K-State women motivated to host NCAA Tournament games: ‘Complete game-changer’
The regular season is coming to an end for the Kansas State women’s basketball team.
The Wildcats are scheduled to play their final home game of the year at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday against Iowa State. It will be an opportunity for K-State to honor its senior class and to reflect on everything that has gone right this season.
But those festivities won’t necessarily signal the end of games at Bramlage Coliseum. If the Wildcats can defeat the Cyclones and continue to play strong at Texas Tech and then the Big 12 Tournament they might receive one of the ultimate prizes in the sport — home games in the NCAA Tournament.
Needless to say, that has provided loads of motivation for Jeff Mittie’s team.
“That has been a goal for us since the beginning of this year,” K-State guard Serena Sundell said. “Being able to host would be so fun. We have been envisioning that since October and the summertime. It’s been in the back of my mind. To see that really come to life and put ourselves in position to do that is exciting. We need to go finish strong and make sure we host, because that’s huge.”
K-State is on track to host games in the NCAA Tournament, but that could change with any loss.
When the NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed a look at its top 16 seeds, which all get to host games during the first two rounds of the Big Dance, the Wildcats checked in at No. 13.
Dropping a game at Kansas over the weekend didn’t help K-State’s pursuit of a top 16 seed, but the Wildcats remain in hosting territory according to the latest bracket projection from ESPN.
Finishing the regular season with a pair of wins and then advancing in the conference tournament will likely be enough for K-State to host games in the postseason. But the Wildcats aren’t taking anything for granted. They know how important it could be for them to continue playing inside the Octagon of Doom, where they have won 17 straight games.
Maybe it could propel them to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002.
“We are obviously undefeated at home and our crowds have been great,” Sundell said. “Just the energy inside here has really helped us win those games. It’s a complete game-changer. I remember going to North Carolina State my freshman year (for the NCAA Tournament). They have a smaller arena that was sold out. We had to practice with noise going on in the gym and we made hand signals for every single play. It was hard.”
After years of playing on the road in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats would love little more than to host games in Manhattan.
No one will be ready to say goodbye on senior day.
“Our players want to play here as many games as they can,” Mittie said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. It’s the difference in the women’s game versus the men’s game is that we have home sites and the reward of a regular season for home games. Our fans have been great all year. We would love to finish strong here and have that opportunity to play here.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "K-State women motivated to host NCAA Tournament games: ‘Complete game-changer’."