Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus Northeastern State (exh.) on October 22, 2026 , Win , 90, to, 43
Women's Basketball
90
vs Northeastern State (exh.)
43
10/26/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second consecutive season, standout Kansas senior guard S'Mya Nichols is one of 20 players named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List.
The prestigious award is one of the Naismith Starting 5 awards offered, going to the best point guard in women's college basketball and presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to highlight the elite talent in the sport. The awards watch list will remain fluid as the season progresses, giving players the opportunity to move on and off the list until the final five are selected. The list will narrow down to 10 players in late January, with the final five being announced in March. The award winner and presentation details will be revealed at the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.
Nichols enters her senior season as KU's all-time leader in free throws made (627), while ranking third in both career free throw (83.8) and three-point (40.5) percentage. She is also ranked seventh in school history with 397 assists and No. 10 with 1,693 career points.
A two-time WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree, Nichols averaged 17.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last season. She also led the nation in free throw shooting, hitting 243-of-287 (84.7 percent) attempts, breaking her own single-season school record of 218 made free throws from her sophomore campaign. Nichols scored in double figures 32 times in 36 games, with 13 games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 40 points vs. Georgia on Nov. 28 at the Fort Myers Tipoff.
Nichols has earned All-Big 12 First Team honors after each of her first three seasons at Kansas, joining Lynn Pride (1998, 1999, 2000) as the Jayhawks' only three-time first team honorees. Last season, Nichols was twice named to the Big 12 Starting Five (Dec. 1, Dec. 8). In addition to her spot on the Liebermann Award Watch List, she was also named to the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award Watch Lists prior to the start of the 2025-26 season.
Nichols is one of three players from the Big 12 Conference on the Lieberman Award watch list, joined by Liv McGill (Oklahoma State) and Jadyn Wooten (TCU). Last year's winner, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, is also among the preseason candidates. Aside from Hidalgo, each other winner of the Lieberman Award since 2017 has gone on to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in the WNBA Draft, with previous winners including Paige Bueckers (2021, 2025), Caitlin Clark (2022-24), Sabrina Ionescu (2018-20) and Kelsey Plum (2017).
The point guard of the year award is named for Lieberman, who led Old Dominion University to back-to-back AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980. As a 5-10 point guard, Lieberman was taller than many of the guards of her era, and her ability to drive to the hoop, dish out assists and grab hard-fought rebounds served her well during her stellar career. She was twice named the winner of the Wade Trophy – a basketball first – and was the top female athlete during those two seasons, also winning the Broderick Cup twice.
Lieberman played professionally in the Women's Professional Basketball League, Women's American Basketball Association, United States Basketball League, Women's National Basketball Association, and with the Washington Generals. In 1984, she earned WABA MVP honors as she led her team to the WABA championship. In 1998, Lieberman was hired as general manager and head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock. She coached for three seasons. On July 30, 2015, Lieberman became the second woman in history to join the coaching staff of an NBA team, when she was hired as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings.
Nichols and the Jayhawks play their final exhibition contest on Thursday, Oct. 29, as Washburn comes to town for Late Night in the Phog, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Kansas opens the regular season on Nov. 3 by hosting Omaha in the first of eight non-conference home contests. Season tickets for Kansas women's basketball are on sale now, with fans able to secure seats at Allen Fieldhouse for as low as $125. To learn more about ticket options, fans are encouraged to visit KUAthletics.com or call 800-34-HAWKS.
The prestigious award is one of the Naismith Starting 5 awards offered, going to the best point guard in women's college basketball and presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to highlight the elite talent in the sport. The awards watch list will remain fluid as the season progresses, giving players the opportunity to move on and off the list until the final five are selected. The list will narrow down to 10 players in late January, with the final five being announced in March. The award winner and presentation details will be revealed at the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.
Nichols enters her senior season as KU's all-time leader in free throws made (627), while ranking third in both career free throw (83.8) and three-point (40.5) percentage. She is also ranked seventh in school history with 397 assists and No. 10 with 1,693 career points.
A two-time WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree, Nichols averaged 17.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last season. She also led the nation in free throw shooting, hitting 243-of-287 (84.7 percent) attempts, breaking her own single-season school record of 218 made free throws from her sophomore campaign. Nichols scored in double figures 32 times in 36 games, with 13 games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 40 points vs. Georgia on Nov. 28 at the Fort Myers Tipoff.
Nichols has earned All-Big 12 First Team honors after each of her first three seasons at Kansas, joining Lynn Pride (1998, 1999, 2000) as the Jayhawks' only three-time first team honorees. Last season, Nichols was twice named to the Big 12 Starting Five (Dec. 1, Dec. 8). In addition to her spot on the Liebermann Award Watch List, she was also named to the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award Watch Lists prior to the start of the 2025-26 season.
Nichols is one of three players from the Big 12 Conference on the Lieberman Award watch list, joined by Liv McGill (Oklahoma State) and Jadyn Wooten (TCU). Last year's winner, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, is also among the preseason candidates. Aside from Hidalgo, each other winner of the Lieberman Award since 2017 has gone on to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in the WNBA Draft, with previous winners including Paige Bueckers (2021, 2025), Caitlin Clark (2022-24), Sabrina Ionescu (2018-20) and Kelsey Plum (2017).
The point guard of the year award is named for Lieberman, who led Old Dominion University to back-to-back AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980. As a 5-10 point guard, Lieberman was taller than many of the guards of her era, and her ability to drive to the hoop, dish out assists and grab hard-fought rebounds served her well during her stellar career. She was twice named the winner of the Wade Trophy – a basketball first – and was the top female athlete during those two seasons, also winning the Broderick Cup twice.
Lieberman played professionally in the Women's Professional Basketball League, Women's American Basketball Association, United States Basketball League, Women's National Basketball Association, and with the Washington Generals. In 1984, she earned WABA MVP honors as she led her team to the WABA championship. In 1998, Lieberman was hired as general manager and head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock. She coached for three seasons. On July 30, 2015, Lieberman became the second woman in history to join the coaching staff of an NBA team, when she was hired as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings.
Nichols and the Jayhawks play their final exhibition contest on Thursday, Oct. 29, as Washburn comes to town for Late Night in the Phog, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Kansas opens the regular season on Nov. 3 by hosting Omaha in the first of eight non-conference home contests. Season tickets for Kansas women's basketball are on sale now, with fans able to secure seats at Allen Fieldhouse for as low as $125. To learn more about ticket options, fans are encouraged to visit KUAthletics.com or call 800-34-HAWKS.
Players Mentioned
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