(#4) Kansas State (23-7) vs.
(#13) Bowling Green (23-7)
Game #31
NCAA Tournament First Round
March 19, 2005 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Bank of America Arena (10,000)
at Seattle, Wash.
Television: ESPN2
Radio: Mid America Sports Network
Series History: K-State leads 1-0
Internet: Audio Broadcast
on www.k-statesports.com
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
For the last four-straight seasons, postseason play in March has become an annual occurrence for the Kansas State women’s basketball program as the fourth-seeded Wildcats (23-7) take on 13th-seeded Bowling Green (23-7) in the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship First Round on Saturday, March 19 at 7 p.m. (CT) in Seattle. The game will be televised live from Bank of America Arena on the campus of the University of Washington with Dave Revsine (play-by-play), Mary Murphy (color analyst) and Rob Stone (sideline reporter) calling the action on ESPN2. A radio broadcast with Steve Webster (play-by-play) and Matt Walters (color analyst) can be heard on the Mid America Sports Network throughout the postseason. The winner will advance to second round action on Monday, March 21, to face either fifth-seeded Vanderbilt (22-7) or 12th-seeded Montana (22-7). All four squads are seeded in the Kansas City Regional.
TO THE EMERALD CITY
Host of the 1962 World’s Fair and with a picturesque skyline topped by the world-famous Space Needle, Seattle is known as the “Emerald City” and is a metropolis of over half a million people. The Pacific Northwest city averages 36.2 inches of rainfall per year. In the 36-year history of the women’s basketball program at K-State, the Wildcats have never traveled or played a game in Seattle or the state of Washington. The closest they have come playing against a school hailing from the Evergreen State was twice against Washington State in 1980 and 1984 in Manhattan, Kan. Most of the members on this year’s team have never traveled to Seattle. Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion re-opened during the 2000-01 season after a major renovation to the 79-year-old venue which is home to both the UW men’s and women’s basketball programs.
BGSU, MAC CHAMPIONS
The Falcons are making their seventh all-time NCAA Tournament appearance having won both the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and tournament titles. Last season, fourth-year head coach Curt Miller guided the nation’s 11th most-improved team to a 21-10 overall record, a nine-win improvement from the previous season (12-16). He was formerly an associate head women’s basketball coach at Colorado State from 1998-2001 during the same tenure of current K-State Director of Athletics Tim Weiser. Bowling Green is 1-6 all-time in postseason play having last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1994 (lost in the first round to Creighton, 84-73).
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
No. Name 2004-05 Stats
14 Carin Horne, F, 5-10, So. 11.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg
22 Ali Mann, F, 6-1, So. 13.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg
13 Liz Honegger, C, 5-11, So. 14.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg
20 Kate Achter, G, 5-8, Fr. 11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
21 Casey McDowell, G, 5-7, Sr. 6.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg
SERIES HISTORY
Kansas State leads 1-0 in the all-time series versus Bowling Green. Both teams last met on Dec. 1, 1989, with the Wildcats defeating the Falcons, 72-60, in Missoula, Mont. The Wildcats are 16-4 all-time against schools hailing from the Mid-American Conference.
VANDY AND MONTANA
Vanderbilt is making its 18th all-time appearance in the postseason, which is tied for the fifth-most appearances in NCAA Tournament history by any team. The Commodores won the Southeastern Conference Tournament title a year ago and advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 with an eventual 57-55 loss to Stanford. VU ranks third nationally in scoring offense (78.8) and second nationally in field goal percentage (49.9). They are 28-17 all-time in tournament play. For the Montana Lady Griz, they are making back-to-back appearances as the Big Sky Conference champions (2004 and 2005). They are 6-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have never met Vandy, but lead 2-1 in the all-time series vs. Montana. Ironically, the last time K-State played first-round opponent Bowling Green was at a U of M-hosted tournament in Missoula back in 1989. The Wildcats advanced to the championship game of the tourney, but later lost to Montana (77-62).
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Wildcats are 7-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have made nine overall appearances in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1997, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Kansas State last received the No. 4 seed in the 1982 Tournament advancing all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight. K-State’s No. 2 seed in the 2004 Tournament marked the program’s highest-ever seed in school history (lost in the second round to Minnesota, 80-61). The Wildcats received the No. 3 seed in both the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Tournaments, while also hosting the first and second rounds in Manhattan.
GIVE ME 30
For the 21st time in school history, the Wildcats have played 30 or more games in a single season, while two more victories would give them their fourth-straight season to record 25 or more wins.
BRACKET ANALYSIS
The road to the Final Four in Indianapolis is the destination sought by many of the teams in the Kansas City Regional. The Wildcats are one-of-four top seeds in their bracket which includes top-seeded Michigan State (28-3), second-seeded Stanford (28-2) and defending national champion Connecticut (23-7). Of the four regional sites and brackets, the Kansas City and Philadelphia (Tennessee, Ohio State and Rutgers) Regionals boast three of the nation’s top 10-ranked teams, while the Tempe (UNC and Baylor) and Chattanooga (LSU and Duke) Regional each have two. Stanford, despite being No. 1 in both national polls, received a No. 2 seed. Michigan State is ranked No. 6, while UConn is No. 10. Of the 16 teams in the regional bracket, eight won their conference title and received an NCAA automatic bid including Michigan State (Big Ten), Alcorn State (SWAC), Montana (Big Sky), UConn (Big East), Dartmouth (Ivy League), Stanford (Pac-10) and Santa Clara (WCC).
A KODAK MOMENT
Kendra Wecker was named a finalist for the 2005 Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team on March 14. One-of-48 regional finalists, Wecker is in the running for selection to the prestigious 10-member Kodak/WBCA All-America Team which will be announced at the 2005 NCAA Women’s Final Four on April 3-5 in Indianapolis. Former Wildcats Nicole Ohlde (2003 and 2004) and Priscilla Gary (1983) are the only two players in school history to have been named Kodak All-Americans. Wecker is well on her way of joining the duo as she is Kansas State’s all-time leading scorer (2,279) and all-time leading rebounder (1,067). Her career scoring mark is tops all-time in the Big 12 Conference. Wecker is averaging a conference-leading 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game heading into the NCAA Tournament.
HALF A THE DOZEN
Behind the ACC’s seven invites to March Madness, the Big 12 Conference had the second-most teams (6) selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. The league has placed six or more teams in the postseason for the sixth time in its nine years of existence. All six Big 12 teams (Baylor, Texas, K-State, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Oklahoma) were seeded eighth or higher with four top four seeds.
MAHONEY SIDELINED
Senior Megan Mahoney, a four-year starter for K-State, blew out her Achilles tendon at the Big 12 Conference Tournament on March 12 in Kansas City. The injury she suffered in the championship game against Baylor ends her collegiate career with the Wildcats. Mahoney is the school’s all-time career assists leader (589) and ranks 12th all-time in career scoring (1,307) and fourth all-time in career rebounding (804). She is a two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention selection (2004 and 2005) and received First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2003. The third-most famous South Dakotan next to WNBA star Becky Hammon and former US Senator and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschel, the Sturgis native holds the school-record for most consecutive games started and played (129). She had previously played and started in every game of her career since her freshman campaign in 2001-02. Last season, Mahoney became only the second Wildcat and fourth-ever player in Big 12 history to record a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists vs. Saint Louis on Dec. 6, 2003.
FOUR-PEAT SENIORS
No other Senior Class has come close to playing in four-straight NCAA Tournaments. Should Kendra Wecker, Laurie Koehn, Brie Madden and Chelsea Domenico see action against Bowling Green, the foursome would become the first players in school history to have played in four NCAA Tournaments. Wecker and Koehn have started and played in all seven games played in the postseason, while Madden has played in seven and Domenico in six games with two starts. Over the last three seasons, K-State has gone 4-3 in the NCAA tourney and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2001-02.
