As Panjandrum stated below, it's KU week. So, knowing how much those of us in Purple Nation hate all things Crimson and Blue (copyrighted), the K-State women started our week off nicely by defeating the hated chickenhawks this weekend. Oh, how I loathe thee...
Call it a Bramlage Beatdown. The K-State women continued riding the steamroller they were on during non-con play by demolishing KU 72-39 on Saturday. The Cats now sit undefeated at 14-0, but will face their toughest task of the season when they travel to Oklahoma on Wednesday.
While the win against the flaw on the Kaw wasn't a total surprise, the absolute domination probably was. The chickens came into the game at 11-2 and had won their last four. But, the Cats fed the Hawks a healthy dose of Lehning and Sweat, as Shalee recorded 14 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists, and Ashley chipped in 18 points.
In order to keep the dream season going, Shalee, Ashley, and the rest of the Cats will have to find a way to shut down the Paris Sooners. Yes, considering how dominate Courtney and Ashley Paris have become for OU, they should just re-name the university after them. The Paris sisters are at the top of the Big XII in rebounding and are both in the top 10 in scoring. However, K-State will be forced to stop the other members of the Sooner team, because it's more than just a two Paris show. Just to give you an idea as to how tough this OU team is, their only two losses have been to national powerhouses North Carolina and Connecticut.
One bright side for Deb Patterson is that she now has game film from two games that found OU on the losing end, so she can see how UNC and UConn were able to defeat the land thieves. I know, let's be realistic, KSU won't roll out the same athletes that UNC and UConn have, but a game plan still needs to be set in place. This game will feature the conference's best offense (Oklahoma) against the best defense (K-State) so expect the battle to be intense on both ends of the floor.
While I think Deb's team has what it takes to repeat as Big XII Champs, I think this will be the first speed bump of the season. I see Oklahoma rolling on their home court to a 10 point victory. Hopefully the ladies can prove me wrong and continue their best start in school history. Good luck, girls!