2026 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 4, 2026

Jeff Mittie

Taryn Sides

Jordan Speiser

T-Mobile Center

Kansas State Wildcats

Postgame Press Conference

Kansas State-91, Cincinnati-66

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Kansas State Head Coach Jeff Mittie and Jordan Speiser and Taryn Sides. We'll have an opening statement from Coach.

JEFF MITTIE: Well, glad to be at the tournament. I thought our team played well today. Thought we did some good things. I loved our ball movement for the most part.

Defensively we wanted to get some energy out of the press early. We were able to get some turnovers out of that, and I thought our team played better as the game progressed. That's what you kind of want. You want to get your feet into the tournament. You want to get your emotions into the tournament. I thought our players were pretty solid.

We got production from a lot of people today off the bench, which we've gotten all year, but today I thought we had a lot of players come in and do some good things.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Jeff, do you attribute the ball movement to just how well you guys shot it from outside?

JEFF MITTIE: Well, I think that we shot it well because the ball moved. I think that when the ball moves like that, it's more like a shooting drill.

You know, when we do a lot of our shooting competitions and a lot of our shooting drills, you know, the ball is moving, the ball is coming from a passer. When you play with that, that's how you practice shooting.

We have a lot of one-more-pass shooting drills that we do. I just think that today when we got it going, we had players turn down good shots to get somebody else a great shot. That was a lot of fun to watch.

(Zoom audio interruption.)

Q. Just talk about Jordan's development over the course of the season, in specific how her shot selection has improved, and it's nice to see the ball go through the hoop, of course.

JEFF MITTIE: I think she's trusted the offense better. You know, I think that every young player wants to make plays early, and they can press sometimes. I think all of our young players have gone through that.

I thought today this is one of her better defensive games, so I think she's finding other areas of the floor to be more involved in. I think that's sparking a lot of her offense as well.

I don't think it's just one area. She's always been a great shooter. She's continued to grow her scoring, which is one of the goals when she came in. We've seen her over the last couple of weeks... probably the last month back-to-the-basket drives better. All in all I think she's doing a lot of good things. Her TikTok game is bad, but besides that --

JORDAN SPEISER: No, he's just scared of (indiscernible), that's the proper --

JEFF MITTIE: I am a little nervous about that.

Q. What do you think the team has improved the most from the start to where you are today?

JEFF MITTIE: I think that's a great question. I think it just got asked. I think our shot decisions are better overall as I group. I think they know who they are better than they did two months ago. I think that they've all gone through the hills and valleys of the season.

And I said this a couple of press conferences ago. When you're a young team -- I think we had the youngest in the Power 4 -- it's hard to see the growth when you're not getting the result that you want all the time.

I can tell you that when I watch film, I see a lot of growth, and I see a lot of good things from all of them. Collectively I think our shot decisions as a team has gotten better. I think our recognition of how we can help each other play better has gotten better.

Defensively we're still challenged in some areas, but I do think that that's an area that there are moments where I see better things. Probably all the above, but specifically the shot decisions.

Q. I realize you just are coming off a game, but what concerns you about Texas Tech tomorrow?

JEFF MITTIE: I appreciate you letting me (Zoom audio interruption) fan since she was in high school. I didn't like her college choice -- kind of a joke -- since we recruited her.

They've got such balance across the board. I thought Snudda does such a great job coming off the bench. They've got both -- I thought Bristow, all of the above, their length defensively is something that they've been good at all year. I just think their overall balance is really, really good, and they've played so well all year long.

Q. Jordan, I don't know if they told you back there, but you tied the school record for three-pointers made in a game. You broke the school record for three-point percentage in a game. What's your reaction to that? You're tied with Laurie Koehn, which is a very special name to the K-State fans. Hearing all that after a fun one like that, what's your reaction?

JORDAN SPEISER: I don't even know what to think, honestly. It's really awesome to hear, but I owe it to my teammates. All my shots came from one-more passes. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to get it done.

Just the energy that we all gave each other, I feel like that really helped to go into the way I played today, so yeah.

Q. When you hit threes back to back to back, what is going through your mind? Is anything going through your mind in that period? Are you so locked in? What's going through your head whenever that is taking place?

JORDAN SPEISER: Nothing. I'm just having fun, if I'm being honest.

JEFF MITTIE: I can vouch for that.

Q. Just for everyone, just mostly Jordan and Taryn. Taryn, I know you've been in this grind in this tournament for a little bit, but just how have you all prepared for the potential four days of just back-to-back games?

TARYN SIDES: Yeah, I think we came in with the mindset that it's a new season. We're going to take it one game at a time, but we want to be here all weekend. I think just all the preparation from this year, from this summer, it all comes to fruition right now.

JORDAN SPEISER: Yeah, I would say the same thing as Taryn basically. We are coming in with the mindset of a new season. We're going to give it our all, that's for sure.

Q. A lot of buzz about the court. Everyone is talking about the lights and everything. You are the first team to play on it. First impressions of how it feels? Seems like everyone was flying around with an extra juice and the lack of noise that you hear from it.

JORDAN SPEISER: I thought it was cool. We've practiced on one, when was that, in Florida?

JEFF MITTIE: Yeah.

JORDAN SPEISER: We got to see it then, too. But yeah, it was still exciting to play on. We were the first team to play on it, and we made sure to get the W. You're welcome. But, yeah, it was fun, I think.

Q. Do you all see any difference from playing on hardwood versus playing on that court?

JORDAN SPEISER: I didn't.

TARYN SIDES: It's a little bit different feel, but...

JORDAN SPEISER: Not much.

TARYN SIDES: It's basketball. I don't know.

JORDAN SPEISER: Yeah.

Q. Coach, 24 assists, 33 made shots. What can you say about the way this team at times has shown they can share the basketball? In particular, the growth of Gina Garcia, ties her career high, 10 assists today as well?

JEFF MITTIE: I thought, one, early in the game, the steals were getting us in open floor, and I thought our group made really good decisions in sharing the ball to the right player.

I thought that Gina is the player on the floor that has great awareness of who needs to get the ball when they need to get it. You know, when Jordan hit her stretch, she's got the fun play right in front of the bench. You can see that coming at half court. Gina knows Jordan is trailing her. She's just got to get deep enough to get Jordan a play behind her, which Jordan has such great range, she doesn't have to get too deep.

You know, she's continued to grow throughout the year. Yeah, you're talking about 20 assists in her last couple of games. She's finding the right player at the right time. She's hitting them in rhythm, and she's continued to grow all year long.

Q. Talking about the tournament style, you two players, growing up with AAU and just how much that's evolved in high school, with the travel and the just amount of games you play in a short amount of time, do you think that affects you as much as it might have before the AAU has become so big?

JORDAN SPEISER: I'd say being that, like, obviously -- wait, hold on. Go.

TARYN SIDES: Yeah, I think in AAU when you play multiple times a day, that kind of helps prepare you for moments like this. We've also played, like, our Thanksgiving tournament. You're playing back-to-back-to-back days. I think those moments help prepare you for the Big 12 tournament.

JORDAN SPEISER: I agree. I think we're well-prepared for it, and yeah.

Q. Coach, how have you seen your team grow? We talked about the press earlier in the year. How do you think the team has grown with just the pacing that it takes with the press and just the adrenaline I think sometimes that they show in the press?

JEFF MITTIE: I think we've grown overall as a group. You know, we haven't always used it. We've picked our spots to use it, but it takes a lot of energy. Our rotations I thought today were pretty good. Our decisions in the press have gotten better.

I think we're still a team, though, that has to pick our spots and has to pick the right moments to do it, but I do like -- I do think that a player like Nas plays really well in that and gets some energy from that. I think a player like Gina Garcia, we've seen her steals really accelerate.

Taryn has always been excellent at reading things in the press. Jordan has continued to improve in that area. She's I think more active than she was maybe a month or two ago. Aniya Foy has gotten better at the press.

When you ask about the growth of this team, that hasn't been something that we started the year doing. The growth of that has probably come in the last two to three weeks.