Kansas State Joins Likes Of UConn, USC In AP Top 25 Women’s Rankings
Even with the Kansas State women’s basketball team falling to USC in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, there’s much from the season to be proud of. The Wildcats had their best season in over two decades, reaching their first Sweet 16 since 2002.
The outside attention illustrates their success. They finished 15th in the Associated Press’s top 25 women’s basketball rankings.
The team was headlined by star seniors Ayoka Lee and Serena Sundell, who both exited the program after dropping in the Tournament. However, K-State coach Jeff Mittie has confidence that players like Taryn Sides and Zyanna Walker can use this postseason experience as fuel for the rest of their college careers. He quoted their work ethic as a sign of hopefulness in their potential future playoff battles.
“It depends on what they do with it,” Mittie said of the returning players. “Everybody always asks that question as if there’s a guarantee that next year’s better than this year just because you’re older. There’s not. If you use it to get better, then it’s a good experience and it’s worthwhile. Those two put time in the gym. Out of all our players, Zyanna and Taryn are in the gym more often than anybody. This experience will be valuable for them if they use it in the right way, and I’m confident they will.”
