As the Kansas Jayhawks gear up to face in-state rival Kansas State in Saturday’s Sunflower Showdown, Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang didn’t hold back on his respect for the Jayhawks’ defensive intensity.

K-State relied heavily on freshman point guard David Castillo and junior-college transfer Mobi Ikegwuruka during a narrow loss against Texas Tech earlier this week. Tang sent a message in the process: He is ready to build for the future with young players who display maximum effort when they are on the court.

On a four-game losing streak and no road wins in a year, Jerome Tang remains upbeat ahead of K-State's Sunflower Showdown game at Kansas this weekend.

Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 16) to preview the upcoming matchup with No. 9/10 Kansas.

Shortly after Houston defeated K-State 87-57 on Saturday, Jerome Tang tipped his proverbial hat to the Cougars and said they have become what the Wildcats aspire to be.

Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang talks about the gap between his program and Houston's after their loss Saturday.

From a statistical point of view, K-State simply doesn’t do anything all that well. This team ranks 141st nationally in 3-point shooting and 113th nationally in 2-point shooting

The next time K-State loses a Big 12 game by double digits, which seems likely to happen against Houston on Saturday inside Bramlage Coliseum, I may borrow this and simply ask “why” to Jerome Tang. This is turning into a lost season for the Wildcats.