Head coach Jeff Mittie guided the Kansas State women's basketball team to a successful year. However, their March Madness journey ends after making it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002. The program and fans should be proud of how this team competed this season and gave the Wildcats faithful a strong 2024-2025 to remember.
Highlighting the year, K-State played arguably the game of the year when they stormed back from an early deficit to beat Kentucky in Lexington. Their tournament run, however, ended at three games as the Wildcats fell to the USC Trojans, 67-61.
In Spokane, KSU showed that this group belonged in conversations with some of the top programs in the nation. The back-and-forth affair was a close contest and could have ended differently. A particular point during the broadcast was how they managed to limit Kiki Iriafen. While others found a way to step up instead, it showed how competitive and good this Mittie-coached group is at forcing opponents to adjust.
At the end of the day, all anyone can ask is for a game to be within grasp and for the effort levels to give a team a chance. Right now, it's sad knowing that there isn't another shot for this exact roster to build on their legacy. What they've done at Kansas State and how they dedicated their energies to the program will be remembered for the incredible ride that this season brought the Wildcats.
Temira Poindexter, Ayoka Lee, Serena Sundell, and Jaelyn Glenn, in particular, showcased their tremendous abilities over their college careers and put together an excellent culminating season in their last years of eligibility.
Some may ask questions about what could have been if it weren't for injuries sidelining Lee throughout the season. Those are understandable. In this moment, wondering what could have been done differently or how the season could have been otherwise extended is part of what fans entertain at this point.
The ability of coach Mittie's players to adjust and show their amendability within games and the season is part of the grit that the Wildcats displayed throughout the year. They gave a good USC team everything they could handle.
Moving forward for the Kansas State women's basketball team
Unfortunately for KSU fans today, it wasn't enough to advance, but that should far from overshadow the accomplishments of this group. Their 28-8 record and 13-5 win-loss results in Big 12 play earned them top-25 status, and at times, they even made it into the top 10.
This group managed a second straight NCAA tournament appearance and advanced to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002. Mittie will look to ensure that their place at this point of the tourney won't see another extended lapse again. He will, however, have a big task in replacing the production from this outstanding senior group.
The Kansas State women's basketball program enjoyed a fun, highly successful campaign during the new-look Big 12 conference. As Mittie continues to build his culture in Manhattan, this will be one that he will turn to for future Wildcats to reference when improving their game.