Kansas State wasn’t supposed to be a frontrunner in the Big 12 this season — they were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll — but they were expected to be competitive in Jerome Tang’s third season at the helm.
Instead, the Wildcats have been a very frustrating team to watch, and find themselves at 7-7 (1-2) ahead of a matchup with 12th-ranked Houston (11-3).
The ‘Cats’ most befuddling loss of the season may have been Tuesday night’s 79-66 loss at Oklahoma State (9-5). K-State never led in the matchup and trailed 43-24 at the half after Oklahoma State closed out the first frame on a 20-2 run.
The hardest pill to swallow with this one was that the Wildcats shot 51% from the field, but their balance was terrible from the get-go, giving up 19 turnovers and allowing Oklahoma State to pour in uncontested threes throughout the night.
Coleman Hawkins, K-State’s $2 million man, expressed his frustration with the team’s performance after the loss, saying that there needs to be some big changes if this team is going to turn things around.
“I feel like everyone needs to do more, as far as taking care of responsibilities,” Hawkins said. “Whether that’s on the court or off the court. It’s as little as the way we warm up and how serious we take it. When we go back into the locker room are you walking or running, just little details like that. We need to take the game of basketball serious.
“Today we didn’t warm up well enough. I feel like we came out flat and with no energy. At times we just don’t take the pregame and warm up stuff like that serious. I think everyone needs to take a bigger jump of discipline as far as just being being better in those perspectives.”
It’s fair to argue that Hawkins earned the right to call out his team on this particular instance, as he accounted for 18 of K-State’s 66 points on the night, and has played well in recent weeks. Unfortunately, the team just hasn’t matched the intensity needed to win ball games, and when they have, it’s been too late.
“I felt like we had just a little bit more energy,” Hawkins said. “But it shouldn’t take being down 20 points for that to happen.”
