LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior Night at Allen Fieldhouse is set for Saturday, March 2, as the Kansas Jayhawks host No. 20 Oklahoma.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ with Josh Klingler (play-by-play) and Wayne Simien (analyst). Fans can also listen to the game on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis and David Lawrence calling the action.
The Jayhawks finished 6-1 in the month of February and KU has won seven of the last eight games, improving to 17-11 on the year and 10-7 in league. Kansas, which is in search of its second NCAA Tournament berth in the past three seasons, is ranked No. 40 in the NET rankings and on the bubble, currently listed as one of the Last Four In by ESPN’s Bracketology.
Kansas has won its last two games, defeating UCF 65-53 on Feb. 28 in Orlando following a 58-55 victory over No. 10 Kansas State in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Feb. 25 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Kansas State win was the Jayhawks’ second win over a top 10 opponent this season, giving KU multiple top-10 victories in a season for the first time since 1999-2000. The Jayhawks have faced eight nationally-ranked opponents this season and hold the No. 8 Strength of Schedule in the country, according to the latest NET Rankings through games of Feb. 28.
On Saturday, Kansas will match up with No. 20 Oklahoma, who secured its second-straight Big 12 regular season championship with a 71-70 victory over No. 3 Texas. The Sooners, who are now 21-7 on the year and 15-2 in Big 12 play, rank second in the conference with 77.5 points per game while ranking second nationally with 20.6 assists per game.
This will be the 83rd all-time meeting between Kansas and Oklahoma in women’s basketball, and the final meeting between the teams as conference foes. OU leads the all-time series 48-34 and won the first meeting this season, defeating the Jayhawks 60-55 on Jan. 27 in Norman.
Kansas will honor five seniors prior to tipoff. Participating in Senior Night festivities will be Ryan Cobbins, Zakiyah Franklin, Taiyanna Jackson, Holly Kersgieter and Wyvette Mayberry. All five seniors have scored more than 1,000 points in their careers and the group is leading the Jayhawks towards a third-consecutive postseason appearance.
Cobbins came to Kansas for her super-senior season after previously playing three years at North Dakota State and one at Alabama. She is one of three players to appear in all 28 games this season and KU’s top player off the bench, averaging 3.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Franklin moved up to No. 6 on KU’s all-time scoring list after scoring 16 points at UCF. She has played more games and more minutes than any other player in program history and scored 1,855 career points.
Jackson recorded her 39th career double-double with a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds at UCF. She is the program’s all-time leader with 290 blocked shots, which is the fifth-most among active players, and she ranks second in the country with 90 blocked shots, an average of 3.3 per game.
Kersgieter is KU’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made with 260, surpassing the Angie Halbleib’s record of 237 at Texas Tech on Jan. 6. Kersgieter moved up to No. 5 on KU’s all-time scoring list against Kansas State on Feb. 25 and now has 1,857 points in her career.
Mayberry is in her second season at Kansas after beginning her career at Tulsa. She ranks fifth on the team with 9.9 points per game and she’s second on the team with 68 assists.
Tickets
Single-game tickets for Big 12 Conference games are on-sale now, with tickets ranging from $8-$15. To purchase today, visit KUAthletics.com or call 800-34-HAWKS.
Up Next
Kansas enters postseason play at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, which takes place on March 7-12 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Jayhawks will play their first game on Friday, March 8, with time and opponent to be announced following the conclusion of the regular season.
