The Kansas State Wildcats had been one of the hottest teams in college basketball in recent weeks, but their momentum came to a halt on Saturday in a road game against BYU. The Cougars outplayed the Wildcats in all areas, securing an 80-65 victory that ended Kansas State’s six-game winning streak, which had started on January 22.
After the game, K-State head coach Jerome Tang acknowledged that his team was outperformed by a better squad.
“All the credit to BYU’s staff and players; they kicked our butts tonight,” Tang said. “They were just better in every way.”
Guard Dug McDaniel led the Wildcats with 22 points in 37 minutes, but he had little support. Only McDaniel and Brendan Hausen, who scored 12 points, reached double figures. Kansas State shot 41% from the field and had just six assists, while also being out-rebounded 41-31.
Senior forward Coleman Hawkins struggled, finishing with only six points and eight rebounds.
“This is a team game, so it’s not just one guy,” Tang remarked. “Everybody picks each other up. He gets a lot of attention. Even if Coleman’s stats had been a little better, I don’t know if it would have changed much.”
The loss came at a crucial moment as the Wildcats were looking to build momentum for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, there is still time for them to impress the selection committee.
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