K-State Begins 55th Season on Monday Night

GAME 1
Central Arkansas (0-0, 0-0 ASun) at (rv/-) Kansas State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
November 7, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

Television
Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Missy Heidrick
Sideline: Lina Sattarin

Radio
K-State Sports Network
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: Matt Walters
Analyst: Kristin Waller

Live Stats
kstatesports.com

Promotions & Tickets
Tickets
Tickets available by calling (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets

Series History vs. Central Arkansas
• K-State leads the series, 4-0.
• This is the third straight season the Wildcats and Sugar Bears will meet. The 2020-21 matchup was not on the original schedule, but COVID-19 cancellations on both teams' schedules in the same weekend resulted in the quickly arranged December 5, 2020, contest in Conway, Arkansas, a 47-33 win for K-State.
• K-State won the 2021-22 season-opener, 103-40, against the Sugar Bears on Nov. 9, 2021.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 4-0 in his career against Central Arkansas, including a 3-0 mark at K-State.
• The Wildcats are 7-1 against current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

MANHATTAN, Kansas - Kansas State begins its 55th season on Monday night, as the Wildcats open against Central Arkansas at 5:30 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum.

• Monday's game can be seen live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst) and Lina Sattarin (sideline) will have the call.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. Familiar Foe in Opener
• If Monday's season-opening opponent seems familiar, that's because they are. K-State opened the 2021-22 season against Central Arkansas, a 103-40 win on Nov. 9. This is the second time in program history K-State faces the same season-opening foe in consecutive seasons, also doing so with Omaha in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
2. K-State Selected 6th by Big 12 Coaches
• The Wildcats were selected to finish sixth in the 2022-23 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll in October. The Wildcats have finished 18 of 24 seasons above its preseason prediction.
3. Mittie One Win from 600 in His Career
• K-State head coach Jeff Mittie enters his ninth season in Manhattan in 2022-23. With one win, Mittie will reach the 600-win mark in his 31 seasons as a head coach (599-345, .635) | 145, K-State; 303, TCU; 75, Arkansas State; 76, Missouri Western). He owns a 145-110 (.569) record and six postseason appearances with the Wildcats.
4. Sundell Named to Preseason All-Big 12
• Sophomore guard Serena Sundell has been named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-Big 12 Team by the league's coaches.
5. Gregory Moves North
• Senior Gabby Gregory has switched allegiances within the Big 12, as she has joined K-State following three seasons at Oklahoma. Gregory needs 215 points to reach 1,000 for her collegiate career.

Number to Know
998

• K-State enters its 55th season with 998 program victories and ranks 19th among NCAA Division I programs and third among Big 12 schools for all-time wins.
• With two wins, K-State will become the 19th member of the 1,000 win club.
• When K-State reaches the 1,000-win mark, it will be one of three schools in the nation that would have 1,000 wins and its current head coach with 600 or more career wins (Stanford and Connecticut).

Last Time Out
at K-State 104, Newman 47 (Nov. 4, 2022; Manhattan, Kan.)
• K-State shot 50.6 percent (39-of-77) from the field and 79 percent (19-of-24) from the free throw line, as the Wildcats closed out their exhibition schedule with a 104-47 win.
• The Wildcats handed out 26 assists and ended the exhibition schedule with a 1.96 assist to turnover ratio. Last season, K-State ranked 20th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 1.21.
• Gabby Gregory led all scorers with 21 points, while Serena Sundell tallied a double-double with 19 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.

At a Glance: Central Arkansas
• Central Arkansas will be in its second season in the Atlantic Sun (ASun) Conference. The Sugar Bears were chosen by the ASun's coaches and media for a 12th-place finish in the league's preseason polls.
• On the sideline, Central Arkansas is led by 11th-year head coach Sandra Rushing. The 1986 graduate of Alabama owns a career record of 579-383 (.602) and is 179-127 (.581) during her time in Conway.
• On the floor, the Sugar Bears are led by sophomore Randrea Wright.
• Wright is one of two returning starters for Central Arkansas. In her first season, Wright was named to the ASun All-Freshman Team and averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in her first season.

Mittie in Ninth Season at K-State
• Jeff Mittie, one of the winningest active coaches in NCAA Division I with just under 600 career wins, enters his ninth season at the helm of the K-State program in 2022-23.
• Mittie, the ninth head women's basketball coach in K-State history, owns an overall career record of 599-345 (.635) in 30 years as a head coach, including a 145-110 (.569) mark in his time at K-State. He has won 19 or more games in five of his eight seasons with K-State.
• His 599 career wins at NCAA programs ranks 16th amongst active NCAA Division I head coaches. With his first win in the 2022-23 season, Mittie will become the 16th active coach in NCAA Division I with 600 or more career wins.
• With his 145 wins at Kansas State, Mittie ranks third for wins at the helm of the K-State program.
• Mittie is the third-longest tenured head coach in K-State women's basketball history.
• Mittie registered the 575th win of his coaching career, a 74-57 decision over Kansas City on Dec. 14, 2020.
• In the 2016-17 season, K-State's 23 wins were Mittie's most at the helm of the Wildcats and the most for Mittie since registering 23 in the 2007-08 season at TCU.
• He has averaged 20.0 wins per season and experienced only two losing seasons in his 30 seasons.
• Mittie has 21 postseason appearances in his career (NCAA or WNIT Tournaments), in which he has a combined record of 21-19 (.525).
• Mittie ranks second in program history for NCAA Tournament appearances with four, trailing Deb Patterson's program record nine appearances. Mittie is 3-4 in his four NCAA Tournament appearances with the Wildcats.

K-State Top-20 in NCAA History for Wins
• K-State enters its 55th season of action and ranks among the top programs in NCAA history for all-time wins.
• K-State's all-time record stands at 998-639 (.610) and the Wildcats entered the 2021-22 season ranked 19th in NCAA Division I women's basketball history for program wins. The Wildcats were the 19th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 975 or more wins as a program and the third among the Big 12 (Texas, Baylor). K-State is averaging 18.5 wins per season.
• The Wildcats have accumulated 26 20-win seasons and have secured 365 victories inside Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State has 214 wins in the Big 12 Conference.
• Kansas State has registered 222 victories when they were ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll and achieved 85 wins against teams ranked in the AP poll.

K-State in Season Openers
• The Wildcats have been dominant in season-openers since the team's first season in 1968-69. Kansas State is 44-9 (.830) in season openers and have won 20 of the last 22 season openers, including 11 straight.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 23-6 (.793) in season-openers, including a 7-0 mark at K-State.

K-State in Home Openers
• Kansas State has won 28 of its last 30 home openers in Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats are 45-9 (.833) all-time in home openers and 30-4 (.882) in openers in Bramlage.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 28-2 (.933) in home openers in his previous 30 seasons.

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