The Kansas State women’s basketball team will try to extend its 2025 NCAA Tournament run Sunday with a 1 p.m. second-round game against Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Wildcats (27-7), seeded fifth in the Spokane 4 regional, are coming off an 85-41 first-round blowout of No. 12 Fairfield on Saturday, but now must take on No. 4 Kentucky (23-7) on its home court. Kentucky held on to beat Liberty in the opening round, 79-78.
The game, which will air live on ESPN, marks just the second ever meeting between the two Wildcat teams. Kentucky won the only previous matchup, 60-49, on Dec. 3, 2020, in Manhattan.
Watch Kansas State women’s basketball vs. Kentucky live on Fubo (free trial)
The winner Sunday will advance to the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals in Spokane, Washington and face either No. 1 seed Southern California or No. 9 Mississippi State. K-State has not made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2002.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA women’s basketball scores, schedules, teams and more.
Here are three things to know, plus a prediction, for Sunday’s game.
Related: Kansas State women’s basketball vs. Kentucky game time set for March Madness second round
Related: How to buy Kansas State women’s basketball tickets for 2025 March Madness
Last year’s early exit motivates K-State
A year ago, K-State started the tournament at home as a No. 4 seed, only to fall in the second round to No. 5 Colorado, 63-50. The Wildcats hope to flip the narrative this time, using the 2024 disappointment as motivation and evidence that it can be done.
“It’s extremely motivating to go out like that, especially on your home court,” K-State sophomore guard Taryn Sides said Saturday. “So, we want to do the same to Kentucky tomorrow.
“They do it to you, next year turn it around.”
A closer look at the Kentucky Wildcats
First-year Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks has quickly turned a Wildcat program around that last year went 12-20. He coached the previous eight seasons at Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years, including the Final Four in 2023.
Kentucky’s two best players, graduate point guard Georgia Amoore and sophomore center Clara Strack, accompanied Brooks from Virginia Tech. Amoore, who scored 34 points with eight assists against Liberty on Saturday, was a first team All-Southeastern Conference pick and newcomer of the year, and leads the Wildcats with 19.6 points and 6.9 assists per game.
Strack, a second-team all-conference selection and SEC defensive player of the year, averages 15.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
K-State poised for a different style in second round
K-State imposed its will on Fairfield in the first round with a decisive size advantage. Fairfield had just one starter taller than 6 feet, and the Wildcats successfully lobbed the ball inside to 6-6 center Ayoka Lee, who scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes.
Kentucky presents a bigger challenge, literally, with a front line of 6-5 center Strack, 6-4 forward Teonni Key and 6-3 forward Amelia Hassett. The Wildcats also bring 6-7 freshman center Clara Silva off the bench.
K-State outrebounded Fairfield, 44-19, but Kentucky’s Strack averages 9.7 rebounds, Key 8.0 and Hassett 7.9.
Prediction: Kansas State 72, Kentucky 68
K-State opened as a 2.5-point betting favorite, in large part because of its first-round blowout victory and Kentucky’s narrow escape against Liberty. The big question is whether the more experienced Wildcats can contain slick Kentucky senior guards Amoore and Dazia Lawrence (12.8 ppg), keep Strack and Key off the boards and successfully get the ball to Lee inside on offense.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
