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Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks are set to make their inaugural appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), which begins on Thursday, March 19, with a first-round matchup against Troy.
Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Josh Klingler (play-by-play) and Wayne Simien (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis and David Lawrence calling the action.
Kansas earned a No. 2 seed to the WBIT and enters the tournament with a record of 19-13 after going 1-1 at the Big 12 Tournament on March 4-5. The Jayhawks used a historic defensive performance to claim a 56-35 victory over UCF in the first round of the tournament, before falling 55-48 to Colorado in the second round. In holding UCF to 35 points, Kansas set a new Big 12 Tournament record for the fewest points allowed in a game.
The Jayhawks are back in the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons, which includes NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2024, along with claiming the WNIT Championship in 2023. Kansas is making its 27th all-time postseason tournament appearance, which includes 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, six WNITs, four AIAW Tournaments and one NWIT in 1978.
By earning the No. 2 seed, Kansas received hosting honors for the first-round game against Troy. The Jayhawks are 12-4 at home this season, which includes a 7-0 mark against non-Big 12 opponents. Dating back to December 2020, Kansas has won 40-consecutive home games against non-conference opponents, including all six games during its run to the 2023 WNIT title.
Thursday night’s contest will be the first all-time meeting between Kansas and Troy in women’s basketball.
The Jayhawks are led by the dynamic duo of freshman forward Jaliya Davis and junior guard S’Mya Nichols, who were both named All-Big 12 First Team selections. Davis ranked second in the league averaging 21.5 points per game in league play, while Nichols is sixth in league at 17.3 ppg for the year.
Davis, who was also named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, returned to the lineup on Jan. 1 after missing 10 games due to injury. She scored a career-high 30-point game against Oklahoma State on Jan. 14 and has scored at least 20 points in 13 games this season. Davis has recorded three double-doubles, most recently with 10 points and 11 rebounds in KU’s Big 12 Tournament win over UCF on March 4.
Nichols is sixth in the Big 12 in scoring this season, having scored in double figures 28 times with 12 games of 20+ points. Nichols is KU’s all-time leader in free throws made and she enters the postseason ranked second in the nation in both free throws made (211) and attempted (249). Nichols now has 37 career games of scoring 20+ points, the second-most in program history, and her 84.7 percent free throw accuracy ranks third in the conference.
Kansas ranks second in the nation and 11th nationally in field goal percentage (47.8), while also ranking second in the league in free throw percentage (76.2) and sixth in three-point shooting (34.4). The Jayhawks are on pace to set the school record for free throw shooting for the second time in the past four seasons, and to record the No. 3 field goal percentage in school history.
From Troy, Alabama, the Troy Trojans bring a 25-7 record into the postseason, which includes a 15-3 mark and third place finish in the Sun Belt Conference. Troy then advanced to the SBC Championship game, before falling 69-52 to James Madison. Troy is the highest scoring team in the Sun Belt and ranked 14th nationally with 81.7 points per game. The Trojans are also the No. 1 rebounding team in the nation, averaging 50.3 per game, with a +12.8 rebound margin that ranks third nationally.
The Trojans feature a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging better than 10 points per game, including Fortuna Ngnawo (15.3 ppg/10.7 rpg) and Zay Dyer (14.5/13.0) who both average a double-double.
Tickets
Tickets for the WBIT are on sale, with general admission tickets available for $10 and reserved tickets starting at $15, plus fees. Tickets can be purchased by visiting KUAthletics.com or calling 800-34-HAWKS.
Up Next
With a win on Thursday, Kansas would advance to the second round of the WBIT and take on the winner of Rice and Louisiana Tech on Sunday, March 22.
