Jerome Tang reached his breaking point Wednesday night. After watching the Cincinnati Bearcats demolish his Kansas State Wildcats 91-62 at Bramlage Coliseum, the fourth-year head coach delivered a two-minute press conference tirade that laid bare the frustration of a season in freefall.
“This was embarrassing,” Tang said. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, and our student section. It’s just ridiculous.”
The Wildcats have lost five straight and nine of their last 10 games and sit tied for last in the Big 12 at 1-10. Their overall record stands at 10-14. K-State students showed up to Bramlage wearing paper bags over their heads. When Tang was told about the demonstration, he didn’t flinch.
“I’d wear a paper bag, too, if I was them.”
Tang Questions Players’ Pride and Commitment
The performance matched the frustration. Cincinnati shot 64.3% from three-point range in the first half, connecting on 9-of-14 attempts while building a 22-point lead. By halftime, the Bearcats had stretched the advantage to 53-31 behind 57% shooting from the floor and 64% from deep.
K-State never made it competitive. Cincinnati finished 16-of-28 from beyond the arc and had five players score in double figures. Jizzle James poured in 24 points on 6-of-8 three-point shooting. Baba Miller added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Sencire Harris contributed 12, and Day Day Thomas added 10.
P.J. Haggerty, the nation’s second-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game, had 24 for the Wildcats. No other K-State player reached double figures. David Castillo’s eight points were second on the team.
Tang announced that practice would be held at 6 a.m. Thursday morning, then drove the knife deeper.
“It means something to wear a K-State uniform,” he said. “It means something to put on this purple, and everything this university is about and why I love this place. They don’t love this place, so they don’t deserve to be here.”
The loss marked K-State’s third consecutive home defeat by 20 or more points. No program in a power conference wants to be associated with those numbers.
From Elite Eight Magic to Rock Bottom
The contrast with Tang’s first season could not be starker. In 2022-23, he guided the Wildcats to the Elite Eight behind Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson. They won 26 games and came within three points of the Final Four before falling to the Florida Atlantic Owls 79-76 at Madison Square Garden.
That magic feels like ancient history now. K-State went 19-15 in 2023-24, then 16-17 last season. This year has been worse in every measurable way. The Wildcats have one Big 12 victory all season, a home win over Utah, which also sits at 1-10 and shares last place in the conference.
Haggerty entered Wednesday needing just 31 points to become the fourth active Division I player with 2,000 career points. He’s now seven away from that milestone. Given the circumstances, it feels like little more than a footnote on a lost season.
The Wildcats travel to No. 3 Houston on Saturday. The Cougars rank among the nation’s elite defensive teams and have held opponents to a season low in scoring seven times this year. K-State figures to be next on that list.
Tang has a buyout of approximately $18.7 million, a number that one student’s paper bag made sure to highlight Wednesday night. Whether that number keeps him employed through the offseason remains an open question. His players’ commitment to the program, according to their own coach, already seems to have an answer.