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The Kansas State Wildcats are one of the best programs in women's college basketball with an 18-1 (7-0 in Big 12) record and senior center Ayoka Lee has been a major reason why. However, it seems like the Wildcats are going to need to play without her presence in the lineup, as the star center has suffered a severe ankle injury that will sideline her for a bit.
Wildcats coach Jeff Mittie spoke to Kansas City Star reporter Kellis Robinett about the status of Ayoka Lee and he discussed when the injury happened and the expected timeline for her return to the team.
This is obviously a major loss, as Ayoka Lee is leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks this year. She has played 18 games and is recording 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per game. She is also third in the NCAA with a 67.7 shooting percentage.
Can the Kansas State Wildcats survive without Ayoka Lee playing?
The Kansas State Wildcats have a lot of talent throughout their roster, to the point where they should be able to survive an injury to Ayoka Lee. With a timeline of four weeks, that would mean she could play in the final handful of regular-season games to get back on the court and shake some of the rust off.
While Ayoka Lee is the star player, the shots are going to be spread around as not one player is going to dominate the ball. However, guard Serena Sundell (10.6 ppg) is the only other Wildcats player to average double-digit points.
This team is the seventh-ranked program for more than just one player and they will be able to prove that.
While the Wildcats are likely to stumble at times without their best player on the court, they should be able to win a majority of their games and compete for the Big 12 regular-season championship.
All that matters is if Lee will be 100 percent by the time the NCAA Tournament rolls around and this could be a good sign for when she is healthy as other players have learned to step up offensively.
