K-State Strips Names, Finds Identity in Gritty Loss to Houston
Sometimes, the scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story. That was the case Saturday in Houston, where Kansas State fell 78-64 to the No. 3-ranked Cougars - but walked away with something more valuable than a win: a sense of identity.
The Wildcats took the court in purple jerseys that looked a little different. No names on the back.
Just “K-STATE” stretched boldly across the chest. It wasn’t a design choice - it was a message.
A challenge from head coach Jerome Tang to a team that, just days earlier, he said didn’t deserve to wear the uniform at all.
After a blowout loss to Cincinnati, Tang made headlines with his blunt assessment of the team’s lack of pride. So heading into a matchup with one of the nation’s elite programs, he stripped away the individual recognition in hopes of building something bigger: unity.
“We are here to play for K-State,” senior guard Nate Johnson said. “I feel like in our last game against Cincinnati we didn’t show that. It was Coach Tang’s decision, but we respected it and came out trying to respond.”
And respond they did. For a team that’s been mired in a tough season - now 10-15 overall and just 1-11 in Big 12 play - this wasn’t just a symbolic gesture.
It translated to the court. K-State came out with energy, jumping to a 15-6 lead early.
They didn’t fold when Houston surged ahead, even as the Cougars built a 24-point second-half lead. The Wildcats kept fighting and, for the first time since these two became conference rivals, kept the final margin under 20.
That may not sound like much, but for a team searching for something to hang its hat on, it’s a step in the right direction.
“It was needed,” said guard Abdi Bashir. “Everybody needed to be reminded why we’re here.
We’re not here just for our individual goals. The name on the back doesn’t get taken care of unless the name on the front does.”
The jersey change wasn’t the only curveball Tang threw at his team this week. In a rare move, he handed over scouting duties to two of his players - Bashir and Johnson - and asked them to build the game plan. That’s normally the job of an assistant coach, but Tang wanted his players to take ownership, to speak up, and to lead from within.
“It was me allowing them to have a greater voice,” Tang said. “Sometimes they don’t use it the way I’d like them to. So I just took my voice out of it and made them have to speak to each other.”
For Johnson, the experience was eye-opening - and exhausting.
“I became a coach, and I saw how stressed out they can get,” he said with a laugh. “Last night, I couldn’t really sleep, because I was trying to make sure we had the right plays.
As a player, you don’t really have to worry about that. But being a player/coach gave me more respect for what they do.”
It’s not the first time Tang has gone off script before facing Houston. Last season, he scrapped the pregame film session entirely and told his team to just play their hearts out.
That version of the plan didn’t work - Houston won by 30. But this time, the Wildcats showed something different.
They showed fight.
And that didn’t go unnoticed.
“They should be proud of their effort,” said Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson. “They played hard today. That’s not always easy to do when people are kicking dirt on you.”
Effort wasn’t the problem. Talent was.
Houston is a powerhouse with national title aspirations. K-State is in the Big 12 basement, trying to find its footing.
But on Saturday, the gap felt a little narrower - not in skill, but in spirit.
For a team that’s taken its lumps this season, that matters.
“I thought it was the right message,” Bashir said. “I don’t think Coach Tang said anything wrong.
I think people forgot why we’re here. We’re here to play for K-State.
And I think we responded the right way.”
No names on the back. But for the first time in a while, the Wildcats looked like a team playing for the name on the front.