In a game that came down to the wire, Kansas State found itself on the wrong end of an 84-83 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday - and the final play is going to sting for a while in Manhattan.
With two seconds left and the ball on the sideline, the Wildcats had time for one last shot. They didn’t need a three.
A layup, a floater, a mid-range jumper - anything would’ve done the job. But instead, PJ Haggerty, Kansas State’s leading scorer, launched a deep heave from near the logo.
It missed, and the Wildcats walked off the floor stunned.
So why did Haggerty, a 6-foot-4 junior guard with a knack for scoring but not exactly known for half-court buzzer beaters, pull up from that far out with the game on the line?
It turns out the decision was rooted in strategy - and a bit of miscommunication.
“They had fouls to give,” head coach Jerome Tang explained postgame. “Because they played unbelievable defense in the second half and only fouled four times.
When you have that many fouls to give at the end with two seconds, we thought they were going to maybe foul. So I told them, ‘If they foul you, make sure you get a shot up.’”
The idea was to bait Oklahoma State into a mistake - draw a foul during a shooting motion, and potentially steal the game at the free-throw line. But Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz wasn’t biting.
“My thought process was let’s not foul,” Lutz said. “Let’s just play it out.”
That decision - to hold off on using any of the Cowboys’ three remaining fouls - completely shifted the dynamic of the final possession. Haggerty, perhaps anticipating contact the moment he caught the ball, didn’t hesitate.
He fired from deep, expecting a whistle that never came. The shot came up short.
In hindsight, Kansas State had other options. Replays show that Nate Johnson was in a good spot inside the arc, potentially able to get off a quick floater.
Abdi Bashir was spaced in the corner, ready for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. Haggerty, positioned near midcourt, may have been more of a release valve than a primary scoring option.
But that’s the thing about late-game execution - it’s a razor-thin margin between heroics and heartbreak. And this time, the Wildcats’ gamble didn’t pay off.
Lutz, for his part, admitted that in past seasons, he might have played it differently. Before the NCAA tweaked continuation rules, a quick foul could’ve disrupted the play without much risk. Now, with the emphasis on upward motion and shooting continuation, defenders have to be far more cautious.
“When they have the sideline out of bounds with today’s new rules,” Lutz said, “it’s really nerve-wracking to foul if you can’t be there on the catch and foul them. If they have any sort of upward motion with today’s rules, you’re going to go to the free-throw line.”
His plan was to foul if the ball was inbounded in the frontcourt - but once Kansas State advanced it and Oklahoma State didn’t get the steal, Lutz called off the dogs.
That left Haggerty with space - and a split-second decision that turned into a long-range prayer. One that didn’t get answered.
“I have got to do a better job of communicating in those moments,” Tang said. “That would have probably helped.”
It’s a tough lesson for a Kansas State team that’s been in its fair share of close games. And while the loss will go down as just one in the standings, the final sequence is likely to be replayed over and over - on film, in meetings, and in the minds of Wildcats fans wondering what might have been.