Jerome Tang Previews Road Game at No. 14/15 Kansas
Mar 04, 2024 | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats begin the last week of the regular season at Kansas on Tuesday
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Monday afternoon (March 4) to preview the Wildcats' upcoming road trip to No. 14/15 Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Tuesday. Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State (17-12, 7-9 Big 12) begins the final week of the regular season with its 70th visit to Allen Fieldhouse for a renewal of the one of oldest rivalries in men's Division I college basketball. It is the sixth-most played series (300) with Kansas leading the way at 204-96. It is also the second-longest active rivalry in the sport, as the schools have met every year since 1907. The Wildcats won the first meeting, 75-70, in overtime at home on Feb. 5 and will be looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 1983.
Despite the best efforts of Big 12 Player of the Week Tylor Perry, who turned in his team-leading 10th 20-point game, K-State was unable to extend its winning streak on Saturday, as the Wildcats' furious rally came up short at Cincinnati, 74-72. Down 13 points with less than 7 minutes to play, he scored 11 of his game-high 26 points in an 18-4 run that flipped the double-digit deficit into a 72-71 lead with 1:16 to play. However, Bearcat junior Simas Lukosius had the final word, as he broke the Wildcats' hearts with a 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left.
Kansas (21-8, 9-7 Big 12) enters Tuesday's game with back-to-back losses for the first time this season after dropping games to BYU and at No. 15/14 Baylor. Three Jayhawks (Kevin McCullar Jr., Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr.) are averaging in double figures led by McCullar, who is averaging 19.1 points on 46.4 percent shooting. He is also second in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) assists (4.3 apg.) and steals (1.5 spg.). Dickinson is averaging a double-double with 18.3 points and a Big 12-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Adams is averaging 12.1 points on 60.5 percent shooting. Senior Dajuan Harris Jr. has a Big 12-best 190 assists to go with his 8.5 points per game.
Following Tuesday's game at Kansas, K-State finishes the regular season with a home game against No. 6/6 Iowa State (23-6, 12-4 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are still available at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On fixing the team's turnover issue…
"I think we can win in spite of our turnovers. Like that's something we hadn't figured out so there's other areas we got to focus in on. I think we can do better. Do I expect Cam [Carter] and Art [Arthur Kaluma] to have six turnovers a piece, you know, in a game where we have what, 19, so the rest of the team had seven. I just rather them they would have been better off if they just chucked it up from half court, we might have made a couple than turn it over, you know. You know, we were tweaking a lot of things. I don't know how you change decision making in a short period of time."
On the number of turnovers the team should stay under…
"Our number stays the same, 11 or less we're undefeated. I think we can go look back on this season and say, 'Man, we keep it under 14 we would be in a really good spot. But you can't give up 29 points off of turnovers, right, and expect to win. And the fact that we were even in a position to win that game is just a credit to them doing all the other things that gives you a chance, so you got to love our guys for that kind of effort. And then you and I pull our hair out because you know we put ourselves in that situation and it shouldn't be that situation."
On the performances from Tylor Perry the last three games…
"He's been really good. I think somebody said, put out there like 61.5 percent. I think the guys have tried offensively to buy into some of the changes we've made, and it's helped everybody play a little bit better. Last game felt like some of our turnovers was because we got away from that. And maybe the pressure, maybe it is, you know, I mean I was clear with them that it was a big game, I was clear, not just because it was the next game it was a huge game for us. And we were right there, and we let it slip away, we didn't let it slip away at the end though. We let slip away during the course of the second half where we gave them you know, two 12 point leads, I think one might have been 13. So, it wasn't the end of the game that hurt us, it was those middle pieces that we have lulls. Great thing is that we had a really good day yesterday, guys are fired up, we got great energy. The loss, although it got to our hearts, it didn't linger and I was happy about that, that it did get to their hearts, but we didn't let it linger. Staff did a great job with the guys, and I feel like we'll have another great day today and be ready to play tomorrow."
On what makes it difficult to win in Allen Fieldhouse…
"16,300. No, that and I mean the dude (head coach Bill Self) on that other bench is special, right? Like he just is. Like it is not above me or pass me to compliment that man on his ability to coach basketball. Coach Tim Maloney would always tell me we coach people, we teach basketball. [Kansas head coach] Bill [Self] does, he's the best in the country right now. There's not a better coach in America at teaching the game of basketball and coaching people. And then they get really good players, right. And so he gets all of that, combined with the monster that he doesn't have to feed. He doesn't have to feed that monster up the road, those dudes, their fans show up every game, it doesn't matter if it's spring break, it doesn't matter what's going on, that place is packed. And there's an energy there and so you have to go in with all of that, right, but at the end of the day, you're playing between a 94 by 50 and the rims are 10 feet high and it's about the five guys that are on the floor at one time and players got to go make plays. And so we're excited about this opportunity."
On playing Kansas as they are on a two game losing streak…
"Ask me tomorrow night. You know, that's what it boils down to, like, do you want to play them when they're hot or do you want to play them after lows? You really just don't want to play him at that place, right? That's really what it boils down to, but you know that's where we're at, we're looking forward to it."
On Kansas being the same team that played in the Feb. 5 matchup …
"No they're, I mean [Kevin] McCullar's playing, [Hunter] Dickinson, you know, still got the defensive player of the year, point guard who was also one of the best point guards in the country. They've gone to where they're playing a couple of bench guys a little bit more in their rotation, they put him in at certain times to kind of rest their starters. And so, it's pretty much the same team, it's just gonna be we won't have our 11,000 behind us there so we got to bring our own energy."
On preparing to face injured Kevin McCullar Jr. …
"No we're gonna prepare like he's gonna be there and whoever takes his spot, we're gonna treat them like McCullar Jr. Because what happens is when guys miss, somebody else steps up, somebody else has the freedom. Like their leash becomes a little bit longer so they can relax a little bit more, they rally behind the guy and I mean, Kevin McCullough is a gamer man, he's gonna show up and he's gonna play on senior night, cause pretty sure he's a senior. I'm pretty sure of that, if there's one person on that roster that's a senior, it's Kevin McCullar Jr."
On how Jerrell Colbert played against Cincinnati…
"We are really pleased with Jerrell's progress. He executed some things offensively that we hoped that he could do and he's making progress there. Defensively, his energy was different and so he was really good for us."
On the KU, K-State rivalry living up to his expectations…
"Yeah, I mean, this is really cool, you know. I get our fans a little bit more, I'm understanding it a little bit more. Honestly, though, for them to consider us rivals, we got to beat 'em more, you know, so we got a lot of work to do. Obviously, they are a rival to us, and I get that from our fans and I'm right there with them on it."
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
K-State (17-12, 7-9 Big 12) begins the final week of the regular season with its 70th visit to Allen Fieldhouse for a renewal of the one of oldest rivalries in men's Division I college basketball. It is the sixth-most played series (300) with Kansas leading the way at 204-96. It is also the second-longest active rivalry in the sport, as the schools have met every year since 1907. The Wildcats won the first meeting, 75-70, in overtime at home on Feb. 5 and will be looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 1983.
Despite the best efforts of Big 12 Player of the Week Tylor Perry, who turned in his team-leading 10th 20-point game, K-State was unable to extend its winning streak on Saturday, as the Wildcats' furious rally came up short at Cincinnati, 74-72. Down 13 points with less than 7 minutes to play, he scored 11 of his game-high 26 points in an 18-4 run that flipped the double-digit deficit into a 72-71 lead with 1:16 to play. However, Bearcat junior Simas Lukosius had the final word, as he broke the Wildcats' hearts with a 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left.
Kansas (21-8, 9-7 Big 12) enters Tuesday's game with back-to-back losses for the first time this season after dropping games to BYU and at No. 15/14 Baylor. Three Jayhawks (Kevin McCullar Jr., Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr.) are averaging in double figures led by McCullar, who is averaging 19.1 points on 46.4 percent shooting. He is also second in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) assists (4.3 apg.) and steals (1.5 spg.). Dickinson is averaging a double-double with 18.3 points and a Big 12-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Adams is averaging 12.1 points on 60.5 percent shooting. Senior Dajuan Harris Jr. has a Big 12-best 190 assists to go with his 8.5 points per game.
Following Tuesday's game at Kansas, K-State finishes the regular season with a home game against No. 6/6 Iowa State (23-6, 12-4 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are still available at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On fixing the team's turnover issue…
"I think we can win in spite of our turnovers. Like that's something we hadn't figured out so there's other areas we got to focus in on. I think we can do better. Do I expect Cam [Carter] and Art [Arthur Kaluma] to have six turnovers a piece, you know, in a game where we have what, 19, so the rest of the team had seven. I just rather them they would have been better off if they just chucked it up from half court, we might have made a couple than turn it over, you know. You know, we were tweaking a lot of things. I don't know how you change decision making in a short period of time."
On the number of turnovers the team should stay under…
"Our number stays the same, 11 or less we're undefeated. I think we can go look back on this season and say, 'Man, we keep it under 14 we would be in a really good spot. But you can't give up 29 points off of turnovers, right, and expect to win. And the fact that we were even in a position to win that game is just a credit to them doing all the other things that gives you a chance, so you got to love our guys for that kind of effort. And then you and I pull our hair out because you know we put ourselves in that situation and it shouldn't be that situation."
On the performances from Tylor Perry the last three games…
"He's been really good. I think somebody said, put out there like 61.5 percent. I think the guys have tried offensively to buy into some of the changes we've made, and it's helped everybody play a little bit better. Last game felt like some of our turnovers was because we got away from that. And maybe the pressure, maybe it is, you know, I mean I was clear with them that it was a big game, I was clear, not just because it was the next game it was a huge game for us. And we were right there, and we let it slip away, we didn't let it slip away at the end though. We let slip away during the course of the second half where we gave them you know, two 12 point leads, I think one might have been 13. So, it wasn't the end of the game that hurt us, it was those middle pieces that we have lulls. Great thing is that we had a really good day yesterday, guys are fired up, we got great energy. The loss, although it got to our hearts, it didn't linger and I was happy about that, that it did get to their hearts, but we didn't let it linger. Staff did a great job with the guys, and I feel like we'll have another great day today and be ready to play tomorrow."
On what makes it difficult to win in Allen Fieldhouse…
"16,300. No, that and I mean the dude (head coach Bill Self) on that other bench is special, right? Like he just is. Like it is not above me or pass me to compliment that man on his ability to coach basketball. Coach Tim Maloney would always tell me we coach people, we teach basketball. [Kansas head coach] Bill [Self] does, he's the best in the country right now. There's not a better coach in America at teaching the game of basketball and coaching people. And then they get really good players, right. And so he gets all of that, combined with the monster that he doesn't have to feed. He doesn't have to feed that monster up the road, those dudes, their fans show up every game, it doesn't matter if it's spring break, it doesn't matter what's going on, that place is packed. And there's an energy there and so you have to go in with all of that, right, but at the end of the day, you're playing between a 94 by 50 and the rims are 10 feet high and it's about the five guys that are on the floor at one time and players got to go make plays. And so we're excited about this opportunity."
On playing Kansas as they are on a two game losing streak…
"Ask me tomorrow night. You know, that's what it boils down to, like, do you want to play them when they're hot or do you want to play them after lows? You really just don't want to play him at that place, right? That's really what it boils down to, but you know that's where we're at, we're looking forward to it."
On Kansas being the same team that played in the Feb. 5 matchup …
"No they're, I mean [Kevin] McCullar's playing, [Hunter] Dickinson, you know, still got the defensive player of the year, point guard who was also one of the best point guards in the country. They've gone to where they're playing a couple of bench guys a little bit more in their rotation, they put him in at certain times to kind of rest their starters. And so, it's pretty much the same team, it's just gonna be we won't have our 11,000 behind us there so we got to bring our own energy."
On preparing to face injured Kevin McCullar Jr. …
"No we're gonna prepare like he's gonna be there and whoever takes his spot, we're gonna treat them like McCullar Jr. Because what happens is when guys miss, somebody else steps up, somebody else has the freedom. Like their leash becomes a little bit longer so they can relax a little bit more, they rally behind the guy and I mean, Kevin McCullough is a gamer man, he's gonna show up and he's gonna play on senior night, cause pretty sure he's a senior. I'm pretty sure of that, if there's one person on that roster that's a senior, it's Kevin McCullar Jr."
On how Jerrell Colbert played against Cincinnati…
"We are really pleased with Jerrell's progress. He executed some things offensively that we hoped that he could do and he's making progress there. Defensively, his energy was different and so he was really good for us."
On the KU, K-State rivalry living up to his expectations…
"Yeah, I mean, this is really cool, you know. I get our fans a little bit more, I'm understanding it a little bit more. Honestly, though, for them to consider us rivals, we got to beat 'em more, you know, so we got a lot of work to do. Obviously, they are a rival to us, and I get that from our fans and I'm right there with them on it."
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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