MANHATTAN, Kansas – For the 10th time in the last 12 seasons, Kansas State women’s basketball will make a postseason appearance as the Wildcats have accepted a bid to play in the 2026 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) and will host Georgia Tech in the first round on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats were an at-large selection and garnered a two-seed in its quadrant.
Tickets for K-State’s first round matchup with Georgia Tech are available now, by visiting www.kstatesports.com/tickets, calling (800) 221-CATS or by stopping by the K-State Athletic Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum. K-State women’s basketball chairback season ticket holders have until Monday at noon to reserve their seats.
Tickets are priced at $18 for chair backs, $15 for adult general admission (including Cat Cushion seats) and $10 for youth/K-State students. All ticket prices are subject to sales tax. Parking in advance is $10 and parking at the gate is $12.
This will be K-State’s first appearance in the WBIT. With K-State’s bid into the WBIT, the Wildcats are one of 11 Big 12 schools to earn a women’s basketball postseason appearance in the 2025-26 season (7 NCAA; 4 in WBIT).
Other seeded teams in K-State’s portion of the bracket include: one-seed North Dakota State, three-seed California and four-seed Columbia.
K-State (18-17, 8-10 Big 12) will be opposed by Georgia Tech (14-18, 8-10 ACC) on Thursday. K-State and Georgia Tech will meet for the third time and the first time since Nov. 17, 2002. This will be the first postseason meeting between the schools.
Georgia Tech is led by first-year head coach Karen Blair. On the floor, the Yellow Jackets are guided by sophomore guard Talayah Walker and senior guard Brianna Turnage. Walker was an All-ACC First Team selection by the media and a second team all-league selection by the coaches. Walker finished third in scoring in conference play with 19.3 points per game and fourth in the ACC at 17.0 overall.
Turnage led the ACC in rebounding (12.5 rpg) and defensive rebounds per game (10.7) in ACC play. She was an ACC All-Defensive Team recipient by the media and coaches.
The Wildcats have been paced during the 2025-26 season by All-Big 12 Third Team selection, Tess Heal, All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recipient, Taryn Sides, junior forward Nastja Claessens and 2026 Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection, Jordan Speiser.
Heal led the Wildcats in scoring in Big 12 games as she averaged 15.5 points per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from beyond the arc and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. In league-only games, Heal ranks 13th in the Big 12 in scoring, fourth in field goal percentage and third in free throw percentage. She reached double figures in 13 of the 15 league games she played in.
Overall, Heal is third on the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game on a 47.2 percent effort from the floor, including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and is shooting a team-high 86.3 percent from the foul line. She ranks second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage. Her free throw percentage ranks second in K-State history for a career.
Sides has paced K-State in scoring for the duration of the season at a career-best 12.4 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, including 39.2 percent from 3-point range, and 84.3 percent from the foul line. She is second on the team and 13th in the Big 12 in assists per game at 3.7. She leads the Wildcats and is sixth in the Big 12 for 3-point field goals made per game at 2.23.
She has established career season-highs for points (433) and assists (130). Her 130 assists are eighth in program history for a junior season. Sides joins Kindred Wesemann (2015-16) as the only two players in a junior season to register 100 or more assists and 65 or more 3-point field goals made. She also is the ninth player in program history to register 400 or more points, 100 or more rebounds and 100 or more assists.
Claessens has tallied 12.0 points on a team-high field goal percentage of 51.7 percent including a 36.0 percent from long distance. She has also pulled in 5.0 rebounds and pocketed 48 steals and blocked 14 shots. She is the second junior since 1999-00 to score 375 or more points, with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better and a three-point field goal percentage of 35.0 percent or higher (Serena Sundell, 2023-24).
In the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, Claessens averaged 15.3 points on a 53.3 percent effort from the floor including 38.9 percent from 3-point range. She also hauled in 6.3 rebounds and pocketed 2.0 steals. She reached double figures in all four of K-State’s games.
Speiser is averaging 10.1 points per game including a 35.2 percent (69-of-196) effort from beyond the arc. She has also pulled in 3.5 rebounds per game.
With her 69 connections from long range, Speiser is the fifth freshman in program history with 65 or more 3-point field goals made in a freshman season and ranks third in program history for 3-point field goals made in a freshman season.
During the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, Speiser averaged 15.8 points on a .500 field goal percentage, including a .485 3-point field goal percentage, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Since 1999-00, Speiser became the third player in Big 12 Tournament history to record 10 or more points off the bench in at least three games.
The product of Warrenton, Missouri, is tied for second in program history for 3-point field goals made (16) in a Big 12 Tournament career. She is second in program history for 3-point field goal percentage (.485) in a Big 12 Tournament career.
The winner of the Kansas State-Georgia Tech game will play the winner of the California-Santa Clara matchup on Sunday, March 22 at a site and time to be determined.
