Kansas women’s basketball eliminated from Big 12 Tournament, but postseason aspirations remain

The Kansas women's basketball team finished with eight victories in its final nine regular season contests, and the Jayhawks would go on to win their opening matchup in the Big 12 Tournament vs. BYU. However, they were eliminated from the bracket yesterday in a 76-60 loss to No. 2-seeded Texas in the quarterfinals.

Kansas trailed by five points heading into the fourth quarter, but an eight-point run in the final minutes sealed the victory for the Longhorns. Freshman phenom S'Mya Nichols led the team with 20 points on 5-for-12 shooting, while star center Taiyanna Jackson dealt with foul trouble and only posted two points, five rebounds, and two blocks in 19 minutes.

It wasn't the end of the regular season that KU head coach Brandon Schneider hoped for, but the season isn't over just yet. One year after winning the WNIT, the Lady 'Hawks are expected to hear their names called on Selection Sunday for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

According to Charlie Creme of ESPN's most recent edition of women's bracketology, Kansas will be a nine-seed lined up to play UNLV in the Round of 64. Creme updated his bracket after the loss and Texas is ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 28-4 record, so yesterday's loss should not affect KU's tournament hopes.

Kansas has an opportunity to make serious noise in the tournament. Despite a disappointing start to the season, they are hot at the right time and hold marquee wins over premier Big 12 teams such as Baylor, Kansas State, and Oklahoma.

If and when the Jayhawks are selected next week, it would be the second time in 11 years that Kansas women's basketball reaches March Madness. The previous appearance also came under ninth-year coach Schneider, who led his group to the Round of 32 during the 2021-22 season.

The first round of the tournament will take place from March 22-23.