Kansas State Wildcats women’s basketball team earns No. 5 seed in NCAA Tournament
The Kansas State women’s basketball team is heading back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
But the Wildcats will not be hosting games at Bramlage Coliseum this year.
K-State earned a No. 5 seed on the March Madness bracket. That means the Wildcats will hit the road and begin play against No. 12 seed Fairfield in a first-round game on Friday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
Tip off will be at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNEWS.
If the Wildcats win that game they will face the winner of No. 4 seed Kentucky and No. 13 seed Liberty in the second round.
That game will also be played on Kentucky’s home court. Lexington will be a popular destination for college hoops this week, as Rupp Arena is also hosting games in the men’s tournament.
K-State head coach Jeff Mittie and his players learned their NCAA Tournament path during a watch party on campus.
“I’m excited,” K-State guard Serena Sundell said. “I like us on the road. We love to go play in other people’s places, and Kentucky will have a really good atmosphere. I think I have some distant family out there, so hopefully we’ll have a good crowd.”
The Wildcats narrowly missed out on hosting games at Bramlage Coliseum. They needed to earn a No. 4 seed or better to play postseason games on their home floor.
There was some disappointment about missing out on that opportunity, especially after they got to experience life as a host team last year.
“Part of my disappointment is just that it’s rewarding our fans and knowing that they want to be a part of this,” Mittie said. “It was so special last year for them to be a part of it ... They have invested in us and I know they want to be a part of it, but we’re excited to be in the bracket. I’ve never coached at Kentucky, so from a basketball perspective it’s a state that loves their basketball. I would guess that it’ll be a great atmosphere there for the four of us.”
It seemed like K-State was destined for a better seed in the NCAA Tournament when it began the season 19-1. But the Wildcats stumbled to the end of the regular season after star center Ayoka Lee was sidelined with a fractured foot. K-State enters March Madness with an overall record of 26-7.
Lee is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
She returned to practice this past week and is on track to start for the Wildcats in the postseason.
K-State is hoping that with her back in the lineup it will contend for its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2002.
This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 7:50 PM.