Kansas State women's basketball earns four seed, will host in the NCAA Tournament

The Wildcats get to dance at home this year. Kansas State found out that they will be hosting in the NCAA Women's Tournament in their first game as they were awarded the four-seed.

This will be the fifth time in the Jeff Mittie era that the Wildcats are heading to the NCAA Tournament and the first time they will host since 2017. K-State is set to play Portland in the first round set for either Friday, March 22, or Saturday, March 23.

K-State finished the season 24-6 and 13-5 in the Big 12. They started Big 12 play 9-0, but an injury to leading scorer and rebounder Ayoka Lee derailed the season a bit. While a team isn't just one person, this team is built around Lee and she is a leader and pivotal part.

Lee was out for a month due to ankle surgery and the Wildcats were able to win three games before losing two straight to Oklahoma and Texas. Even when Lee returned, the Wildcats struggled here and there and it seemed like everything they had worked for was slipping away.

After securing the three seed in the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas State was able to outlast West Virginia in the quarterfinals and had a date with four-seed Iowa State. Mittie and his squad unfortunately fell to the Cyclones in the semifinals, but they must have done enough to convince the selection committee to allow them to host.

Kansas State figured they would get in with an at-large bid, but you can tell their reactions, they were not expecting to host.

Even Gappy the Goat looks happy that he doesn't have to travel anywhere just yet.

The Wildcats are in a stacked region with teams like Iowa, who the Wildcats beat earlier this season, LSU, the defending champions, and UCLA. This team has their work cut out for them, but after almost two weeks off, they should be rested and ready to play in the comfort of Bramladge Coliseum.

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