Kansas women’s basketball making strong postseason push

The Kansas Jayhawks women’s basketball team is making noise in the Big 12 this year in a big way.

The Jayhawks just won their sixth straight game on Tuesday at home against West Virginia behind a season-high 25 points from junior Zakiyah Franklin, and now sit fourth in the conference at 9-4 (18-5 overall).

The game was especially memorable for junior guard Holly Kersgieter, who surpassed 1,000 points as a Jayhawk.

In the most recent AP poll, the Jayhawks received 18 votes, which was second behind only Oregon. That effectively makes KU a top-30 team in the country with five games remaining on the conference schedule.

For the first time since 2013 – and the first time under head coach Brandon Schneider –  the Jayhawks have a real shot at making the NCAA Tournament. But to get there, the Jayhawks will have to go through a brutal stretch of games to end the regular season.

After the Jayhawks visit Texas Tech (who are tied for last in the Big 12 at 2-10) this weekend in a must-win game, the Jayhawks host No. 6 Iowa State in Lawrence on Feb. 23. Then the Jayhawks play at No. 7 Baylor, host No. 14 Texas, and play at No. 15 Oklahoma.

The Jayhawks could really use at least one win against one of these ranked opponents to strengthen their tournament resume. The Jayhawks own just one win against a currently ranked team this season and that was an OT win at Texas on Jan. 12.

ESPN’s Bracketology currently has the Jayhawks slated as a 9-seed, which is far from a lock to make the tournament. But with a couple more wins and a good showing in the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas should have a great chance to finally reach the Big Dance.