Jerome Tang Previews Houston Game
Jan 10, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats and Cougars meet for the first time at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Friday afternoon (Jan. 10) to preview the upcoming matchup with No. 12/11 Houston.
After back-to-back road games, K-State (7-7, 1-2 Big 12) returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday night at 5 p.m., CT, as the Wildcats host the defending Big 12 regular-season champion Cougars (11-3, 3-0 Big 12), who enter the game on a 7-game winning streak.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State looks to get back on track in returning home for just the second time in the last 41 days after consecutive road losses at TCU and Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are 34-5 at home under Tang, including 16-3 in Big 12 play. The team has been even better at home against AP Top 25, boasting a 10-2 mark, which includes a 70-67 win over No. 16/17 Cincinnati on Dec. 30.
Houston enters the weekend as the nation's best defensive team, ranking first in scoring defense (54.0 ppg.), field goal percentage defense (34.3) and scoring margin (+22.4). They are also 11th in blocks (5.6 bpg.), 18th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 19th in turnover margin (+4.9). Offensively, the Cougars have the second-best 3-point field goal percentage (41.4) and rank 18th with just 9.7 turnovers per game.
This will be just the 10th all-time meeting between K-State and Houston and the first-ever at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats hold a 5-4 edge in the series, but the Cougars won the first Big 12 meeting a year ago at home.
Tickets for Saturday's game start at $38 and can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On how it feels to be back in Manhattan after a two-game road stretch…
"Oh, man, it was so good to sleep in my own bed and be at home. And so thankful, we had a manager, Derek, and Jenna, [strength and conditioning coach] Phil's [Baier] wife, they were here, and they went and they cleaned off our cars and stuff, and so when we got back, we didn't have to dig out of snow, and so it was such a blessing, so thank you to them. And then there was a company, that I didn't even do business with, but they took care of my driveway for me. Someone called them and asked them, they took care of my driveway for me. So you know that was a blessing, too, because my son was stuck at home taking care of the dogs. So thankful for everybody. Loved the way, how the city rallied, you know, to get the place going again and it was great, great to be home."
On what game stung the most after losing to both TCU and Oklahoma State on the road…
"Well, I was more disappointed in the effort that we gave at Oklahoma State. Like, if we give effort, right, and the other team makes plays, right, then you tip your hat to them. Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from Oklahoma State, because they played hard and they played great, but I don't think in the first half, we gave an effort that was worthy of being a K-State Wildcat. And so, you know, I take responsibility for that, you know, we're gonna try and make sure that never happens again. You know, TCU game was great, you know, learning experience. I thought our guys did a lot of great things and put us in position to have a win. You know, TCU banks in a three, and then they go on a 7-0 run to close out the game and that's just a credit to them and their toughness. And there was some things that we could have done, you know, differently, hurt to lose, right, but more disappointed in the effort that we gave at Oklahoma State."
On what makes Houston so special defensively…
"Man, they don't have any weaknesses, you know. They can all guard their positions, they can switch and guard multiple positions, they cover everything up on ball screen. If you ball screen them, you know, I haven't seen one guard, in all the games I've watched, I haven't seen one guard beat a big on a ball screen hedge this year. I've only seen three fouls drawn on a ball screen hedge. So, they do just a really good job of corralling that and loading up on the backside so that you have to throw a long pass, which they're able to close out to. And then in the post, man, I've watched a lot of games, but I've charted probably, you know, seven of them, and there might have been 14 post plays ran because they do such a good job of doubling the post that it causes turnover, so people just abandon it so you end up playing a one-on-one game so then it comes down to, you know, players making plays. And so, you know, they just, they do a terrific job defensively, we're going to have to, we have to make shots. We have to rise up and make some shots."
On how the team is responding since coming back from the two losses…
"Yeah, no, we have a next play mentality, you know, like we say, 'tough people do the next right thing.' And I believe we got a tough team and, you know, and they're a together team, those guys, they like each other. We are growing together as a family and learning to know each other, and they love this place and so they're disappointed in losses, but we can't let, just like we can't let wins linger, we can't let losses linger, and we have to move on to the next thing. And as far as the travel and stuff go, [director of operations] Bailey [Bachamp] did such a terrific job of adjusting on the fly, and, you know, having hotels ready and meals ready and busses ready and flights and everything. So, yeah, we didn't miss a beat, that had nothing to do, the travel nor the weather had anything to do with the results of the game, because of what a terrific job Bailey did."
On making adjustments after facing Oklahoma State's Abou Ousmane…
"Yeah, well, the first thing you change is effort, you know, the second thing you change is personnel, the last thing you change is scheme. We should have, as a staff, had a backup plan to what to do. But, you know, yeah, that was poor planning on the staff's part, and poor effort on the execution of the player's part."
On his impression on how the team played in the zone…
"Well, you know, the numbers actually say that our man defense was better than the zone. But the way the guys were flying around, and we paused them, you know, offensively, they became more stagnant. So, you know, it looked better. And what happened on the other we made shots too, right? And so when you make shots, it kind of looks better. I was proud of the run we made, but then we still gave up runs in it. And so the zone was good, but it wasn't great."
On minimizing opposing teams going on scoring runs…
"Yeah, we've talked about this. So we've had five, what they call kill shots, right, where you go on a 10-0 run, and we've had five of those, and we've won all five of those games. And we've had five against us, and we've lost four out of five of those, there was one game where we had a kill shot and they had a kill shot. But for this team, it's not just the kill shot, you know, like, it's probably like 8-0 runs and so we've charted those, and we've been on the wrong end of 8-0 runs. We've had less 8-0 runs than our opponents have, especially in the losses. And so we, you know, you look at the personnel that was in, you look at what you were running. Maybe we, you know, for us, if it's a 4 or 5-0 run, we need a timeout, you know, I might need to call a time out earlier than I would on the normal basis, just because of the makeup of this team, you know where we're at right now. And so we're looking at everything as a staff to figure out what we can do to give ourselves a chance so that we can be in games at the end."
On appreciation as a coach for Houston's defensive numbers…
"I mean, I think we could say that about a bunch of teams in this league, you know. Going into it, I've said, I thought at the start of year, Cincinnati, Houston and Iowa State were underrated, and I think both Iowa State and Houston were ranked in the top-5 at the start of the season, and I still think they're underrated where they're at right now. The thing about especially Houston and Iowa State is that they don't have to make shots to beat you, right. They can, like, just stop you and stifle you, right, and then when you add in the fact that they're one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, right, and that just adds on top of it. And so, I have a great deal of respect for all the teams in our league and how hard the coaches, get their kids to play, and their schemes, and everybody does it a little bit different. But, you know, there's a great respect for all of them."
On what he liked about Ugonna Onyenso's effort in the second half of the Oklahoma State game…
"I liked his presence at the rim. You know, we told him that, that's why I brought him here. What I was more impressed with is the way his teammates cheered for him, right. And that showed me that they had confidence, and they cared about him and his success. And watching the way his teammates responded to him, it let me know there was still a connection there, that we can like move forward with this thing, so I'm excited about that."
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, Instagram and Facebook.
After back-to-back road games, K-State (7-7, 1-2 Big 12) returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday night at 5 p.m., CT, as the Wildcats host the defending Big 12 regular-season champion Cougars (11-3, 3-0 Big 12), who enter the game on a 7-game winning streak.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State looks to get back on track in returning home for just the second time in the last 41 days after consecutive road losses at TCU and Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are 34-5 at home under Tang, including 16-3 in Big 12 play. The team has been even better at home against AP Top 25, boasting a 10-2 mark, which includes a 70-67 win over No. 16/17 Cincinnati on Dec. 30.
Houston enters the weekend as the nation's best defensive team, ranking first in scoring defense (54.0 ppg.), field goal percentage defense (34.3) and scoring margin (+22.4). They are also 11th in blocks (5.6 bpg.), 18th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 19th in turnover margin (+4.9). Offensively, the Cougars have the second-best 3-point field goal percentage (41.4) and rank 18th with just 9.7 turnovers per game.
This will be just the 10th all-time meeting between K-State and Houston and the first-ever at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats hold a 5-4 edge in the series, but the Cougars won the first Big 12 meeting a year ago at home.
Tickets for Saturday's game start at $38 and can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On how it feels to be back in Manhattan after a two-game road stretch…
"Oh, man, it was so good to sleep in my own bed and be at home. And so thankful, we had a manager, Derek, and Jenna, [strength and conditioning coach] Phil's [Baier] wife, they were here, and they went and they cleaned off our cars and stuff, and so when we got back, we didn't have to dig out of snow, and so it was such a blessing, so thank you to them. And then there was a company, that I didn't even do business with, but they took care of my driveway for me. Someone called them and asked them, they took care of my driveway for me. So you know that was a blessing, too, because my son was stuck at home taking care of the dogs. So thankful for everybody. Loved the way, how the city rallied, you know, to get the place going again and it was great, great to be home."
On what game stung the most after losing to both TCU and Oklahoma State on the road…
"Well, I was more disappointed in the effort that we gave at Oklahoma State. Like, if we give effort, right, and the other team makes plays, right, then you tip your hat to them. Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from Oklahoma State, because they played hard and they played great, but I don't think in the first half, we gave an effort that was worthy of being a K-State Wildcat. And so, you know, I take responsibility for that, you know, we're gonna try and make sure that never happens again. You know, TCU game was great, you know, learning experience. I thought our guys did a lot of great things and put us in position to have a win. You know, TCU banks in a three, and then they go on a 7-0 run to close out the game and that's just a credit to them and their toughness. And there was some things that we could have done, you know, differently, hurt to lose, right, but more disappointed in the effort that we gave at Oklahoma State."
On what makes Houston so special defensively…
"Man, they don't have any weaknesses, you know. They can all guard their positions, they can switch and guard multiple positions, they cover everything up on ball screen. If you ball screen them, you know, I haven't seen one guard, in all the games I've watched, I haven't seen one guard beat a big on a ball screen hedge this year. I've only seen three fouls drawn on a ball screen hedge. So, they do just a really good job of corralling that and loading up on the backside so that you have to throw a long pass, which they're able to close out to. And then in the post, man, I've watched a lot of games, but I've charted probably, you know, seven of them, and there might have been 14 post plays ran because they do such a good job of doubling the post that it causes turnover, so people just abandon it so you end up playing a one-on-one game so then it comes down to, you know, players making plays. And so, you know, they just, they do a terrific job defensively, we're going to have to, we have to make shots. We have to rise up and make some shots."
On how the team is responding since coming back from the two losses…
"Yeah, no, we have a next play mentality, you know, like we say, 'tough people do the next right thing.' And I believe we got a tough team and, you know, and they're a together team, those guys, they like each other. We are growing together as a family and learning to know each other, and they love this place and so they're disappointed in losses, but we can't let, just like we can't let wins linger, we can't let losses linger, and we have to move on to the next thing. And as far as the travel and stuff go, [director of operations] Bailey [Bachamp] did such a terrific job of adjusting on the fly, and, you know, having hotels ready and meals ready and busses ready and flights and everything. So, yeah, we didn't miss a beat, that had nothing to do, the travel nor the weather had anything to do with the results of the game, because of what a terrific job Bailey did."
On making adjustments after facing Oklahoma State's Abou Ousmane…
"Yeah, well, the first thing you change is effort, you know, the second thing you change is personnel, the last thing you change is scheme. We should have, as a staff, had a backup plan to what to do. But, you know, yeah, that was poor planning on the staff's part, and poor effort on the execution of the player's part."
On his impression on how the team played in the zone…
"Well, you know, the numbers actually say that our man defense was better than the zone. But the way the guys were flying around, and we paused them, you know, offensively, they became more stagnant. So, you know, it looked better. And what happened on the other we made shots too, right? And so when you make shots, it kind of looks better. I was proud of the run we made, but then we still gave up runs in it. And so the zone was good, but it wasn't great."
On minimizing opposing teams going on scoring runs…
"Yeah, we've talked about this. So we've had five, what they call kill shots, right, where you go on a 10-0 run, and we've had five of those, and we've won all five of those games. And we've had five against us, and we've lost four out of five of those, there was one game where we had a kill shot and they had a kill shot. But for this team, it's not just the kill shot, you know, like, it's probably like 8-0 runs and so we've charted those, and we've been on the wrong end of 8-0 runs. We've had less 8-0 runs than our opponents have, especially in the losses. And so we, you know, you look at the personnel that was in, you look at what you were running. Maybe we, you know, for us, if it's a 4 or 5-0 run, we need a timeout, you know, I might need to call a time out earlier than I would on the normal basis, just because of the makeup of this team, you know where we're at right now. And so we're looking at everything as a staff to figure out what we can do to give ourselves a chance so that we can be in games at the end."
On appreciation as a coach for Houston's defensive numbers…
"I mean, I think we could say that about a bunch of teams in this league, you know. Going into it, I've said, I thought at the start of year, Cincinnati, Houston and Iowa State were underrated, and I think both Iowa State and Houston were ranked in the top-5 at the start of the season, and I still think they're underrated where they're at right now. The thing about especially Houston and Iowa State is that they don't have to make shots to beat you, right. They can, like, just stop you and stifle you, right, and then when you add in the fact that they're one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, right, and that just adds on top of it. And so, I have a great deal of respect for all the teams in our league and how hard the coaches, get their kids to play, and their schemes, and everybody does it a little bit different. But, you know, there's a great respect for all of them."
On what he liked about Ugonna Onyenso's effort in the second half of the Oklahoma State game…
"I liked his presence at the rim. You know, we told him that, that's why I brought him here. What I was more impressed with is the way his teammates cheered for him, right. And that showed me that they had confidence, and they cared about him and his success. And watching the way his teammates responded to him, it let me know there was still a connection there, that we can like move forward with this thing, so I'm excited about that."
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, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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