Jerome Tang changes tone after Kansas State basketball loss to TCU

In the days after Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang held a contentious press conference following the Wildcats’ 34-point home loss to Iowa State, the coach had a different tone after his team’s latest loss.

Kansas State lost 84-82 at TCU on Saturday, Feb. 7, blowing a 10-point lead with 5:26 remaining in the game and allowing the Horned Frogs to score the game’s final seven points. The Wildcats led by as many as 18 in the first half and led for all but the final seven seconds of the game.

The loss was K-State’s fourth in a row, dropping them to 1-9 in Big 12 play and 10-13 overall.

Rather than the, at times, combative tone Tang had after the Wildcats’ loss on Feb. 1, the program’s largest defeat under his leadership, the coach accepted more accountability, saying that he and his staff didn’t give his players enough in order to hold on to victory.

“I’m hurting for them, but I’m frustrated because there are things I feel like I can do better, and I’m going to have to figure that out,” Tang said. “It’s just a process, man. This is not how we intended, but this is where we’re at. Life is 10% about what happens to you and 90% how you respond. We’re going to respond the right way.”

Kansas State entered the game dealing with flu-like illnesses throughout the roster, including standout point guard PJ Haggerty, who didn’t start warming up until minutes before. Dorin Buca was added to the team’s availability report late due to illness, but he was able to go. Khamari McGriff, who missed the Wildcats’ previous four games, also dealt with sickness, but made his first appearance since the Wildcats’ Jan. 17 loss at Oklahoma State.

On top of that, K-State remained without Elias Rapieque, Abdi Bashir Jr., and Mobi Ikegwuruka, while Andrej Kostic was ruled out after rolling his ankle during an individual workout earlier in the week. At one point, Tang said the Wildcats were considering playing only five players against the Horned Frogs. They got minutes from eight players, while two fouled out and one finished with four fouls, resulting in a 36-8 free-throw discrepancy.

Still, Kansas State had a chance to win, but couldn’t hold on.

“I know we were very stagnant and playing too much one-on-one,” Tang said. “We didn’t get the body movement or ball movement. In the first half, it was turnovers… Our margin for error is too small for us to make those kinds of mistakes or ever relax or think we’ve got this, because it’s never going to be easy for us.”

Tang wasn’t asked directly about a “message for the fans,” as became the talking point throughout the week, even though he didn’t feel the need to give one after the loss to Iowa State.

But he had a message of sorts ahead of the Wildcats’ next home game, taking place Wednesday, Feb. 11, against Cincinnati at Bramlage Coliseum.

“We have to bring this kind of focus and energy to Bramlage,” Tang said. “Our fans deserve that right now. It’s gonna help our opponents, too, but our fans deserve this kind of focus and energy. We’re gonna do a great job as a staff of having them locked in.”

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com