The Kansas State women’s basketball team is loaded and ready to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament under long-time coach Jeff Mittie.
Mittie and the Wildcats went 26-8 last year, finishing third in the Big 12 standings and reaching the second round of March Madness.
The Wildcats are coming into this season after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March and returning just about every meaningful piece from last year’s team, with the exception of Gabby Gregory, who ran out of eligibility.
To replace her Kansas State tapped into the transfer portal and brought in Tulsa’s Temira Poindexter, who averaged 21 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists last season. As hard as it is to believe, she might be an upgrade over Gregory, who became a fan favorite in two seasons.
Center Ayoka Lee is back. So is guard Serena Sundell. So are the Glenn sisters. The Wildcats are loaded. They know this is the year they have to make a run.
Here’s a preview of the Kansas State Wildcats’ upcoming season.
Odds
Vegas Insider gave Kansas Stae +10000 odds to win the national championship earlier this year. The Big 12 coaches voted the Wildcats to win the conference in the preseason poll. Kansas State was picked No. 13 in the AP preseason Top 25.
Three Players to Watch
C Ayoka Lee: What is there to know about the 6-6 Lee that one doesn’t already know? Her K-State athletic bio reads like a novel — and that’s after missing a full season in 2022-23 due to injury. She is the first player in school history and third in Big 12 history with 2,000 or more points, 1,000 or more rebounds and 300 or more blocks. Yeah, he’s going to be a factor.
G Serena Sundell: Time flies. It wasn’t that long ago that Sundell was a freshman who was thrown into the fire of leading an experienced team as their point guard. Now the senior is in her final season in Manhattan. The All-Big 12 first-team selection of a year ago averaged 12.1 points and continues to climb up the program’s record book.
G Jaelyn and Brylee Glenn: The sisters aren’t interchangeable, but one thing they have in common is that they’re two of the toughest on-ball defenders in the conference. Jaelyn is fifth in career steals per game at K-State (2.1 spg) and Brylee has averaged more than a steal per game each of her three seasons.
Biggest Strength
Experience. The likely starting five on a given night will be Lee, Sundell, the Glenn sisters and Poindexter. But this team can go four deep on the bench and not lose much. Taryn Sides is Sundell’s heir apparent and when she’s on the floor she’s a dogged defender. Zyanna Walker can be a sixth player that brings instant offense. She can also start. When Lee missed a few games due to injury, forwards Gisela Sanchez and Eliza Maupin stepped up and had big games. Sanchez has a shot deep enough to stretch defenses while Maupin is more of a traditional center. Every player set to play a critical role, with the exception of the sophomore, Sides, has played two or more years of college basketball.
Biggest Weakness
Honestly, it’s hard to find one. Teams that beat Kansas State tend to get them into a full court game with their overall speed and transition. So, if the Wildcats aren’t shooting well, combined with an opponent with great team speed that wants to play up-tempo, that can be a problem for them. In those games, shooting well will be critical, especially in the one-and-done of the NCAA Tournament.
Season Prediction
This is it. This is the team. Every member of the projected starting lineup is a senior. This is Lee’s final year. Same for Sundell and the Glenn sisters. They’ve played together for as long as one can remember. There is quality depth at every position. The pieces should fit together. There’s a reason the coaches voted them No. 1 (by a sliver) over Iowa State. If any Kansas State women’s team is going to make a run in March Madness, this is the one.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
