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Big 12 team-by-team preview: Texas, Baylor battle for the top

By Jada Butts

COLLEGE PARK, MD - MARCH 17: West Virginia Mountaineers center Lanay Montgomery (15) with teammates at the start of the Div. 1 NCAA Women's basketball 1st. round game between Elon and West Virginia on March 17, 2017, at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland. West Virginia defeated Elon 75-62. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - MARCH 17: West Virginia Mountaineers center Lanay Montgomery (15) with teammates at the start of the Div. 1 NCAA Women's basketball 1st. round game between Elon and West Virginia on March 17, 2017, at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland. West Virginia defeated Elon 75-62. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MANHATTAN, KS – MARCH 18: Head coach Jeff Mittie of the Kansas State Wildcats calls out instructions against the Drake Bulldogs during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bramlage Coliseum on March 18, 2017 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS – MARCH 18: Head coach Jeff Mittie of the Kansas State Wildcats calls out instructions against the Drake Bulldogs during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bramlage Coliseum on March 18, 2017 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Kansas State

Projected finish: 8th

Key returners:

Karyla Middlebrook 9.1 ppg, 37%, 3.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 26 mpg

Biggest losses:

Kindred Wesemann 13.9 ppg, 39%, 2.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 34 mpg

Breanna Lewis 13.9 ppg, 56%, 8.2 rpg, 29 mpg

Eternati Willock 6.6 ppg, 41%, 5.1 rpg, 19.5 mpg

Newcomers:

Cymone Goodrich G, 5-10, Chicago, IL, Freshman, #28 guard (Hoopgurlz)

Mary Lakes C, 6-4, Peoria, IL, Freshman, #14 post (Hoopgurlz)

Rachel Ranke G, 6-1, Burnsville, MN, Freshman, #13 wing (Hoopgurlz)

Ashley Ray C, 6-4, Girard, KS, Freshman, #43 post (Hoopgurlz)

Alisa Wiggins G, 5-8, Montclair, NJ, Freshman

Anastasia Tsybaera C, 6-7, Burbank, CA, Junior

Head coach: Jeff Mittie is a veteran coach. Having spent 15 years at TCU, he decided to come back home to Kansas. He found immediate success with the Wildcats leading them to two NCAA tournament appearances in his first three years in Manhattan. This year, his team will be a lot different. Mittie has the third youngest roster in program history and is adjusting accordingly.

“It’s pushing them to a standard that you know is the standard that we play at to be successful, but it’s also being realistic about the timeline that they should be on,” Mittie said. “We’ll keep holding them to the same standards and trying to be as realistic as we can with the timeline for them. We will have to do a lot more teaching, slow things down. I’ll have to be a lot more patient than I was a year ago, and I think our coaching staff recognizes that.”

Key non-conference games:

UCLA 11/24

Missouri 11/30

Outlook: Jeff Mittie is known for his players embracing their role to the best of their ability. He doesn’t push them to be what they are not. They are going to run zone and beat you on fundamentals. With such youth on the floor, having six underclassmen, I believe this year won’t see as much success as the last. Point guard Karyla Middlebrook is battling back from an injury, and that is their most experienced player. The Wildcats do not have a player that can go get them a basket like they had in Wesemann. Finding the consistent, reliable players will be their main test.

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