For years, basketball has been synonymous with the University of Kansas due to the great success of the men’s program. The program boasts an all-time wins record, six national championships, 16 Final Fours and 64 regular season Big 12 Conference Titles. But this season, the women’s team has a chance to do something special that has never happened before in program history.
Kansas can bring home its first national championship against Columbia in the WNIT Championship. The game will be played on Saturday, April 1, at 4:30 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Jayhawks have made it to the WNIT Championship for the second time in program history. The other appearance happened in 2009 when Kansas lost to South Florida in front of a sold-out Allen Fieldhouse.
While the Kansas players might have initially been disappointed about missing the NCAA tournament, their eyes are now firmly set on winning a championship.
“I don’t think we look at it like that anymore,” senior guard Holly Kersgieter said about using the missed tournament as motivation. “We’ve played five games, and that can only be a mindset for so long until it gets boring. Now we’re not thinking about the tournament. We’re not in that mindset anymore; we’re playing for us because we’re playing to win a championship regardless of what type it is.”
All of Kansas’ games in the WNIT have been held in Allen Fieldhouse. As the Jayhawks continued winning, the crowds kept growing and bringing more eyes to the team. Head coach Brandon Schneider talked about how important this tournament has been in growing the fan interest in women’s basketball at Kansas.
“Maybe you bring your young family, and your kids have a great time,” Schneider said about bringing more people to the women’s games. “Or maybe you haven’t had the opportunity to come to many games, but you see it’s something you enjoy and appreciate. Or maybe the women’s game is a little bit better than you thought it was.”
Kansas has played some of its best basketball this season during the WNIT, beating its five opponents by an average of 18 points per game. For example, in the Fab Four, the Jayhawks defeated Washington 61-36.
In that game, senior guard Zakiyah Franklin led the Jayhawks with 14 points. Franklin is Kansas’ leading scorer at 15.6 points per game and was named to the All-Big 12 First-Team this season. The four-year starter does not take too many threes but makes the opportunities count by shooting 49% from beyond the arc.
Joining Franklin on the All-Big 12 First-Team this season was senior center Taiyanna Jackson. Against Washington, Jackson pulled down her 22nd double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jackson, who averages 15.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, is also a block machine with 106 blocks on the season.
Columbia, who is facing Kansas for the first time in program history, is 28-5 on the season and finished tied for first in the Ivy League with a 12-2 record. The Lions went on the road and took down Bowling Green 77-70 to clinch a spot in the championship.
The Lions have a high-powered offense that scores 78.8 points per game, ranking 13th in the country. Columbia shoots 44% from the floor and forces turnovers well, with its opponents averaging 16.8 turnovers per game this season.
Leading the Lions is junior guard Abbey Hsu. The Unanimous First-Team All-Ivy League member led the league with 17.8 points per game on 42% shooting. Hsu is also a threat from the outside, knocking down threes at 38.6% for her career. Against Bowling Green, Hsu led Columbia with 21 points.
Senior forward Kaitlyn Davis joined Hsu as a Unanimous First-Team All-Ivy League member. Davis averages 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds on 51.5% shooting. Against Bowling Green, Davis pulled down a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds while adding seven assists.
