The Kansas State Wildcats sit a staggering 0-5 in Big 12 conference play for the first time in three decades, with a long stretch of conference opponents still to come. Now in his fourth season, head coach Jerome Tang is heading a program off to its worst start since the 1996-97 campaign.
Kansas State Starts Big 12 Play 0-5 For First Time in 3 Decades
Breaking down Kansas State’s five Big 12 conference losses
The Wildcats entered conference play at 9-4 on a four-game win streak after taking down Mississippi Valley State, Creighton, South Dakota and Louisiana-Monroe. Since then, they’ve lost one game apiece to BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, UCF and a nail-biter on the road at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Following the loss to Oklahoma State, Tang had one message: “We’ve got to correct it, and we’re close.”
In a nutshell, he’s right.
The game against the Cowboys came down to a late foul committed by Abdi Bashir Jr. on Vyctorius Miller, who hit three free throws as Oklahoma State pulled ahead 84-83 with three seconds remaining. It was a similar story two games earlier with Arizona State edging the Wildcats in Tempe, 87-84.
In four of the team’s five Big 12 losses, PJ Haggerty has scored 20 or more points. He’s been ranked top-five in points per game all season. Following Saturday’s loss, he ranks fourth with 22.8.
Still, the case for Tang would be stronger if the Wildcats had kept it close against both Arizona and BYU. The Wildcats lost both games by a combined 35 points, 83-73 against BYU and 101-76 to Arizona.
Haggerty leads the charge, but depth can run thin
Without Haggerty on the floor, Kansas State’s offense struggles to find consistency. Seven of Kansas State’s last ten games have seen Haggerty as the team’s leading scorer, all five conference games included. He also led the team in assists against Oklahoma State with eight. The next-highest scorer in the loss to the Sun Devils, only Bashir joined him in double figures.
A similar pattern held against Arizona, as only two starters recorded double figures, bolstered by Dorin Buca with 12 points off the bench.
Wildcats aim to boost offense against Utah
Kansas State has shown early potential, but squares up against a 1-4 Utah team averaging just north of 80 points a game. Tuesday’s contest carries a host of questions ahead of next week’s Sunflower Showdown.
A loss to the Utes has the potential to mark the third straight home defeat, and make the second time since the 1996 season that the Wildcats would enter the Sunflower Showdown winless in conference play.
The last time that happened, Kansas State lost both matchups: the first in Manhattan 62-59 and the second 78-58 on the road in Lawrence.
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