The Kansas State women's basketball team has frequented the NCAA Tournament during Jeff Mittie's tenure as head coach of the Wildcats. However, in the team's five March Madness appearances in the Mittie era, they have failed to make it out of the second round.
Ayoka Lee, one of the most dominant players in the country, has missed time recently due to a foot injury but should be good to go for the Tournament. The team ended the year on quite a skid without her, losing five of their last nine games, and lost earlier than expected in the Big 12 tournament.
Kansas State still earned a No. 5 seed in this year's tournament, but once again, the road to the Sweet 16 will not be easy. They'll have to get through No. 4 seed Kentucky in order to reach the second weekend and then take down teams like Juju Watkins' Southern California Trojans and Paige Bueckers' UConn Huskies.
With Lee back in the lineup, this team is one of the best in the country, but it's unknown how she'll fare after her injury. The fifth-year senior from Byron, Minnesota, was averaging a career-low 15.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game before leaving the court, but she has plenty of experience on the big stage, and her team will need her to play at an All-American level once again.
As a No. 5 seed, the Wildcats do have a favorable matchup in the first round, but this is March, and truly anything can happen. They'll start their journey in the first round against the automatic qualifier from the MAAC, the No. 12 seed Fairfield Stags.
How to watch Kansas State vs. Fairfield
- Date: Friday, March 21
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY)
- How to Watch: ESPNNews
- How to stream: ESPN App or fuboTV
- Kansas State record: 26-7 (13-5)
- Fairfield record: 28-4 (19-1)