Kansas women’s basketball returns to NCAA Tournament. Here’s the March Madness draw
It’s been a long two weeks for the University of Kansas women’s basketball team, but the Jayhawks’ patience was rewarded Sunday night with a ticket to Los Angeles.
KU earned the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament’s Portland 3 Regional. The Jayhawks (19-12) will take on No. 9 seed Michigan (20-13) in their tourney opener, with the game’s exact date and time yet to be announced.
Just one year removed from what coach Brandon Schneider called a “devastating” NCAA Tournament miss, resilience is the word he used to describe this team’s push to return to the Big Dance.
“I think all indications were there that we were going to get in, and so it was really shocking and tough to be snubbed,” Schneider said. “But I thought we handled it the right way (winning the WNIT title), and obviously this year, I think we were much more comfortable and it was more of just an anticipation of who might our opponent be, and where might we be going to play the game.
“We obviously didn’t get off to the start we wanted in Big 12 play and had a tough January,” Schneider added. “But I thought we finished the season as one of the hotter teams in the country.”
With the bid, Kansas returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Three current starters (Holly Kersgieter, Taiyanna Jackson and Zakiyah Franklin) were members of that team.
Led by coach Kim Barnes Arico, meanwhile, Michigan returns to the Tournament for the sixth consecutive season. In that time, the Wolverines have made a Sweet 16 appearance (2021) and reached an Elite Eight (2022) ... but they’ve also lost in the second round, falling lastyear to eventual national champion LSU.
“I know they’re an exceptional program that has been very, very consistent,” Schneider said of the Wolverines. “But I haven’t had the opportunity to dive into them yet. ... We’ll have a lot more time tonight and tomorrow to really get familiar with them.”
The Wolverines are led by junior guard Laila Phelia, who is averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 42.3% from the field. Named to All-Big Ten first team, Phelia also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Tournament team following a 30-point performance in Michigan’s 17-point comeback win over Indiana in the quarterfinals.
As a team, the Wolverines shoot 43.% from the field and .35.3% from behind the arc. Their roster lists no center and no Michigan player stands taller than 6-foot-3.
Winning nine of their last 11 (including games against No. 10 K-State and No. 20 Oklahoma), the Jayhawks were able to watch this year’s selection show with a sense of ease. Since this is the last ride for a core group of KU seniors, Schneider said they picked the watch party location and chose the food with which to celebrate.
“We all felt like we had challenged ourselves enough, and won enough to be included,” Schneider said.
Barring a historic upset by Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and if KU can beat Michigan, the Jayhawks would face No. 1 seed USC (26-5, 13-5) in the second round.
Virginia Tech is the No. 4 seed in the region and Baylor is the No. 5 seed. Across the quadrant, Ohio State is the No. 2 seed and UConn is the No. 3.
This story was originally published March 17, 2024 at 7:49 PM.
