Game Primer: How to Watch, Key Players and Important Information for Kansas vs Stanford

Tonight, the Kansas Jayhawks Women face off against the Stanford Cardinal in the second round of the NCAA Women's Tournament. Here is everything you need to know to be ready for the game.

Contents

1. Overview
2. The Numbers
3. How to Watch
4. Game Coverage
5. Key Players
6. Fun Facts

The Kansas Jayhawks have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in three appearances, after a 77-58 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday. Up next is a game against the 1st-seeded Stanford Cardinal for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Overview

The Jayhawks came into the NCAA Tournament on a bit of a slump, having played the top four teams in the Big 12 five times to end the season. The only win in that stretch was a regular season finale win over the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. However, Kansas came out swinging in the first round against Georgia Tech, opening the game on a 10-0 run before giving up a 22-3 run to end the quarter. But good defense in the second quarter, and then a dominant performance down low in the second half pushed the Jayhawks past and into the Round of 32. 

Up next is the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal, who are the defending national champions. They were undefeated in the PAC 12, and have been dominant all season long.

The Kansas Jayhawks received votes in the final AP poll of the season, but are currently unranked in both polls. The Cardinal is ranked #2 in both polls.

This is the first-ever meeting between these two teams. Kansas is making their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while Stanford is a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. They have compiled a 96-31 record in the NCAA Tournament, including 39-4 at Maples Pavilion.

Here are the essentials:

The Numbers

Kansas: 21-9, 7-3 on the road

Georgia Tech: 29-3,  15-1 at home

Line: KU +20.5

O/U: 135.5

How to Watch

Sunday, March 20th, 8:00 p.m. CST

Maples Pavilion, Stanford, CA (7,233)

TV: ESPN

- Tiffany Greene (Play-by-Play), Steffi Sorensen (Analyst)

Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network

- Jimmy Chavez (Play-by-Play)

Webcast: Kansas Online Radio

Online Streaming: www.espn.com/watch or the ESPN app (subscription required)

Game Coverage

Follow along during the game for live updates from the Rock Chalk Podcast Twitter account.

Check out the tournament preview episode of the Rock Chalk Podcast:

Come join the conversation in the Blue Wings Rising Discord Server.

Key Players

#1 Taiyanna Jackson, 6'6" junior center

The all-time single season blocks leader for the Jayhawks, Jackson didn't get a lot of chances to flex that impact early in the first half of the game against Georgia Tech. But she was dominant in the 3rd quarter, tallying 8 quick points, 5 total rebounds and both of her 2 blocks in that period. Kansas will need her to be that effective early and often if they want to keep this game close.

#10 Ioanna Chatzileonti, 6'3" sophomore forward

Chatzileonti did a little bit of everything in the win over Georgia Tech, with her 15 points being the second highest total on the team. But she also had 10 rebounds, an assist a block and a steal. She played fantastic defense and opened up plenty of opportunities for others around the court.

#13 Holly Kersgieter, 5'11" junior guard

Kersgieter came alive in the second quarter against Georgia Tech, and she led all scorers with 19 points in the game. Her 3-point shooting will be super important against the Cardinal, so her 3-4 effort in the first game was important to see. She has been a pest on defense as well, which will need to continue. 

#30 Haley Jones, 6'1" junior guard

Jones was named Pac-12 Player of the Year by the coaches after averaging 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season. She was selected as a First-Team All-American, the Pac-12 Tournament MVP, and is able to play every position on the floor. While she doesn't light it up from beyond the arc, her physicality down low more than makes up for it. 

#22 Cameron Brink, 6'4" sophomore forward

Brink was named Pac-12 Player of the Year by the media, and was the consensus Pac-12 Defensive layer of the Year. She averaged 13.6 point, 8.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. She will be a difficult matchup for Jackson, which will set the tone for the game early.

#12 Lexie Hull, 6'1" senior guard

One of the lead guards for the Cardinal, Hull averages 11.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.9 steals. While her sister Lacie has stepped in as the teams point guard, Lexie is the main outside shooting threat for Stanford, shooting 41.3% from deep.

Fun Facts

The Jayhawks are looking to stretch their Sweet 16 streak to three with a win today. In their prior two appearances in the NCAA tournament, they reached the Sweet 16 as a double-digit seed.

Holly Kersgieter only needs 4 points in today's game to reach 1,100 total points in her career. She is currently 25th on the all-time scoring list at Kansas, and would pass Brooke Reves for 24th with 6 points today.

The Jayhawks are 14-13 in the NCAA Tournament, including 4-5 in the Second Round. They have won 2 consecutive games in the round prior to this year, with their last loss being a 55-41 loss to Purdue in the 1999 tournament.