Kansas Pulls Away Late to Hand Jerome Tang First Home Loss to Jayhawks
For the first time in his tenure at Kansas State, Jerome Tang walked off the Bramlage Coliseum floor with a loss to the Wildcats’ biggest rival. The Kansas Jayhawks ended a three-game skid in Manhattan with an emphatic 86-62 win on Saturday night, pulling away in the second half after a tightly contested opening 20 minutes.
At halftime, this one looked like it could go down to the wire. Kansas held a slim 37-35 lead, and K-State had shown enough flashes to keep the raucous home crowd engaged.
But the second half told a different story. The Jayhawks turned up the pressure, started finding clean looks, and silenced the building with a dominant closing stretch that left little doubt.
It was a deflating night for a K-State team still searching for answers in Big 12 play. Now sitting at 10-10 overall and 1-6 in conference, the Wildcats are struggling to find their identity - and the absence of several key players didn’t help.
Shorthanded Wildcats Struggle to Keep Pace
Both teams were missing important pieces, but the Wildcats were especially depleted. Abdi Bashir, Khamari McGriff, Elias Rapieque, and Mobi Ikegwuruka were all sidelined, forcing Tang to dig deeper into his bench. Kansas, meanwhile, played without Darryn Peterson, but still had enough firepower to close the deal.
K-State’s offensive rhythm never quite clicked. PJ Haggerty did what he could, pouring in 23 points and attacking the rim with purpose.
Andrej Kostic chipped in 12 off the bench, but no other Wildcat cracked double figures. That lack of balance made it tough to hang with a Kansas team that found its groove late.
K-State's Offense Has a Ceiling - and It's Costing Them
There’s a clear trend emerging for this K-State squad: if they can’t turn games into track meets, they’re in trouble. The Wildcats are now 0-6 this season when scoring fewer than 81 points. That’s not a coincidence - it’s a reflection of a team that thrives on pace, spacing, and shot-making, but hasn’t yet developed the defensive chops to grind out wins when the offense stalls.
Against Kansas, the shots stopped falling in the second half, and the defense couldn’t hold the line. Without the ability to slow the Jayhawks down or generate enough offense to keep pace, the game slipped away quickly.
Andrej Kostic Makes the Most of His Moment
One bright spot for K-State? The emergence of Andrej Kostic.
The Serbian wing has spent much of the season watching from the bench, often left out of the rotation entirely as he works to improve on the defensive end. But with the backcourt thinned out due to injuries, Kostic got his chance - and he’s making the most of it.
After hitting a pair of threes in a win over Utah earlier in the week, Kostic followed that up with four more triples against Kansas. He gave the Wildcats a much-needed spark off the bench and showed he can be a weapon when his shot is falling. His defense is still a work in progress, but the offensive upside is starting to shine through.
Dorin Buca Holds It Down in the Paint
With Khamari McGriff out, Dorin Buca stepped into a bigger role - and the big man delivered. At 7-foot-2, Buca used his size to impact the game on both ends.
He finished with six points, 11 rebounds, and altered several Kansas shots around the rim. His presence alone made the Jayhawks think twice about attacking the paint.
The difference was noticeable when Buca went to the bench. Without him, Kansas had a much easier time scoring inside, and the Wildcats lost their defensive anchor.
Buca’s 26 minutes were among his most extended action of the season, and he proved he can handle the load when called upon. With McGriff still sidelined, Buca’s development could be key moving forward.
What’s Next
K-State now turns its attention to a road trip against West Virginia - a game that suddenly feels pivotal for a team trying to stay afloat in a brutal Big 12. The Wildcats need to find some consistency, especially on the defensive end, if they want to claw their way back into the conference picture.
Saturday’s loss was a reminder of the gap that still exists between K-State and the Big 12’s elite. But it also offered glimpses of potential - in Kostic’s shooting, in Buca’s interior presence, and in the flashes of fight this team still shows. The challenge now is turning those flashes into wins.