Sunflower Showdown Set for Prime Time - Finally
After a stretch of late-night tipoffs that tested the stamina of players, coaches, and fans alike, Kansas State and Kansas are finally getting a break - and it couldn’t come at a better time. When the Wildcats and Jayhawks meet this Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum, they’ll do so under the lights at a much more manageable hour: 7 p.m. local time.
For a rivalry as storied and intense as the Sunflower Showdown, a prime-time slot on a Saturday night feels just right. It gives the game the stage it deserves, without pushing players into the early-morning hours or fans into a caffeine-fueled frenzy just to stay awake.
Late Nights, Long Roads
Both programs have been riding a rollercoaster of late tipoffs recently, and the effects have been noticeable. Kansas State, for example, tipped off at 9 p.m. last Saturday at Oklahoma State - a game that turned into a heartbreaker, with the Wildcats falling 84-83 in a nail-biter that stretched well into the night.
Just a few days later, they hosted Utah at 8 p.m. and pulled out a gritty 81-78 win. That’s two emotional, physically draining games in the span of four days - both ending after most of the country had gone to bed.
Kansas, meanwhile, had its own version of basketball after dark. The Jayhawks squared off with Colorado in a game that didn’t start until 10 p.m.
Tuesday night. They managed to grind out a 75-69 win, but not before pushing their endurance - and their fans’ - to the limit.
Jerome Tang Sounds Off
K-State head coach Jerome Tang isn’t shy about how he feels regarding these late-night games. While he understands the reality of modern college athletics - that television money drives scheduling - he’s not thrilled with the toll it takes on his team, particularly when it comes to weekday games.
“Obviously, we have to play at certain times because TV pays the money,” Tang said this week. “But I think somehow we can get some of this under control and play at a decent time.”
He’s not just speaking as a coach trying to manage his team’s performance. Tang is raising a point that’s easy to overlook in the business-first world of college sports: student-athlete welfare. When your players are getting back from road trips at 2 or 3 a.m. and still expected to show up for class the next morning, that’s not exactly setting them up for success off the court.
“We talk a lot about student-athlete welfare and all of that,” Tang said. “I don’t know that playing at 9 o’clock at night on the road when they have school the next day is really thinking about their welfare...
Those dudes are not getting back until way after midnight, and they lose an hour. It’s just not easy.”
The Scheduling Jigsaw Puzzle
With the Big 12’s recent expansion and a growing list of TV partners, there are more broadcast windows than ever - and more platforms looking to fill them. K-State alone is playing on 10 different networks or streaming services this season. That means a mix of early afternoon games, late-night tipoffs, and everything in between.
TNT tends to favor early starts. CBS Sports Network leans late.
FOX, ESPN, and Peacock can go either way. The result is a schedule that feels more like a jigsaw puzzle than a rhythm - and it’s the players who are left trying to piece it all together.
Looking Ahead
For now, both Kansas and Kansas State can look forward to a Saturday night showdown that doesn’t require a midnight oil burn. It’s a small win in a season full of moving parts, but one that should make for better basketball - and better rest - on both sides.
And for Tang, it’s a step in the right direction. Because while the lights of prime-time TV shine bright, the real focus should always be on the players under them.