Kansas women’s basketball wins a potential tournament-clinching game

Kansas women’s basketball

The KU women’s team had a resounding win against No. 23 Iowa State on Wednesday, which nearly guarantees their spot in the NCAA Tournament. They stunned the Cyclones by a 98-93 score, led by 31 points from Zakiyah Franklin. Their record now sits at 18-10 (8-9).

It was almost a disaster for the Jayhawks, who held a lead of nearly 20 points in the third quarter. That quickly turned into a three-point deficit for the Cyclones in the fourth. Thankfully, KU was able to pull away in the final minutes to come out victorious.

Franklin, a senior guard from Lakeland, Florida, gave it her all on KU’s Senior Night. In her last game playing at Allen Fieldhouse, she scored a career-high in points in the effort.

In ESPN’s most recent bracketology, Kansas was among the last four byes. They were projected as a No. 10 seed in the tourney. A win over one of the top teams in the conference should cement their place for an at-large bid.

Last season, head coach Brandon Schneider took the Jayhawks to March Madness for the first team in a decade. They defeated Georgia Tech in Round 64 before falling to the No. 1 seed Stanford in the next round.

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With just one game to go in the regular season, the Jayhawks’ final matchup is against TCU. They are a bottom feeder in the Big 12, having won just one of their 17 conference games. If Kansas won this one, they would finish an even .500 on the season in league play.

Even if Kansas is not a premiere team this year, they still can cause mayhem in the NCAA Tournament. Aside from the win they just recorded versus Iowa State, they also boast impressive victories against No. 12 Arizona, who they beat by 27 points, and another Big 12 rival in Oklahoma State.

The job is not finished yet for coach Schneider. Their seeding could improve if they win a few games in the Big 12 Tournament, and then all eyes will be set on their Round of 64 opponent.