‘That was on me’: Why Jerome Tang blamed himself for Kansas State’s loss to Oklahoma
Jerome Tang did something strange near the end of Kansas State’s demoralizing 73-53 loss to Oklahoma on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
He called a timeout with 28 seconds left.
Why? Good question. The Wildcats were trailing by 18 at the time. For all intents and purposes, the game was over. Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had already checked in his walk-ons and most of the lavender-clad fans who showed up to cheer on the home team were long gone. Still, Tang had something he wanted to tell his team in that moment, even if it meant annoying some in attendance.
“I wanted our guys to know that was on me,” Tang said afterward. “This loss tonight was on me. I didn’t want them to hang their heads, I didn’t want them to ... sometimes things can go from your head to your heart. I didn’t want this loss to go to their heart. This was on me. I can’t go into details, I’m just telling you that this one was on me and I will correct it and do better.”
Tang also apologized to K-State fans for letting them down with the worst home loss of his tenure in Manhattan.
“I want to thank our fans,” Tang said. “They were incredible tonight. They brought energy and they gave us a chance. I want to apologize that I didn’t have our guys ready to play. This is not on them. This is on me.”
Tang is always willing to shield his players from criticism, but he seemed adamant about doing so after this defeat.
There are probably a few reasons for that.
Over the past week, Tang has created two large distractions for the Wildcats. First, he had a pair of contentious conversations with Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger when he grew concerned that Iowa State was spying on his team’s timeout huddles at Hilton Coliseum. Next, he blasted Big 12 official Gary Maxwell for his behavior during a game at Houston and later had to apologize for those comments.
Even if K-State players blocked all of that out heading into an important head game against Oklahoma, Tang did not have the Wildcats ready for a desperate affair. The Sooners, who had also lost two straight, raced to a big lead while K-State went scoreless until the 11:49 mark of the first half.
The Wildcats have been strong at home under Tang, going 16-1 inside the Octagon of Doom last season and 10-1 this season. And yet, they no-showed in an important game against Oklahoma.
Tylor Perry delivered with 23 points for the Wildcats. No one else stepped up. Cam Carter shot 2-for-12 and scored five points. Arthur Kaluma went 1-of-8 and finished with four points. As a team, K-State shot 30% from the field.
Blame Tang for that. He wants you to.
“I didn’t have these dudes ready,” Tang said.
But he also stood up for his team when it was suggested that the Wildcats (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) may struggle to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament now that they are on the wrong side of the bubble after suffering three straight losses.
“Things are not getting away from us,” Tang said. “We are 4-4 in the best league in America. Like I’ve said from the very beginning of the year, if you get nine wins in this league you are going to the NCAA Tournament. Nothing has changed for us. Right? It’s just the order in which things happen. Sometimes people make a bigger deal out of it than needs to be.”
It seems like his message was well received by K-State players.
Carter nodded his head as Tang said there was no reason for panic.
“Oh, 100%,” Carter said. “We’ve got some hard work to do, but there’s no doubt about that.”
“We’re focused on the right things,” K-State forward David N’Guessan said. “We have got to get the next one and we are focused on Oklahoma State.”
A road trip to Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday will be important for K-State. The Wildcats can move back above .500 in conference play with a win and gain valuable momentum as they enter their much anticipated home game with rival Kansas on Monday.
Tang is looking forward to the challenge. He didn’t have the Wildcats ready to play against Oklahoma, but he thinks that can be fixed.
This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 11:28 PM with the headline "‘That was on me’: Why Jerome Tang blamed himself for Kansas State’s loss to Oklahoma."