Kansas State Basketball Hits New Low in Blowout Loss to Iowa State, Drawing Frustration From Program Legends
MANHATTAN - When former Kansas State stars start sounding off on social media during a game, you know things have gone off the rails. That was the case Sunday as the Wildcats suffered a humbling 95-61 loss at home to No. 9 Iowa State - a defeat that wasn’t just lopsided, but historic for all the wrong reasons.
It was Kansas State’s third-largest home loss in program history, and the performance on the floor left past Wildcat greats like Jacob Pullen and Clent Stewart visibly frustrated - and they didn’t hold back.
Pullen, the fiery point guard who helped lead K-State to three NCAA Tournament appearances from 2007 to 2011, took to X (formerly Twitter) during the first half as the Wildcats fell behind by as many as 32 points.
“It’s hard to watch, honestly,” he posted.
Stewart, another respected alum who started 92 games for the Wildcats from 2004 to 2008 and helped them return to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 after a 12-year drought, echoed the sentiment after the final buzzer.
“Iowa State is very good. But that was hard to watch. That hurt,” Stewart wrote.
Pullen didn’t stop there. After the game, he called it what it was - a gut punch.
“Embarrassing to say the least,” he posted. “The effort, the energy, the defense and the offense.
I never thought I’d see the day where Iowa State beat us by 35 at home. I think I lost once in my career to them.”
That frustration is understandable. Pullen isn’t just any former player - he’s a three-time team captain, tied for the most career wins in program history, and ranks among the Big 12’s all-time leaders in scoring and free throws.
He knows what winning basketball looks like in Manhattan. And Sunday wasn’t it.
The loss drops Kansas State to 10-12 overall and a staggering 1-8 in Big 12 play. That’s three straight losses for a team that now finds itself at the bottom of the conference standings, searching for answers on both ends of the floor.
To make matters worse, the blowout came on a day when the program was honoring its former standouts at halftime - a celebration that felt disconnected from the product on the court.
The Wildcats looked outmatched from the opening tip. Iowa State, ranked ninth in the country, brought the kind of intensity and execution that Kansas State simply couldn’t match.
Defensively, the Cyclones swarmed. Offensively, they moved the ball with purpose and punished every breakdown.
Kansas State, meanwhile, struggled to generate clean looks, couldn’t get stops, and never found a rhythm.
There’s no sugarcoating this one. It was a rough afternoon in Bramlage Coliseum - one that left fans disheartened and former players disappointed. And while Iowa State deserves credit for playing like a top-10 team, the Wildcats’ lack of fight drew the loudest reaction.
With a month left in the regular season, the road ahead doesn’t get any easier. The Big 12 is a gauntlet, and Kansas State is in danger of letting this season spiral further. But if there’s one thing this program has always prided itself on, it’s toughness - the kind Pullen and Stewart showed during their time in purple.
Right now, that identity feels lost. And until it returns, the questions - and the criticism - will keep coming.