Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang wasn’t about to dwell too long on his Wildcats’ heartbreaking loss Saturday at TCU.
“If we had won the game, it would still be like this one,” Tang said after watching TCU score the final seven points of the game to beat the Wildcats, 63-62. “We drain it, much like golfers and tennis players. It’s one point, you move on to the next one.
“It’s a game.”
On one hand, it was a missed opportunity for K-State to earn its first road win in nearly a year. On the other hand, this is a marked improvement over the losses from the St. John’s and Wichita State blowouts in December.
Additionally, the Wildcats (7-6, 1-1 Big 12) have another chance to end a 12-game streak Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they take on Oklahoma State (8-5, 0-2) at Gallagher -Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Despite the loss, K-State put together back-to-back strong performances to begin Big 12 play with the TCU matchup following an impressive 70-67 home win Dec. 30 against Cincinnati.
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Tang thanks the players for adhering to his vision, but also for gaining his trust.
“A ton of membership,” he said. “And they also get more buy-in from me. It’s a two-way street, right? The staff and the players.
“And we’re starting to see the game look more similar, understanding each other’s strengths and building towards something.”
The insertion of point guard Dug McDaniel into the starting lineup has provided a spark, although Tang is the first to admit that he and the junior transfer from Michigan haven’t always seen eye to eye.
McDaniel, who led the team with 12 points at TCU after scoring 17 in the Cincinnati game, downplayed the fact that he is now a starter.
“We train together every day, so it was basically nothing new,” he said. “I was just in the starting lineup.
“But other than that, I feel like before this point, I prepared myself in practice by going against these guys. So, it’s nothing, it’s not a surprise to me .I’m just trying to continue to build that chemistry.”
Forward Coleman Hawkins also became more assertive on the offensive end, leading the Wildcats in scoring over the two conference games with 20 points against Cincinnati and 11 at TCU.
Against TCU, the Wildcats also got a spark from forward Macaleab Rich, who scored eight points in the second half.
For Tang, the formula for success in the Big 12 is simple, and picking up a road win over Oklahoma State to return home with a 2-1 league record would certainly do the trick.
“If you want to have a chance to win in this league, you have to control your field and then try to rob someone on the road,” he said. “It (TCU) was an opportunity for us to steal, but they did a great job at the end. They did what they were supposed to do at home.”
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett Network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article was originally published on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball focuses attention on Oklahoma State after loss
