Jerome Tang Previews Kansas Game
Feb 06, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats and Jayhawks meet for the second time on Saturday at 1 pm
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 6) to preview the upcoming matchup with No. 16/17 Kansas.
K-State (11-11, 5-6 Big 12), winners of 4 consecutive games for the first time since 2023, returns to the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats renew the Dillons Sunflower Showdown with a visit from the Jayhawks (16-6, 7-4 Big 12). In addition to being the sixth-most played series in Division I, it is also the second-longest active rivalry as the schools have met every year since 1907. The game will air at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State extended its winning streak after rallying from an improbable 16-point first-half deficit for a 71-70 win at Arizona State on Tuesday night. It was the largest deficit overcome in a road conference game and the second largest behind a 17-point rally at California on Dec. 29, 1995.
Senior David N'Guessan paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 22 points to go with team-tying 8 rebounds. He made the play of the night with K-State clinging to a 71-70 lead with 4.1 seconds as he fouled freshman Jayden Quaintance as he was attempting to dunk the game-winning basket, forcing him to hit 2 free throws to win the game. He missed on both attempts and junior Dug McDaniel corralled the rebound and threw it down court to run out the clock.
Kansas enters Saturday's game with momentum after a 69-52 win over No. 8/8 Iowa State on Monday night. The Jayhawks continue to be one of the nation's best defensive teams, allowing just 66.0 points on 38.1 percent shooting, including 29 percent from 3-point range. They rank ninth in field goal percentage defense, 12th in defensive rebounds/game (28.4), 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 23rd in blocks/game (5.0 bpg.). They are averaging nearly 77 points on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and rank 10th nationally in assists (17.8 apg.).
Kansas leads the all-time series, 206-96, including 59-8 in the Big 12 era. The Jayhawks won the first matchup, 84-74, at home on Jan. 18. K-State has won the last 2 at home in the series.
Following Saturday's game, the Wildcats continues their homestand with a visit from Big 12 newcomer and No. 20/20 Arizona (16-6, 10-1 Big 12) on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., CT.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On being undefeated against KU at home…
"That's got very little to do with coaching., more with players. The first year it was Keyontae [Johnson], Marquis [Nowell], and the team. Last year, TP [Tylor Perry] went nuts for portion of that game, and we made some big shots, Art [Arthur Kaluma], got a great offensive rebound, put back, I think, send it to overtime. And so, it's just players. Both games were overtime wins, we had to do that. So, it's players at the end, and our fans like it. It's different. You know, you don't want it, as a coach, I don't want it to be different. I love that type of crowd and that type of energy for every single game, but this game is a little different to our fans, and they bring a little different energy. Bring the homecourt advantage."
On bouncing back from a losing streak and into a winning streak…
"I was concerned about the Arizona State game, you know, coming off the big win against Iowa State. You didn't have to get the guys up for Iowa State. They're one of the top five teams in the country, and so we knew we had their full attention. You hoped that you had their full attention for Arizona state. Now, the way the game started, you know, maybe we didn't, but Arizona State quickly gained our attention and our guys locked in. And I would say for this game that we won't have to do a lot to get our guys' attention."
On Macaleab Rich's playing time...
"Well, you know, I mean, you're only given 200 minutes if I had unlimited minutes to play, then other guys who would be playing also, but we're only given 200 minutes, and just have to put the guys out there you feel, give you the best chance to win. And not that that Buddy [Rich] wouldn't give us a chance to win. I don't know that he gives us the best chance, or if some other guys give us a little better chance. And Buddy's been great at practice. You know, helps part of the scout team and helps get our guys ready. And he's really, talented, and you know, he's got a bright future."
On the schedule and recovery…
"We didn't get in till 2:30 in the morning. I don't know about the guys, but by the time I got to the house and unwind, it was almost five o'clock before I fell asleep. And then my dogs don't know that I went to bed at five o'clock, so they get up at the same time, so you're up early and just moving on to the next thing. Yesterday was our day off. I give the staff the day off. We take a Sabbath and focus on our families and ourselves. And so, I had a really good day yesterday, worked out and got a massage and just re-energized. And today, we're not going to do much with the guys. Film, walk through, they lifted earlier today, and a lot of mental preps. And then tomorrow, we'll have a good practice. And it won't be long, but it'll be really intense and really locked in, get ready for Saturday, because you got to have legs on Saturday, this is very little changing of who we are. It's about trying to be the best version of who you are."
On the message to the team after the win at Arizona State…
"It's the next thing, like my shirt under here says, 1 percent better. And that's going to be the message we have today. We gotta get 1 percent better. We got to go 1-0 in our film session, we gotta go 1-0 in our walk through. I want to know how they rehab tonight. And so, we're gonna prepare to win. We have to do the right things today, and hopefully they did the right things yesterday, so that tomorrow we can have a great day. And so, it's just about going 1-0 and getting 1 percent better every day."
On what has changed within the team…
"If I knew that answer I would have given it, like 10 games ago. I feel like I've been saying the same thing from the beginning, the season started, and you know, we weren't playing well. I said we don't have to be good in December and November. When we want to be really good is February and March. And you know, we're in February. When we were losing games at the start of the big 12, but we were close. I kept saying we were close, but everybody just kept seeing the results. We all didn't see every day in practice, the improvement and the energy the guys had, and the belief and you know it was coming about. I mean, it's just that thing. You know, every tree bears in its season, and I think we're in a season where the tree is bearing fruit, and I just hope this season lasts through April."
On how proud he is of the team…
"I'm so proud of the team and different individuals and how much growth has taken place. And I'm proud of our staff, we just keep fighting and keep grinding, not giving up. And you know, I'm proud of our fans for sticking with us."
On Dug McDaniel…
"Dug has special legs. You know, he's fast, he puts pressure on the defense and what I've loved about him recently is he's used that speed that he has to impact the defensive end of the floor, because you're not only the point guard on offense, but you're also the point of attack on defense. And he's really amped up his defensive game, and he's become more vocal. And I believe he's always wanted to be vocal. It just took a while to learn the vocabulary. And I say it's like he's been living in one country for a while, and they spoke a certain language. And now, you know, he's an exchange student in a different country, and he's learning a new language, and sometimes knowing what you want to say and how to say it is two different things. And he's learning how to say it the way we say it, and learning how to ask questions the way, to get the right answer. And so, it's just that process of time and but I mean, he's been as good of a guard as they've been in our league the last four or five games. And so, yeah, just super proud of him."
On utilizing bench players…
"I don't know if I need them to score. We just want, when they go in the game that the score, we don't go backwards, and we can extend it. I think CJ [Jones] has the opportunity to put points on the board, because he can shoot the ball and he can get to the rim, and Mobi [Ikegwuruka] just brings energy, and Ugo [Ugonna Onyenso] provides a physical presence for us there, defensively and rebounding and stuff. David Castillo, he's gonna be really good, he just has continued to embrace that role. And I think what all of them are trying to do is make sure that we don't go backwards when they're there on the floor and so we appreciate that."
On what he learned from the last matchup with KU…
"First of all, we can't start off 14-0, right. I think it was 20-4. So, they had a 16-point lead with like nine something to go. And from that point on, we outscored them. But you can't give a team that good, that kind of lead, and so we must start better. And then secondly, they dominated us in the paint. It was 46- 34 they had a 12-point advantage in the paint. And to come out the second half, they went eight straight points Hunter Dickinson in the paint. So, we have to have an answer for that where we don't do that. And then on the other end, I think, like five or six of our first seven shots were three pointers, you know. And that was not a recipe for success. Just like against Arizona State, we started off, I think four or five of our first six shots were threes. And it just wasn't a recipe for success."
On the slow starts on the road…
"You know, it might be the road, you know, the team's a little bit more comfortable. I think it's more of a mindset. Iowa State, I thought we attacked the paint early, and they hit three big threes to start the game, and that might have played in our favor, because they kept shooting three. So, you know, I think it's more of a mindset."
On the difference in Dug McDaniel's play…
"His energy, his energy on both ends. The mistakes Dug makes now are out of trying hard. And I can live with that, like you trying hard and you make a mistake. I'm alright with that and I think he feels free to make a mistake and keep playing, and that that's part of our growth and our relationship together. He's competing, you watch it and it's not just when he has the ball in his hands. You watch him off the ball, and he's defeating screens. And, you know he's boxing out. He had eight rebounds the other night. You know, he's competing, and when he doesn't have the ball in his hands, it makes our team better, and, and he's fun to watch when he does those things."
On pushing to make the NCAA tournament…
"It's like one game at a time, you know? I mean, that's just how we do it. We'll just stick with that. Keep rolling and see what happens at the end. But you know, when we assembled a team, we assembled a team, we thought could go to the NCAA tournament. I still think that we have a team that's an NCAA tournament team. We just hadn't played that way all year long. And so luckily for us, we're playing arguably the best league in America, you know. And so there are still a lot of opportunities still there, so we just have to take the next one in front of us."
On two consecutive upcoming home games…
"It's great to get to play in front of our home crowd, and to get to play back-to-back at home, because back-to-back road games are a beast. It's hard to build a winning streak when you're playing back-to-back road games, and it's easy to build a losing streak when you're playing back-to-back road games in this league. And so, it has been awesome to play Iowa State at Iowa State, then you come home, and you play a home game. Or how fired up, where our fans are going to be, you know, because coming off a big win on the road like that, we'd had a great crowd, regardless of who you played next, you know. And so blessed that we were able to go to Arizona State and get that win. And, you know, now this game in which our fans are going to be fired up, you know, that's what our record is."
On Max Jones…
"I love Max Jones. Love the chip on the shoulder that he plays with, love his toughness on both ends of the floor, the leadership that he brings. You know, just super impressed as you learn more and more about him. I say he's one of us, he's like me, he's a guy that didn't have the silver spoon, and didn't have the easy path, and you know the vision too. And you know, scholarship was late there, and the best player, you know, Cal Fullerton. Didn't know if they could play it that low, became their best player. Now he's in the best league in America, and at times, arguably, he's our best player on the floor, you know. And does it on both ends. And every day at practice, he brings it, you know, never wants to be out of a rep. I have to pull him out. I mean, just tough, gritty. Big heart absolutely love him."
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.
K-State (11-11, 5-6 Big 12), winners of 4 consecutive games for the first time since 2023, returns to the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats renew the Dillons Sunflower Showdown with a visit from the Jayhawks (16-6, 7-4 Big 12). In addition to being the sixth-most played series in Division I, it is also the second-longest active rivalry as the schools have met every year since 1907. The game will air at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State extended its winning streak after rallying from an improbable 16-point first-half deficit for a 71-70 win at Arizona State on Tuesday night. It was the largest deficit overcome in a road conference game and the second largest behind a 17-point rally at California on Dec. 29, 1995.
Senior David N'Guessan paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 22 points to go with team-tying 8 rebounds. He made the play of the night with K-State clinging to a 71-70 lead with 4.1 seconds as he fouled freshman Jayden Quaintance as he was attempting to dunk the game-winning basket, forcing him to hit 2 free throws to win the game. He missed on both attempts and junior Dug McDaniel corralled the rebound and threw it down court to run out the clock.
Kansas enters Saturday's game with momentum after a 69-52 win over No. 8/8 Iowa State on Monday night. The Jayhawks continue to be one of the nation's best defensive teams, allowing just 66.0 points on 38.1 percent shooting, including 29 percent from 3-point range. They rank ninth in field goal percentage defense, 12th in defensive rebounds/game (28.4), 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 23rd in blocks/game (5.0 bpg.). They are averaging nearly 77 points on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and rank 10th nationally in assists (17.8 apg.).
Kansas leads the all-time series, 206-96, including 59-8 in the Big 12 era. The Jayhawks won the first matchup, 84-74, at home on Jan. 18. K-State has won the last 2 at home in the series.
Following Saturday's game, the Wildcats continues their homestand with a visit from Big 12 newcomer and No. 20/20 Arizona (16-6, 10-1 Big 12) on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., CT.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On being undefeated against KU at home…
"That's got very little to do with coaching., more with players. The first year it was Keyontae [Johnson], Marquis [Nowell], and the team. Last year, TP [Tylor Perry] went nuts for portion of that game, and we made some big shots, Art [Arthur Kaluma], got a great offensive rebound, put back, I think, send it to overtime. And so, it's just players. Both games were overtime wins, we had to do that. So, it's players at the end, and our fans like it. It's different. You know, you don't want it, as a coach, I don't want it to be different. I love that type of crowd and that type of energy for every single game, but this game is a little different to our fans, and they bring a little different energy. Bring the homecourt advantage."
On bouncing back from a losing streak and into a winning streak…
"I was concerned about the Arizona State game, you know, coming off the big win against Iowa State. You didn't have to get the guys up for Iowa State. They're one of the top five teams in the country, and so we knew we had their full attention. You hoped that you had their full attention for Arizona state. Now, the way the game started, you know, maybe we didn't, but Arizona State quickly gained our attention and our guys locked in. And I would say for this game that we won't have to do a lot to get our guys' attention."
On Macaleab Rich's playing time...
"Well, you know, I mean, you're only given 200 minutes if I had unlimited minutes to play, then other guys who would be playing also, but we're only given 200 minutes, and just have to put the guys out there you feel, give you the best chance to win. And not that that Buddy [Rich] wouldn't give us a chance to win. I don't know that he gives us the best chance, or if some other guys give us a little better chance. And Buddy's been great at practice. You know, helps part of the scout team and helps get our guys ready. And he's really, talented, and you know, he's got a bright future."
On the schedule and recovery…
"We didn't get in till 2:30 in the morning. I don't know about the guys, but by the time I got to the house and unwind, it was almost five o'clock before I fell asleep. And then my dogs don't know that I went to bed at five o'clock, so they get up at the same time, so you're up early and just moving on to the next thing. Yesterday was our day off. I give the staff the day off. We take a Sabbath and focus on our families and ourselves. And so, I had a really good day yesterday, worked out and got a massage and just re-energized. And today, we're not going to do much with the guys. Film, walk through, they lifted earlier today, and a lot of mental preps. And then tomorrow, we'll have a good practice. And it won't be long, but it'll be really intense and really locked in, get ready for Saturday, because you got to have legs on Saturday, this is very little changing of who we are. It's about trying to be the best version of who you are."
On the message to the team after the win at Arizona State…
"It's the next thing, like my shirt under here says, 1 percent better. And that's going to be the message we have today. We gotta get 1 percent better. We got to go 1-0 in our film session, we gotta go 1-0 in our walk through. I want to know how they rehab tonight. And so, we're gonna prepare to win. We have to do the right things today, and hopefully they did the right things yesterday, so that tomorrow we can have a great day. And so, it's just about going 1-0 and getting 1 percent better every day."
On what has changed within the team…
"If I knew that answer I would have given it, like 10 games ago. I feel like I've been saying the same thing from the beginning, the season started, and you know, we weren't playing well. I said we don't have to be good in December and November. When we want to be really good is February and March. And you know, we're in February. When we were losing games at the start of the big 12, but we were close. I kept saying we were close, but everybody just kept seeing the results. We all didn't see every day in practice, the improvement and the energy the guys had, and the belief and you know it was coming about. I mean, it's just that thing. You know, every tree bears in its season, and I think we're in a season where the tree is bearing fruit, and I just hope this season lasts through April."
On how proud he is of the team…
"I'm so proud of the team and different individuals and how much growth has taken place. And I'm proud of our staff, we just keep fighting and keep grinding, not giving up. And you know, I'm proud of our fans for sticking with us."
On Dug McDaniel…
"Dug has special legs. You know, he's fast, he puts pressure on the defense and what I've loved about him recently is he's used that speed that he has to impact the defensive end of the floor, because you're not only the point guard on offense, but you're also the point of attack on defense. And he's really amped up his defensive game, and he's become more vocal. And I believe he's always wanted to be vocal. It just took a while to learn the vocabulary. And I say it's like he's been living in one country for a while, and they spoke a certain language. And now, you know, he's an exchange student in a different country, and he's learning a new language, and sometimes knowing what you want to say and how to say it is two different things. And he's learning how to say it the way we say it, and learning how to ask questions the way, to get the right answer. And so, it's just that process of time and but I mean, he's been as good of a guard as they've been in our league the last four or five games. And so, yeah, just super proud of him."
On utilizing bench players…
"I don't know if I need them to score. We just want, when they go in the game that the score, we don't go backwards, and we can extend it. I think CJ [Jones] has the opportunity to put points on the board, because he can shoot the ball and he can get to the rim, and Mobi [Ikegwuruka] just brings energy, and Ugo [Ugonna Onyenso] provides a physical presence for us there, defensively and rebounding and stuff. David Castillo, he's gonna be really good, he just has continued to embrace that role. And I think what all of them are trying to do is make sure that we don't go backwards when they're there on the floor and so we appreciate that."
On what he learned from the last matchup with KU…
"First of all, we can't start off 14-0, right. I think it was 20-4. So, they had a 16-point lead with like nine something to go. And from that point on, we outscored them. But you can't give a team that good, that kind of lead, and so we must start better. And then secondly, they dominated us in the paint. It was 46- 34 they had a 12-point advantage in the paint. And to come out the second half, they went eight straight points Hunter Dickinson in the paint. So, we have to have an answer for that where we don't do that. And then on the other end, I think, like five or six of our first seven shots were three pointers, you know. And that was not a recipe for success. Just like against Arizona State, we started off, I think four or five of our first six shots were threes. And it just wasn't a recipe for success."
On the slow starts on the road…
"You know, it might be the road, you know, the team's a little bit more comfortable. I think it's more of a mindset. Iowa State, I thought we attacked the paint early, and they hit three big threes to start the game, and that might have played in our favor, because they kept shooting three. So, you know, I think it's more of a mindset."
On the difference in Dug McDaniel's play…
"His energy, his energy on both ends. The mistakes Dug makes now are out of trying hard. And I can live with that, like you trying hard and you make a mistake. I'm alright with that and I think he feels free to make a mistake and keep playing, and that that's part of our growth and our relationship together. He's competing, you watch it and it's not just when he has the ball in his hands. You watch him off the ball, and he's defeating screens. And, you know he's boxing out. He had eight rebounds the other night. You know, he's competing, and when he doesn't have the ball in his hands, it makes our team better, and, and he's fun to watch when he does those things."
On pushing to make the NCAA tournament…
"It's like one game at a time, you know? I mean, that's just how we do it. We'll just stick with that. Keep rolling and see what happens at the end. But you know, when we assembled a team, we assembled a team, we thought could go to the NCAA tournament. I still think that we have a team that's an NCAA tournament team. We just hadn't played that way all year long. And so luckily for us, we're playing arguably the best league in America, you know. And so there are still a lot of opportunities still there, so we just have to take the next one in front of us."
On two consecutive upcoming home games…
"It's great to get to play in front of our home crowd, and to get to play back-to-back at home, because back-to-back road games are a beast. It's hard to build a winning streak when you're playing back-to-back road games, and it's easy to build a losing streak when you're playing back-to-back road games in this league. And so, it has been awesome to play Iowa State at Iowa State, then you come home, and you play a home game. Or how fired up, where our fans are going to be, you know, because coming off a big win on the road like that, we'd had a great crowd, regardless of who you played next, you know. And so blessed that we were able to go to Arizona State and get that win. And, you know, now this game in which our fans are going to be fired up, you know, that's what our record is."
On Max Jones…
"I love Max Jones. Love the chip on the shoulder that he plays with, love his toughness on both ends of the floor, the leadership that he brings. You know, just super impressed as you learn more and more about him. I say he's one of us, he's like me, he's a guy that didn't have the silver spoon, and didn't have the easy path, and you know the vision too. And you know, scholarship was late there, and the best player, you know, Cal Fullerton. Didn't know if they could play it that low, became their best player. Now he's in the best league in America, and at times, arguably, he's our best player on the floor, you know. And does it on both ends. And every day at practice, he brings it, you know, never wants to be out of a rep. I have to pull him out. I mean, just tough, gritty. Big heart absolutely love him."
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.
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