20th-ranked KU women look to improve to 11-0 in latest road test at Nebraska

By J-W Staff Report Dec 20, 2022

Aiden Droge/Kansas Athletics

KU's Ionna Chatzileonti high-fives Zakiyah Franklin during a game between KU and Jacksonville on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The 20th-ranked Kansas women’s basketball team will look to finish non-conference play undefeated on Wednesday night in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Jayhawks enter Wednesday’s 6 p.m. tipoff with a 10-0 record for the fourth time in school history and the second time under current head coach Brandon Schneider.

Schneider led KU to an 11-0 start during the 2019-20 season.

Beyond just winning, this group, led by veterans Holly Kersgieter, Taiyanna Jackson and Zakiyah Franklin, has played well enough to crack back into the national polls.

Last week, KU entered the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2013 at No. 22. This week, after a home win over Tulsa last Friday night, the Jayhawks jumped two spots to No. 20.

After a slow start, the Jayhawks have won their last eight games by an average of 26.5 points per win, with seven of those eight wins coming by more than 20 points.

KU is one of 10 remaining unbeaten programs in Division I women’s basketball, and the lone team in the Big 12 Conference that has yet to lose.

Nebraska enters Wednesday’s matchup with a 9-3 record and on the heels of four consecutive wins, including a 90-67 victory at No. 20 Maryland on Dec. 4. KU will be the fourth ranked opponents to face the Cornhuskers so far this season.

The KU-NU series, which Kansas leads 50-33, dates back to the 1974-75 season, but the two teams have played just three times since Nebraska left the Big 12 in 2012. KU is 1-2 in those three games.