The Kansas State women’s basketball team has one game left before the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, with the Wildcats facing Texas Tech on Monday night.
The Red Raiders’ record is 7-21 overall for the season and 1-16 in Big 12 Conference play, putting them dead last in the conference.
Texas Tech’s one Big 12 win was a 68-56 victory over KU in Lawrence. They have lost 10 straight games since then.
The last time K-State played Texas Tech, the Wildcats won 83-69 in Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 7.
The Wildcats were aided by a career-high 27 points from junior guard Kayla Goth and 20 more from freshman guard Rachel Ranke. Sophomore forward Peyton Williams provided 19 points.
The Red Raiders have a three-pronged offensive attack led by senior center Jada Terry with 10.6 points per game.
Terry played only two minutes due to injury when they last played K-State.
Sophomore center Erin Degrate is the second prong. She scored 14 points in the matchup with the Wildcats, and averages 8.4 points in a game.
The third prong, and possibly the deadliest for K-State, is sophomore forward Brittany Brewer. Brewer made a name for herself in the last meeting with the Wildcats when she scored 24 points.
Brewer’s main advantage is her mix of athleticism and height. She stands at 6 feet, 5 inches, and can score fluidly.
The Wildcats will need to focus their 2-3 zone on double teaming Brewer low and making sure she stays off the offensive boards.
The odd thing about the Red Raiders is that they tend to have random breakout players every night. For example, freshman guard Lindsey Whilbey came out of nowhere to score 21 points in a 79-61 loss to the University of Oklahoma on Saturday.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, a team with high power scoring coming off the bench in a seemingly random pattern is a nightmare to prepare for.
Ultimately, I think Goth, Ranke and Williams will manage to lead the Wildcats to victory in Lubbock, Texas.
The Wildcats are locked into a play-in game for the Big 12 Tournament. They are currently in a tie for seventh with Iowa State, and a win would most likely put them into yet another matchup with the last-place Red Raiders.
This game is a must-win for K-State if they want to have a chance to win the Big 12 Tournament, which is the only way they will make the NCAA Tournament at this point.
It is absolutely vital that they avoid Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament, and the winner of the 7-10 matchup gets the number two seeded University of Texas.
