Kansas State Women’s Basketball Faces Baylor in Crucial Big 12 Road Matchup
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In the high-stakes landscape of Big 12 women’s basketball, few matchups carry as much historical weight. Or rather, current postseason significance as the battle looms between the Kansas State Wildcats and the Baylor Bears women's basketball. When the two programs meet Monday night in Waco, it won’t just be a fight for conference positioning. Because it will be a clash between the two winningest programs in the history of the Big 12.
A Legacy of Excellence, Series History and Road Resilience
The tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Foster Pavilion, with the game televised nationally on ESPN2. Eric Frede and Christy Thomaskutty will be on the call for what is K-State’s final road test of the regular season.
NEXT UP
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) February 22, 2026
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For the Wildcats (15-14, 8-8 Big 12), a win against the No. 15/14-ranked Bears (23-6, 12-4 Big 12) would serve as a major statement of intent heading into the tournament. This matchup features a combined 2,234 all-time victories.
Baylor enters with 1,148 wins, while K-State stands at 1,086. The Wildcats’ all-time record sits at 1,086-686 (.613). Now in its 58th season, the K-State program ranks 21st in NCAA Division I history for total wins and was the 19th program to ever reach the 1,000-win milestone.
K-State is one of four current Big 12 programs to surpass 1,000 wins (Baylor, Utah, Texas Tech). Under head coach Jeff Mittie, the Wildcats have maintained this elite standard, averaging 18.5 wins per season.
While Baylor leads the all-time series 44-12, the rivalry has grown more competitive in recent seasons. The Wildcats have split their last six meetings with the Bears, winning three. Coach Mittie enters the matchup with a 4-26 record against Baylor.
K-State has proven to be a capable road team this season, posting a 6-5 record away from Manhattan. This marks the fourth time in five seasons the Wildcats have secured at least five road wins. The highlight of the current campaign was a victory at 17th-ranked Texas Tech on January 17, reinforcing this group’s ability to perform in hostile environments.
Taryn Sides on the Brink! The junior guard needs 32 points to become the ninth player in program history with 400 or more points, 100 or more rebounds, and 100 or more assists in a season. At 5'6", she would be the shortest player in K-State history to achieve the 400/100/100 milestone. With 305 career assists, she ranks 17th in program history and needs two assists for sole possession of 16th place.
Gina Garcia leads all Big 12 freshmen and ranks third nationally in assists by a freshman with 136. She owns the sixth-most assists by a freshman in school history. Jordan Speiser is shooting 88.9% (56-of-63) from the free-throw line. She ranks first in program history for career free-throw percentage and third for single-season percentage (minimum two attempts per game).
Nastja Claessens leads the team with a 54.0% field-goal percentage. She has seven games this season, shooting 60% or better from the field while also making at least one three-pointer.
Numbers We Need to Know to Understand The Statistical Surge
At UCF on February 18, K-State posted a season-best 58.7% from the field and 55.0% from three-point range.
It marked just the fourth time since 2000-01 that the Wildcats shot 55% or better from both the field and beyond the arc (minimum 60 field-goal attempts and 20 three-point attempts). The 58.7% field-goal performance was the second-highest in such games, trailing only a 64.5% effort against Iowa on January 5, 2003.
K-State enters this contest following a 75-68 loss to Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown. The Wildcats were outscored 42-35 in the second half, as the Jayhawks went 18-of-21 from the free-throw line over the final two quarters.
Senior Tess Heal led the way with 19 points. Meanwhile, Claessens and Brandie Harrod each added 13. Harrod also recorded four steals. The Wildcats average 25.4 points per game from their second unit (736 total points), ranking second in the Big 12 and 31st nationally.
Defensively, K-State has tallied 273 steals this season (9.4 per game), with 56.8% of opponent turnovers coming directly from a Wildcat steal. In Big 12 play, they average 10.3 steals per game, second in the conference.
Freshman Harrod has emerged as a force on the offensive glass. She ranks 12th in the Big 12 with 2.28 offensive rebounds per game and has collected 66 offensive boards. That's the third-most by a freshman in program history.
As the Wildcats step into Foster Pavilion, they face one of the most significant challenges of their season. With national television cameras rolling, K-State has an opportunity to turn a crucial road matchup into a defining moment in its postseason push.
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Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.