Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang did not hold back in criticizing his players following what he called an “embarrassing” 91-62 loss at home to Cincinnati on Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
In a brief yet tense postgame news conference lasting just over two minutes, Tang expressed concerns about his team’s pride, stating that the players “don’t deserve” to represent the university after a performance that led to a fifth consecutive defeat for the Wildcats (10-14), dropping them to last place in the Big 12 with a 1-10 record.
“These guys do not deserve to wear this uniform,” Tang said. “There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m ashamed for the university. I’m ashamed for our fans and our student section. It’s just absurd.”
He went on: “Wearing a K-State uniform carries meaning. Putting on this purple symbolizes everything this university stands for and why I cherish this place. They don’t appreciate this institution, so they don’t deserve to be here.”
Several fans in the K-State student section donned paper bags over their heads to show their discontent with the Wildcats’ performance, which saw them fall behind 30-11 within the first eight minutes and trail 53-31 at halftime, as Cincinnati (13-12, 5-7) shot 57% from the floor.
The deficit peaked at 32 points when Bearcats’ Jordi Rodriguez sank a 3-pointer with approximately three minutes left in the game.
When asked about the K-State student section’s actions afterward, Tang scoffed, “I’d wear a paper bag, too, if I were them,” before leaving the news conference in frustration.
Kansas State’s next contest is Saturday on the road against the No. 3 Houston Cougars.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
