It didn’t take long during the press conference so that someone raises it. The Kansas State, playing on its floor at home, suffered an outing in the second round to Colorado during the NCAA tournament last year. As painful as it may be, defeat today is fuel while the Wildcats are looking for their first soft berth in 23 years.
“We remember what it was doing when we left the field that day, and we felt like we let our fan base on our Ke field Zyanna Walker said. “We really wanted to make sure that this year was a different turnaround.”
Adding second -year guard Sides of Taryn: “It’s extremely motivating to go out like that, especially on your field. So we want to do the same Kentucky tomorrow. They do it, return next year. So, yes, I can’t wait to be there.”
The seeded n ° 5 K-State, 27-7, is fortunate to keep this season alive this season when she meets the seeded n ° 4 Kentucky, 23-7, for a second round match of the NCAA tournament on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. The game will be a television on ESPN.
K-State comes out of a dominant victory of 85-41 against the seeded No. 12 on Friday while the Kentucky hung on to a 79-78 victory against Liberty n ° 13-barely avoiding a defeat in the first round on its field of origin.
“I hope we were awake,” Georgia Amoore told Kentucky All-American, Georgia Amoore. “I hope that a lesson has been learned.”
While K-State on Friday was led by his pair of All-Americans-Senior Guard Serena Sunday had 18 points and nine assists, and the senior center Ayoka Lee Had 17 points and 10 rebounds – Kentucky obtained a stellar performance from Amoore, which paid 34 points, equaling the school record for points in an NCAA tournament match.
For AMOORE, a Ballarat leader, in Australia, who was appointed transfer of the ESPN year (she was an All-American to Virginia Tech from 2020-21 to 2023-24), it was the last and undoubtedly the greatest performance of an out-of-competition season. By entering the NCAA tournament, Amoore collected an average of 19.1 points out of 42.5% shots with 6.9 assists and an assistance / filming ratio. It is also on average 2.4 3 points per competition. She was the leader of a team that includes 11 new players and 11 new employees, but still rebounded compared to the 12-20 record last season to welcome the first two laps of the NCAA tournament.
“You are certainly not going to stop it”, head coach of the state of K Jeff Mittie Said about Amoore, who scored at least 20 points in 13 games this season. “You must find your places to choose to contain it. In your defensive system, you must play your strength as best you can. You may have to give him different looks. He’s a very talented player. It starts with her.
“She put the table for many of them. She is very good.”
Some Saturday speeches focused on Sunday and Amoore and their importance for their squads. While Moorus draws attention, and rightly, Swindll organized a senior stellar season with 13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists. Sunday set the record in one season with 242 assists in total this season.
“If you look at the statistics, it is said that we are somehow a single assistance, but I think it’s impressive to see how she is able to let go of her big ones,” said Amoore. “The depth they have inside, it allows him to put this pass perfectly in a scenario where their big ones must make roughly not catch, turn around and shoot. She is really good in this area.”
However, the daycare game on Sunday will be more than Sunday. K-State offers several 3-point shooters while Senior TEMIRA Poindexter It turned out to be one of the most inhabitants of the Big 12 conference. Jaelyn Glenn 67 out of 44.4% shooting.
“I think there are a lot of similarities,” said Kentucky’s main custody, Dazia Lawrence, who has an average of 12.8 points and is the second 3 -point shooter with 66 brands on a 39.5%clip. “They can very well draw the 3, and they have a few guards who can attack the basket, which many guards in the dry. They can draw the 3 to a very high volume, and they have a lot of big guards, and we too. So, I have the impression that it will be a very great match for the daycare (Sunday).”
Meanwhile, Kentucky is fortified with the largest group of players that K-State has seen this season.
It starts with Clara Strack, the second year center of 6 feet 5 inches, the defensive player of the year of the dry, which has an average of 15.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks. Recently, she combined for 46 points, 23 rebounds, six assists and five blocks against Tennessee n ° 11 and the South Carolina n ° 6. Her 72 blocked shots are a single season of Kentucky.
The height of the Kentucky also comes from the first year of 6 feet 7 inch Clara Silva and (4.1 points per game that leaves the bench) and 6 feet 4 inch Junior Teonni Key (11.3 points and 8.0 rebounds while starting the 30 games this season).
“They are tall, there is no doubt about it,” said Mittie. “They are as big as any team we have played all year round. You talk about the duration, but they can release a program with 6-7, 6-5, 6-4, and they will certainly play the two big together.
Fortunately, K-State has his own large powerful in Lee, who, at 6 feet 6 inches, throws a shadow inside the painting. Lee, the leader of all time of school, rebounds and blocks, made a very successful return to the court against Fairfield after having missed 11 of the 12 previous games with a fractured foot. Lee posted 64th Double duplicate in career in just 15 minutes Friday.
“They are good and were legitimately among the 10 best teams during most of the year,” said Kentucky’s first-year coach Kenny Brooks. “They maintained their ranking and positioning, then suddenly, it’s a great luxury. It’s like” OK, let me plug an All-American now, an all-American dominant. And they have become a really great team. “”
Throw Kennedy Taylor,, IMani Lester And Eliza Maupin In the mixture and K-State poses the depth of the front area.
“We also have a fairly good length,” said Mittie. “With the return, this is a difference for us defensively. The two teams are good, and certainly Kentucky is one of the largest teams in the country.
“I don’t think it’s a big secret, we’re going to throw it in Lee. I don’t think it will be a big strategic secret that it will be part of our match plan.”
Nor is it a big secret that K-State seeks to put the disappointment of the end of last season when they appeared the NCAA tournament behind them. A victory would lift K-State, which makes its 19th The appearance of the NCAA tournament and its sixth under Mittie, at its first Sweet 16 since 2001-02.
Kentucky is guided by Brooks, which makes its 11th appearance – and its fifth consecutive – in the NCAA tournament. He took three programs at the NCAA tournament, including six in James Madison, four in Virginia Tech, and now Kentucky. 2024-25 Sports news“The national coach of the year, the best Brooks race ended in the Final Four 2023 with Virginia Tech.
Now K-State is looking to take his own race.
“We are really excited,” said Walker. “We have done a lot of work this season. To be able to compete with a large team like Kentucky, we are so excited and we look forward to showing that we are able to compete with some of the country’s best teams. This is something we know that we are able to do, and we worked so hard throughout the summer and this season to do it.
“We are delighted to show what we can do.”