Kansas State men’s basketball is in the middle of a season that’s quickly slipping into forgettable territory. After a brutal 1-8 start in Big 12 play, the Wildcats find themselves at the bottom of the standings and searching for answers.
If that feels familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this movie before-just a few months ago, in fact. The Wildcats' football team entered the 2025 season with high expectations and plenty of national buzz.
Quarterback Avery Johnson was supposed to headline a revamped offense that had legitimate conference title aspirations. Media outlets were bullish, the fanbase was energized, and the talent on paper looked like it could back it all up.
But things unraveled fast. A 1-3 start derailed any momentum, and the team never quite recovered.
Johnson struggled to take the leap many expected from him, standout running back Dylan Edwards went down with an injury that lingered all season, and the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. Every Saturday seemed to bring more frustration, and by Week 3, the preseason hype had turned into damage control.
A season that began with championship dreams barely scraped together six wins. To their credit, the Wildcats did manage to salvage some pride, nearly pulling off upsets against teams like Utah and Texas Tech.
But the damage was done.
Now, the basketball team is navigating a similar storm.
This offseason saw a major roster overhaul. Kansas State hit the transfer portal hard, landing standout scorers like PJ Haggerty, Nate Johnson, and Abdi Bashir Jr., and adding international prospects Andrej Kostic and Dorin Buca.
On paper, this was a group with NCAA Tournament potential. They had depth, scoring, and a coaching staff that had shown it could win in March.
But once again, the season hasn’t gone according to script.
Injuries have taken their toll, especially to key contributors. The frontcourt has been undersized and overmatched, and outside of Haggerty, there hasn’t been a consistent offensive threat.
The result? A team that’s struggling to stay competitive in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
The recent blowout loss to No. 8 Iowa State was especially telling-a game where the Wildcats looked flat from the opening tip and never found a rhythm.
Still, there’s a glimmer of hope, and head coach Jerome Tang isn’t throwing in the towel.
It’s worth remembering that just last season, his team found a spark late in the year. Players like Coleman Hawkins, Dug McDaniel, and David N’Guessan finally hit their stride, and Kansas State became one of the hottest teams in the country heading into February. That late-season surge nearly pushed them into the NCAA Tournament conversation.
Tang is holding onto that same belief this time around.
“I’m not disappointed at all,” he said after the Iowa State loss. “I’m with these dudes every single day; I know everything they’re going through, and you all don’t. I was proud of our guys, especially in the second half.”
It’s a coach standing by his team, even when the results aren’t there yet. And in a season where not much has gone right, that kind of belief might be exactly what the Wildcats need to turn things around-again.