The first morning of the 2026 women’s basketball transfer portal season brought bad news for Kansas State fans.

Star freshman sharpshooter Jordan Speiser is hitting the portal, according to a report from On3 Monday morning. She will enter the portal with a “Do Not Contact” tag, a designation preventing college coaches from initiating communication with a player, allowing athletes to manage their recruitment by having schools reach out only after the player makes initial contact. It’s often used by players who already have a destination school in mind.

A former five-star from Warrentown, Mo., Speiser came on strong late in the season, ending the Big 12 Tournament with an appearance on the All-Tournament team after tying the national mark by a freshman in the last 15 years for 3-point field goals made in any conference tournament in NCAA Division I.

Speiser ended the year averaging 10.2 points per game, shooting 38% from the field, including 34.9% from 3.

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Kansas State has suspended women’s soccer head coach Colleen Corbin for two weeks following the use of a racial slur — even though her use of the term was objecting to its use — The Mercury confirmed Tuesday.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Corbin had asked players not to play pregame music that included some swear words, including the N-word, before K-State’s exhibition versus Arkansas on March 7, in Kansas City. In a conversation about the music, she reportedly said the N-word, and players complained to the university.

Corbin later used the word again when relaying the situation during a staff meeting, which led assistant coach and goalkeepers coach Maddie Dobyns, who was hired by Corbin this past offseason, to resign from the team.

Following that incident, Corbin was suspended from the team for two weeks after a meeting with athletics director Gene Taylor on March 23.

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Collin Klein has had almost the full head-coaching experience over the last several months. He’s accepted a job at his alma mater to rapturous acclaim, built a staff, and filled a roster.

But on Thursday, the former Wildcat Heisman finalist and Ring of Honor inductee will run his first practice as a head coach when K-State opens 2026 spring practice.

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A top-10 salary in the Big 12 and over $1 million in potential bonuses highlight new Kansas State men’s basketball head coach Casey Alexander’s contract, which The Mercury obtained Monday afternoon.

K-State announced last week that Alexander signed a five-year deal worth $17 million before any bonuses. He will make $3.3 million in the first year, and that will increase by $50,000 every year through the 2030-31 season.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An improbable run through the Big 12 Tournament ended after four games in four days for the 12th-seeded Kansas State women Saturday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center.

The Wildcats ran out of steam midway through the fourth quarter, falling to the veteran and size-laden top-seed TCU, 74-62.

K-State had a slim lead at the break, thanks in part to first-half TCU turnovers and four 3-pointers in the second quarter, but the Horned Frogs caught fire in the third quarter and couldn’t be caught.

The loss ends one of the best Big 12 Tournament runs for the Wildcats in school history, and shows the growth and potential that this young roster could have moving forward.

“I mean, obviously we want to be playing tomorrow, but I’m just proud of this group and proud of the growth they’ve had all year,” junior Taryn Sides said. “Just wish we were playing (on Sunday).”

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Friday’s thrilling win over No. 4 Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, the 12th-seeded Kansas State women are stepping into relatively unknown territory.

K-State will play its fourth game in as many days on Saturday, when it takes on No. 1 TCU in the tournament semifinals. The Wildcats have only played four games in four days like this once, in the 1997 Big 12 Tournament.

But of all of the concerns that head coach Jeff Mittie might have about facing the conference’s regular-season champions in a high-stakes tournament game, fatigue is not one of them.

“The (players) would tell you that we’ve practiced seven, eight days in a row, and some days the seventh or eighth day is the hardest day, and it also might be the best day,” Mittie said. “Their bodies are tired right now, but they’re young. I don’t think it’s any different. We’ll get our preparation

“I would say this: The one thing about playing early in the day is the day is pretty normal for us in terms of our recovery. We practice at 10, 11 a.m. (in Manhattan), so the day is pretty normal. I’m sure they’ve got a nap scheduled later at some point later today, but our preparation will be the same.”

Both junior Nastja Claessens and freshman Jordan Speiser agreed and mentioned plans for a nice ice bath to help with their recovery.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A record-breaking offensive explosion led the Kansas State women to a blowout win over Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center.

A school-record 17 Wildcat 3-pointers powered the 12th-seeded Wildcats over No. 13 Cincinnati 91-66. The 17 three pointers broke the Big 12 tournament record, topping Iowa State’s 14 in 2008, and tied the school record set earlier this season versus Columbia in Cancun.

The win advances the Wildcats to a second-round matchup versus fifth-seed Texas Tech on Thursday.

Jordan Speiser and Taryn Sides both had 20 points in the win.

K-State will advance on to play fifth-seeded and 21st-ranked Texas Tech (25-6, 7-2 Big 12) on Wednesday. The Wildcats beat Tech in Lubbock, 65-59, back on Jan. 17.

Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and on News Radio KMAN and Sunny 102.5 FM. Pregame coverage begins at 10:30 a.m.

Read the full game story at TheMercury.com

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A promising first half spiraled for the Kansas State women versus an Iowa State team that’s starting to find its footing after a mid-season dip following a red-hot start to the season.

The Wildcats (15-16, 8-10 Big 12) used an excellent second quarter to lead by as much as six, but the Cyclones’ physicality down low was too much, led by a 41-point performance from star center Audi Crooks, to handle, as K-State fell 93-79 in Bramlage Coliseum Sunday afternoon.

With a win, K-State had a chance to earn a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament, but the loss forces the Wildcats into the opening game of the tournament Wednesday morning.

“We were in position to get (the bye),” head coach Jeff Mittie said. “It is what it is, right? We didn’t earn the bye. We had a chance, and now our opportunity is to play right away. So we’ve got to make the most of that.”

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A disastrous third quarter for the Kansas State women sunk any hopes of a potential road upset of No. 18 Baylor Monday evening, as the Bears rolled at home, beating the Wildcats 80-54 in Waco, Texas.

The Wildcats (15-15, 8-9 Big 12) only trailed by nine at the break, but seven 3-pointers in the third quarter were too much for the Wildcats to contend with, as they dropped their second straight game, and their last true road matchup of the season.

“(Our) shot decisions in that stretch were poor,” head coach Jeff Mittie said. “I thought we were weak around the rim. I think we had some frustration in our players. I think the fatigue at that point was a combination of those two things. We didn’t go to the next play very well. We had a lot of breakdowns, and then tonight, Baylor made you pay every time you missed a break. You know, if you had a breakdown defensively, if you went inside on a screen, they faded it. If you trailed it, they made the right read. So I think a combination of a lot of things.”

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A member of the Kansas State University men’s basketball coaching staff arrested last week is scheduled to make his first appearance in Riley County District Court on Monday.

Mark Randall Vital Jr., 29, of Manhattan is charged with one count of disorderly conduct by engaging in brawling or fighting. He was arrested at 12:20 a.m. Feb. 9 and originally charged one charge of domestic battery, which has since been changed.

Also arrested in the same incident was Kristen Blake Whiting-Daniels, 27, of Manhattan. She was originally charged with domestic battery and criminal damage to property but now faces the same charge as Vital. Whiting Daniels is also set to make her first appearance Monday, in the same 1:30 p.m. docket as Vital.

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