Mittie can now focus on coaching the Wildcats without that distraction looming over him or the team as they head to Lexington, Kentucky for their first game in the NCAA Tournament this week. No. 5 seed K-State will place No. 12 seed Fairfield on Friday at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNEWS.

K-State dropped three spots to No. 15 — its low watermark for the season — in Tuesday's poll. It came after the Wildcats suffered a 70-57 loss Monday at West Virginia, dropping their season record to 24-4 overall and 12-3 in the Big 12.

Kellie Harper has worked for the SEC Network this season. She’s taken four different programs, including Tennessee, to the NCAA Tournament.