MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State women’s basketball has received its schedule for the 2025 Cancun Challenge at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on November 27-29. The Wildcats are joined in the Mayan Division by Columbia, North Carolina and South Dakota State.
The Wildcats will face Columbia on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. On Friday, K-State and North Carolina will meet at 10 a.m. The Wildcats will end its schedule in Cancun on Saturday at 10 a.m., against South Dakota State.
K-State has played in Cancun four times in its history. The Wildcats’ first trip to Cancun came in 1999 in the Cancun Tournament, followed by a trip to the Caribbean Classic in 2007. K-State has taken part in the Cancun Challenge in 2011 and 2018.
Fan packages are available for the Cancun Challenge and can be purchased at cancunchallenge.net.
K-State and Columbia will meet for the first time. This will be the 12th time the Wildcats will face an Ivy League opponent and the first time since the 2018-19 season, when K-State defeated Princeton in the Cancun Challenge.
Columbia ended the 2024-25 season in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, falling to West Virginia. The Lions completed the season with a 24-7 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the Ivy League.
The Wildcats will face the Tarheels for the third time in the history of the series and the second time in the last three seasons. K-State captured the last meeting against North Carolina, 63-56, in Estero, Florida, during the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase.
North Carolina reached the 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 29-8 overall record.
K-State and South Dakota State will match up for the ninth time and the first time since Dec. 10, 2022, when the Jackrabbits ended a seven-game losing streak to the Wildcats with an 82-78 win in Kansas City.
South Dakota State completed the 2024-25 season by reaching the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, where the Jackrabbits fell to eventual national champion UConn. South Dakota State registered a record of 30-4 overall and secured the regular season and tournament Summit League crowns.
K-State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2025-26 season are available now. For more information on season ticket packages for the Wildcats’ home schedule, contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visit www.kstatesports.com/tickets.
2025 Cancun Challenge – Mayan Division
Thursday, Nov. 27North Carolina vs. South Dakota State, 10 a.m.Columbia vs. Kansas State, 12:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 28Kansas State vs. North Carolina, 10 a.m.South Dakota State vs. Columbia, 12:30 p.m.