The Kansas State women's basketball team is showing they are a force to be reckoned with. They have won 15 straight games, four straight without their leading scorer Ayoka Lee. The Wildcats are undefeated in Big 12 play and have just moved up again in the rankings.
The Wildcats came in at No. 2 in this week's AP Top 25 rankings. They moved up two rankings jumping over Caitlyn Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. This matches the best ranking in program history. The last time the Wildcats were ranked this high was back in November 2002.
Keep on moving, keep climbing #KStateWBB x @AP_Sports pic.twitter.com/tw1NNqmENp
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) January 29, 2024
The Wildcats have the top-ranked defense in the Big 12 and while they have had closer games in the last week, they have still been able to close out games when needed.
Players such as Gabby Gregory and Serena Sundell have shown thier dominance all season long, but it wasn't until Lee got injuries that more players stepped up. Sundell has let the Wildcats in scoring since Lee went out. Sophomore Eliza Maupin has also stepped up and played more minutes for the Wildcats and contributed to the Wildcats comeback win over No. 13 Baylor with 16 points.
Lee is set to be out for at least three more weeks with an ankle injury she suffered in the game against Texas. The Wildcats will have to play at Oklahoma and Texas without the star senior, who was named a top-10 finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award. This will be the toughest matchup for the Wildcats so far without their All-American center.