Why Kansas Jayhawks women’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament berth ‘a big step forward’
The Kansas women’s basketball team earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face ninth-seeded Georgia Tech on Friday in Stanford, California.
And for coach Brandon Schneider, it was a special moment to be with his players Sunday as they learned of the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013.
“So many of them have dreamt about moments like this,” Schneider said. “ ... To be part of that and their reaction, those were memories that just can’t be recreated.”
The Jayhawks, picked last by Big 12 coaches in the preseason poll, are 20-9 and finished fifth in the conference with an 11-7 league mark. It also was the first time KU registered 20 regular-season wins since 2000.
KU made a run the last time it was in March Madness. In 2013, then-coach Bonnie Henrickson led the Jayhawks to the Sweet 16 as a 12 seed, defeating fifth-seeded Colorado and fourth-seeded South Carolina before eventually falling to top seed Notre Dame.
“Obviously, this is something that hasn’t been done this program in a while,” KU guard Zakiyah Franklin said of making the NCAAs. “So feelings are just pretty much of excitement right now and excited to get to work.”
If KU wins Friday in a 6:30 p.m. Central time tipoff on ESPNU, it would have a chance at a monumental upset. The Jayhawks’ second-round matchup would potentially be against No. 1 seed and defending national champion Stanford in its home city.
Schneider won Big 12 coach of the year this season and received a four-year contract extension from KU last week. He last was in the NCAA Tournament in 2010, when he won the national championship with Division II Emporia State.
“I think through experiences like this and competing in the tournament goes a long way, just beyond this particular tournament,” Schneider said. “I think there can be an increased hunger to become a program that hopefully is a mainstay in the tournament. I think we can drive a lot of motivation going into offseason. I think it helps in recruiting.
“I think it’s a big step forward in Kansas women’s basketball.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 7:40 PM.
