Kansas State’s Blowout Loss to Iowa State Sparks Outrage from Program Legend Jacob Pullen
There’s losing a game, and then there’s what happened to Kansas State on Sunday at Bramlage Coliseum.
A 95-61 home loss to Iowa State - a 34-point drubbing in front of the home crowd - has left a fanbase stunned, and one of the program’s all-time greats downright furious.
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State’s all-time leading scorer and a cornerstone of the Wildcats’ success from 2007 to 2011, didn’t hold back. After watching his alma mater suffer one of its worst home losses in school history, Pullen took to social media to voice what many in Manhattan were feeling.
“Embarrassing to say the least,” he wrote on X. “The effort, the energy, the defense and the offense.
I never thought I’d see the day where Iowa State beat us by (34) at home. I think (I) lost once in my career to them.”
Pullen’s frustration is rooted in experience. He poured in 2,132 points during his K-State career - still the most in school history - and helped lead the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a memorable run to the Elite Eight in 2010.
During his time in purple, Kansas State went 7-1 against Iowa State. That lone loss?
An overtime battle in his junior year.
Sunday’s result wasn’t just a loss - it was a statistical gut punch. The 34-point margin marked the Wildcats’ worst defeat in four seasons under head coach Jerome Tang, and it now stands as the third-largest home loss ever at the Octagon of Doom.
But in the aftermath, Tang struck a tone that caught some off guard. Despite the lopsided score, he said he wasn’t disappointed in his team’s effort. In fact, he expressed pride in the way his players continued to battle against a top-10 opponent, even as the game slipped away.
Still, the numbers are hard to ignore. Kansas State now sits at 10-12 overall and 1-8 in Big 12 play - dead last in the conference standings at the midway point of the season. And the past two home games have been particularly brutal: a combined 59-point margin of defeat to their two biggest rivals, Kansas and Iowa State.
This isn’t the kind of season K-State fans envisioned after last year’s Elite Eight run. And for program legends like Pullen, who helped raise the standard in Manhattan, watching the current team struggle this way - especially at home - hits differently.
There’s still time for the Wildcats to regroup, but the road ahead in the Big 12 is unforgiving. And with each loss, the frustration grows - not just among fans, but among the very players who helped build the foundation this program stands on.