Kansas State Responds to Blowout Loss with Grueling Practices: Tang Demands More from Wildcats
After a humbling 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati, Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang didn’t waste time sending a message to his team - and he didn’t need words to do it. Less than 24 hours after the Wildcats were dismantled on their own floor, the players were back inside Bramlage Coliseum at 6 a.m., not for a typical practice, but for a grueling reminder of what it means to wear a K-State uniform.
“They learned every step of Bramlage Coliseum very well,” Tang said on his weekly radio show - and that wasn’t a metaphor. Players reportedly ran the arena stairs roughly 70 times, from the court to the top of the building and back, in a punishing session that set the tone for what Tang expects moving forward.
And the day was only getting started.
By 2:30 p.m., the Wildcats were back at it for a second session, this time with basketballs in hand. But make no mistake - this wasn’t a light walkthrough.
“Neither one of them was very easy,” Tang said of the two practices. “It was very, very challenging... but they went along with it and then came back this evening and got after it. After some of the things we did, we were like, ‘If you gave that effort yesterday, we wouldn’t be in this situation.’”
This isn’t just a short-term reaction. Tang made it clear that the intensity isn’t letting up.
Another early morning session was scheduled for Friday, and once the team arrives in Houston for their Saturday matchup against No. 3 Houston, there’s an evening practice on the docket as well.
The Wildcats are in the middle of a freefall. At 10-14 overall and 1-10 in Big 12 play, they’re tied for last in the conference and playing their worst basketball of the season.
The loss to Cincinnati wasn’t just a defeat - it was a collapse. And for Tang, it was the kind of performance that cut deeper than the scoreboard.
“I was definitely frustrated and embarrassed,” he said. “I was caught by surprise.
I mean, if you would have been in our last two practices and in the building for the game we gave away at TCU, it was so unexpected. I was baffled.”
The absence of effort was what stung the most. Tang didn’t hold back, saying Cincinnati is a good team - but not 30 points better.
Not in Manhattan. Not inside Bramlage.
“You have got to give Cincinnati credit,” Tang said. “They’re a good basketball team, but they’re not 30 points better than we are.
Not on our home court. When you let good teams get easy shots and just move the ball around and there’s no resistance - that’s what happens.”
He pointed to a lack of defensive pressure and energy, noting that the Wildcats had emphasized ball pressure and forcing turnovers in practice. But when game time came, the execution - and the fire - just wasn’t there.
“Even in timeouts, there was no emotion,” Tang said. “Nobody got mad at each other.
No one had an answer. It was just blank stares.”
That kind of response doesn’t sit well with Tang, who’s made it clear that effort is non-negotiable. Wins may not be guaranteed, especially going up against a powerhouse like Houston on the road, but Tang is demanding a team that competes with pride.
“It may not result in wins,” he said, “but it will result in a better effort on the floor. Or they don’t get the chance to wear the uniform.”
Saturday’s game at Houston will be a test - not just of skill, but of resilience. After two straight days of punishing workouts and emotional recalibration, we’ll find out whether Kansas State has taken the message to heart.