For the second straight season and fifth under head coach Jeff Mittie, Kansas State women's basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament.
Although the Wildcats won't open the tournament at Bramlage Coliseum, the Wildcats are the No. 5 seed in the Spokane 4 region and will travel to Lexington, Ky., to open up their campaign.
Under Mittie, the Wildcats have never advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but they've also won a game in the NCAA Tournament four times in the tournament.
Here is a look at each team in K-State's NCAA Tournament pod ahead of Friday's games.
No. 4 seed Kentucky
Conference: SEC
Record: 22-7 (11-5 SEC)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2022 (Round of 32 loss vs. Princeton)
It didn't take long for Kentucky to bounce back after a few disappointing seasons. After finishing under .500 in two consecutive seasons, the Wildcats hired Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks to lead their program. In with Brooks was star point guard Georgia Amoore, who transferred to Lexington.
Amoore is one of the top point guards in the country, scoring 19.1 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting. Expected to be a first-round selection in the WNBA Draft, Amoore was All-SEC Second Team and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Amoore isn't just a top scorer, though, as she's also averaging close to seven assists per game.
6-foot-5 center Clara Strack is the other name to know. A Lisa Leslie Center of the Year finalist, Strack is a do-it-all center, logging 14 double-doubles this season. In the final two games of the regular season, against a pair of NCAA Tournament teams, Strack combined for 46 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks.
Kentucky might have a lower ceiling than other No. 4 seeds, but their ceiling is as high as anyone. Headlined by wins against Alabama and Tennessee, the Wildcats are battle-tested and could make a deep run in the tournament.
No. 5 seed Kansas State
Conference: Big 12
Record: 26-7 (13-5 Big 12)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2024 (Round of 32 Loss vs. Colorado)
It's challenging to gauge K-State this season because their season has been defined by how they played before and after center Ayoka Lee's injury. When Lee was healthy, the Wildcats looked like one of the most complete teams in the country, beating multiple NCAA Tournament-caliber teams. After her injury, the Wildcats treaded water but struggled against some top teams, losing games against Baylor, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia.
The good news? Lee is healthy and ready to play in the NCAA Tournament, boosting the Wildcats's chances of making a deep run in March.
It isn't just Lee that makes K-State look like a complete basketball team, though. Guard Serena Sundell is one of the best point guards in the nation, averaging 13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. Sundell was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention.
If Lee is healthy enough, most of K-State's offense will run through her and Sundell. The Wildcats thrive when they can get the ball in the low post and filter it out. From there, they rely on their plethora of three-point shooters, including guard Taryn Sides and forward Temira Poindexter.
No. 12 seed Fairfield
Conference: MAAC
Record: 28-4 (19-1 MAAC)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2024 (Round of 64 Loss vs. Indiana)
Fairfield is one of the smaller teams in the country -- their tallest player is 6-foot-2, and she doesn't play -- but head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis knows how to build around this deficiency.
The Stags have built their offense around a five-out system, prioritizing pace and three-point shooting to bridge the gap. As a result, the Stags shoot 8.8 three-pointers a game, shooting them at a 33.6 percent clip. That size, however, can lead to Fairfield getting outrebounded or dominated in the paint.
Road Runner (Fairfield calls their forwards/posts this) Meghan Andersen leads the way for the Stags, averaging 15.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. An All-MAAC First Team honoree, Andersen won the MAAC Championship MVP after scoring 27 points and making six three-pointers in the championship against Quinnipiac.
Above all else, the Stags are flat-out winners. In her three seasons in charge, Thibault-DuDonis has won 74 games and led the Stags to two NCAA Tournament appearances. She was the target for multiple high-major jobs this season but opted to remain in the Bronx.
No. 13 seed Liberty
Conference: Conference USA
Record: 26-6 (16-2 C-USA)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2018 (Round of 64 Loss vs. Tennessee)
Liberty head coach Carey Green is a staple at the university, winning 591 games in 26 seasons. In the last four seasons, Liberty has won 20 games in three seasons but hasn't gotten over the hump in their conference tournament until this season, when they beat Middle Tennessee State in the final.
Like most seasons under Green, the Flames pride themselves on winning the rebounding margin. This season, Liberty is out-rebounding their opponents by an average of eight per game. 6-foot-6 senior Bella Smurda is a big reason for their rebounding ability, grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game. Smuda had 13 rebounds in the C-USA Final, including five offensive rebounds.
Liberty will be outmatched against Kentucky, but if they can grab offensive rebounds and make their three-pointers (the Flames shoot 36.9 percent from beyond the arc), they have the makings of a dangerous team in March.
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