Kansas Hosts AAC Champion Rice in WBIT Second Round

Sunday, March 22

Lawrence, Kan.

5:30 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

Rice

Kansas Hosts AAC Champion Rice in WBIT Second Round

3/21/2026 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks will host the Rice Owls, champions of the American Athletic Conference, in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), on Sunday, March 22.

Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 5:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Josh Klingler (play-by-play) and Holly Kersgieter (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis and David Lawrence calling the action.

Kansas, a No. 2 seed in the WBIT, earned its 20th win of the season with a 79-70 victory over Troy in the opening round of the tournament. The Jayhawks trailed by five entering the fourth quarter, but outscored Troy 30-16 in the final 10 minutes to pull away for the victory. Junior guard S'Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 31 points, while freshman forward Jaliya Davis added 21, marking the fifth time this season the duo of Nichols and Davis both scored 20+ points in the same game.

The Jayhawks are set for a matchup with Rice, who earned an automatic berth and No. 3 seed in the WBIT as the regular season champions of the AAC. Rice went 17-1 in league play and set a new school record with their 29th win of the season following a 66-61 victory vs. Louisiana Tech in the WBIT First Round.

As the higher seed, Kansas will host the second-round game. The Jayhawks are 13-4 at home this season, which includes an 8-0 mark against non-Big 12 opponents. Dating back to December 2020, Kansas has won 41-consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.

Sunday's contest will be the second all-time meeting between Kansas and Rice. The Jayhawks hold the 1-0 advantage after claiming a 73-65 victory over the Owls on Nov. 26, 2017, at Allen Fieldhouse.

Nichols had a historical game against Troy with 31 points, the second-highest scoring game of her career, hitting a career-high 5-of-5 three-pointers while also knocking down a career-high 16-of-18 free throws. In the process, Nichols set the single season school record for free throws made for the second straight season, and she regained the national lead with 227 free throws made this season. KU's all-time leader in free throw shooting, Nichols has now made 611 in her career, which ranks sixth in Big 12 history.

Davis, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, notched her 14th game of 20+ points vs. Troy. Davis ranked second in the Big 12 during league play with 21.5 points per game, and she's now averaging 19.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for the year. Davis has recorded three double-doubles, most recently with 10 points and 11 rebounds in KU's Big 12 Tournament win over UCF on March 4.

Junior guard Laia Conesa scored four points against Troy, while filling up the stat sheet with a career high 12 rebounds and leading the team with four assists and two steals. For Conesa, she pulled down 10+ rebounds for only the second time in her career, and first since January 2025 at Houston.

Kansas ranks second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally in field goal percentage (47.7), while also ranking third in the league in free throw percentage (75.9) and sixth in three-point shooting (34.3). The Jayhawks are on pace to record the No. 2 free throw shooting season and the No. 3 field goal percentage in school history.

Tickets
Tickets for the WBIT are on sale, with general admission tickets available for $10 and reserved tickets starting at $15, plus fees. Tickets can be purchased by visiting KUAthletics.com or calling 800-34-HAWKS.

Up Next
With a win on Sunday, Kansas would advance to the quarterfinals of the WBIT, which would take place on Thursday, March 26. As the highest remaining seed, a win vs. Rice would secure the Jayhawks a home game against either McNeese or San Diego State in the WBIT quarterfinals.