Mind on the Present
Dec 06, 2023 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The Kansas State women's basketball team continues to move on up.
After debuting at No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll a few weeks ago, the Wildcats moved to No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, which was revealed on Monday.
K-State, with a 7-1 overall record entering this week, began the season receiving votes in the AP Top 25 before debuting at No. 16 in the poll in Week 3 after two big wins. First, K-State went into Iowa City on November 16 and left with a 65-58 win at No. 2 Iowa, which tied for the highest-ranked team the Wildcats had defeated in school history. Then the Wildcats beat Wisconsin, 75-57, in Manhattan.
One week later, the Wildcats beat No. 18 North Carolina, 63-56, before suffering a 77-70 loss in a rematch game against No. 5 Iowa in the Gulf Coast Showcase. Still, the Wildcats jumped two spots to No. 14 in the Week 4 poll.
"Obviously, we take pride in being ranked, but I didn't need anybody else's validation to feel like we had a good basketball team," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said after the Wildcats' most recent game — a 79-37 thumping of Jackson State last Friday.
"Now, we all know that (being ranked) is a goal, but I've been pushing this team not to pay attention to anybody else but us, not to pay attention to the scoreboard, to play every possession, doesn't matter if we're up 30 or down 30."
K-State has handled business so far. This week, the Wildcats face McNeese State on Wednesday before another key non-conference game on Saturday against Missouri in the Bill Snyder Basketball Classic in St. Joseph, Missouri.
"When you talk about rankings, everybody says, 'You're going to get everybody's best shot,'" Mittie said. "Well, we won at Iowa and then I'm sure Wisconsin was going to give us their best shot and then Western Kentucky, which took Vanderbilt to the last second of the game, was excited to have a shot. North Carolina, ranked game, then Iowa, a rematch game.
"We just need to make sure we're giving everybody our best shot and we need to make sure we're locked in and ready to play because that's what we control and that's what I'm pushing our group to do."
K-State appears to be doing so emphatically behind a suffocating defense that leads the Big 12 Conference in allowing just 33.2% shooting from the floor, including a league-best 20.3% shooting on 3-point attempts. K-State ranks third in the Big 12 in allowing just 52.5 points per game while outscoring its opponents by an average of 19.4 points per contest.
"I'm obviously happy with it, but this is the standard that we should be playing to," said 2022 All-American senior center Ayoka Lee. "Our defense should be what drives everything. I'm definitely proud of the effort we've put in, and it just helps us set the bar more consistently. This is what we should be doing every night."
Lee ranks fourth in the Big 12 in averaging 18.5 points and sixth with 7.6 rebounds. She notched her 1,800th career point against Jackson State and moved into fourth-place all-time in scoring at K-State.
She had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Wildcats' win against the second-ranked Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
"(Moving up the all-time scoring list) is not something that I think about," Lee said. "I've accomplished so much, more than I ever thought I would, so a lot of these things coming toward the end of my career, moving up on those boards, it's not something I think about very much."
The Wildcats simply think about the next game with no ceiling to their potential within sight.
"I don't think there is (a ceiling)," junior guard Jaelyn Glenn said. "If we're doing what we need to do, anything is possible for this team, and we're capable of a lot. If there's a ceiling, I don't see one yet."
The Kansas State women's basketball team continues to move on up.
After debuting at No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll a few weeks ago, the Wildcats moved to No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, which was revealed on Monday.
K-State, with a 7-1 overall record entering this week, began the season receiving votes in the AP Top 25 before debuting at No. 16 in the poll in Week 3 after two big wins. First, K-State went into Iowa City on November 16 and left with a 65-58 win at No. 2 Iowa, which tied for the highest-ranked team the Wildcats had defeated in school history. Then the Wildcats beat Wisconsin, 75-57, in Manhattan.
One week later, the Wildcats beat No. 18 North Carolina, 63-56, before suffering a 77-70 loss in a rematch game against No. 5 Iowa in the Gulf Coast Showcase. Still, the Wildcats jumped two spots to No. 14 in the Week 4 poll.
"Obviously, we take pride in being ranked, but I didn't need anybody else's validation to feel like we had a good basketball team," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said after the Wildcats' most recent game — a 79-37 thumping of Jackson State last Friday.
"Now, we all know that (being ranked) is a goal, but I've been pushing this team not to pay attention to anybody else but us, not to pay attention to the scoreboard, to play every possession, doesn't matter if we're up 30 or down 30."
K-State has handled business so far. This week, the Wildcats face McNeese State on Wednesday before another key non-conference game on Saturday against Missouri in the Bill Snyder Basketball Classic in St. Joseph, Missouri.
"When you talk about rankings, everybody says, 'You're going to get everybody's best shot,'" Mittie said. "Well, we won at Iowa and then I'm sure Wisconsin was going to give us their best shot and then Western Kentucky, which took Vanderbilt to the last second of the game, was excited to have a shot. North Carolina, ranked game, then Iowa, a rematch game.
"We just need to make sure we're giving everybody our best shot and we need to make sure we're locked in and ready to play because that's what we control and that's what I'm pushing our group to do."
K-State appears to be doing so emphatically behind a suffocating defense that leads the Big 12 Conference in allowing just 33.2% shooting from the floor, including a league-best 20.3% shooting on 3-point attempts. K-State ranks third in the Big 12 in allowing just 52.5 points per game while outscoring its opponents by an average of 19.4 points per contest.
"I'm obviously happy with it, but this is the standard that we should be playing to," said 2022 All-American senior center Ayoka Lee. "Our defense should be what drives everything. I'm definitely proud of the effort we've put in, and it just helps us set the bar more consistently. This is what we should be doing every night."
Lee ranks fourth in the Big 12 in averaging 18.5 points and sixth with 7.6 rebounds. She notched her 1,800th career point against Jackson State and moved into fourth-place all-time in scoring at K-State.
She had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Wildcats' win against the second-ranked Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
"(Moving up the all-time scoring list) is not something that I think about," Lee said. "I've accomplished so much, more than I ever thought I would, so a lot of these things coming toward the end of my career, moving up on those boards, it's not something I think about very much."
The Wildcats simply think about the next game with no ceiling to their potential within sight.
"I don't think there is (a ceiling)," junior guard Jaelyn Glenn said. "If we're doing what we need to do, anything is possible for this team, and we're capable of a lot. If there's a ceiling, I don't see one yet."
Players Mentioned
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