lawrence.

But the mysteries of the road can often tell a different tale.

“You walk in the door down 10,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “You’ve got to have some toughness and some resiliency to be successful.”

Senior guard Sade Morris has battled on the road for years and says that it’s important to come out with a bang.

“You’ve got to make yourself feel comfortable and get a couple of easy baskets,” Morris said.

The Hawkeyes are already 2-0, after defeating Santa Clara and Illinois State last weekend. Coach Lisa Bluder runs a young team in her 10th season in charge, led by junior Kachine Alexander. The versatile guard is already averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds per game this season and is no stranger to the triple double. Last year she became the first player in Big Ten women’s basketball history to accomplish the rare feat twice in one season. Sophomore guard Kamille Wahlin is also a dual threat with her scoring abilities and gifted passing instincts. Freshman center Morgan Johnson’s raw ability and 6-foot-5 stature sparks a match-up to watch as she dukes it out with similarly 6-5 junior center Krysten Boogaard.

“They’re big and they shoot the ball really well,” Henrickson said.

In an attempt to decelerate Iowa’s weapons and in reaction to last Sunday’s sloppy victory against Oral Roberts University, Kansas will undoubtedly have a collective focus on defense.

“There’s no way that we should let a team come in here at our home court and score 80 points, regardless of how many points we score,” senior guard Kelly Kohn said.

Kohn said the team needs to pressure the ball for four quarters and deny passes, forcing the Hawkeyes to work for their points.

“It’s still pretty early so a lot of that is learning how to play with each other,” Kohn said.

The game has amassed greater implications with preseason Big 12 favorite No. 8 Baylor dropping its opener to No. 6 Tennessee last Sunday. Sandwiched between Baylor and Kansas in the preseason polls, No. 10 Texas fell to No. 1 Connecticut Tuesday, giving Kansas an early lead in the fight for the Big 12 crown.

“We’ve got to come out and make a statement,” Morris said.

The only time Kansas has played in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, they snagged a victory in the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. And Iowa certainly hasn’t forgotten about last year’s loss in Allen Fieldhouse.

“There’s a little bit of a target on our backs,” Kohn said. “Iowa’s definitely going to want some revenge.”

The heated showdown will have a lighter side to it as well, as the annual “Buck Night” means $1 tickets enables even the most impoverished students to check out the action.

Kansas knows that regardless of the outcome, it’s still too early to use this game as a barometer for the future.

“If we win it doesn’t guarantee a great year and if we lose it doesn’t guarantee a bad year,” Henrickson said.

— Edited by Sarah Kelly