Kansas State Wildcats
Big 12 (19-13, 9-9)
Thirteen losses might be enough to knock any team out of NCAA tournament contention. If the 13 losses come against quality competition, then the selection committee might be more forgiving. That’s the case with a team like Kansas State, a team that lost to some quality clubs and beat quite a few others. Although the Wildcats were thumped by Baylor in the Big 12 semifinals, which isn’t quite as bad as you might think, Kansas State landed squarely on the bubble.
Big Wins: 1/04 Texas A&M (71-69, OT), 01/14 at Texas Tech (62-61)
Bad Losses: 11/24 Hofstra (54-64), 12/20 at UNLV (38-44, 2/25 at Missouri (61-56, OT)
Coach: Deb Patterson (16 years at Kansas State)
Why They Can Surprise:
Kansas State can be quite stingy on defense when it comes to allowing teams to score points. The Wildcats are 42nd overall in scoring defense at 55.2 points per game. This includes games where Kansas State held opponents to 34 points (Wichita State), 43 points (Kansas) and 45 points (Texas). Although Kansas State shoots 28.2 percent from 3-point range, the Wildcats do have some quality weapons in Brittany Chambers and Tasha Dickey. When Dickey and Jalana Childs get hot in terms of shooting, Kansas State can explode (37.9 percent shooting). Childs, Dickey and Branshea Brown were all above 40 percent shooting from two-point range. Mariah White is an expert at ballhandling, with a nearly 2-1 ratio in assists to turnovers (157 to 81).
Why They Can Disappoint:
The 13 losses Kansas State suffered largely came against top-flight teams like Baylor (three times), Oklahoma (twice) and Iowa State (twice). If a team like Missouri can beat the Wildcats, however, something might be wrong. Kansas State was on the bubble and point to the Cats’ 61-56 loss to Missouri in overtime as a main reason why. You simply can’t lose to the last-place team in the Big 12 and not have it bite you come tournament time. A loss to Hofstra, 64-54, in November also hurts. The Colonial Athletic Association is a mid-major conference, and major-conference teams are expected to beat the mid-major squads.
Probable Starters:
Tasha Dickey, Senior, Guard, 10.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Jalana Childs, Senior, Forward, 14.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Branshea Brown, Senior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Brittany Chambers, Junior, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 6.3 rpg
Mariah White, Junior, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
JuliAnne Chisholm, Senior, Guard/Forward, 2.3 ppg
Chantay Caron, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 57.0 (269th in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 55.2 (42, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 37.9 (215, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.1 (89, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.0 (143, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 28.2 (217, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.3 (185, 8)
Rebound Margin: -2.2 (243, 10)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (199, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.8 (38, 3)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Kansas State 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Purdue
Kansas State 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Drexel
Kansas State 2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Vanderbilt
Kansas State 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Chattanooga
Kansas State 2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Louisville
Kansas State 2007 NIT Second Round win over Southern Illinois
Kansas State 2007 NIT Third Round win over Illinois
Kansas State 2007 NIT Fourth Round win over Auburn
Kansas State 2007 NIT Semifinal loss to Wyoming
Kansas State 2006 NIT First Round win over Idaho State
Kansas State 2006 NIT Second Round win over Fresno State
Kansas State 2006 NIT Third Round win over Nebraska
Kansas State 2006 NIT Semifinal win over Western Kentucky
Kansas State 2006 NIT Final win over Marquette
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
