As Kansas State is in the midst of an ugly 1-6 start, avenues for success are looking thin going forward. At this point in the season, they are looking for any type of motivation to climb out of the Big 12 basement.

Well, one of the latest late-game antics against their team could be a stimulant for the remainder of the year. As the Jayhawks celebrated their blowout victory, Melvin Council Jr. was seen dancing at midcourt in Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang described the emotions of seeing their in-state rivals celebrate amid getting dominated at home.

"I don’t know that you need motivation for these kinds of games," Tang said in his Kansas postgame interview. "We thought, 'Since we got a bunch of new guys, do we need to tell them about this rivalry?' But I mean, the guys who were here did a good job of that. You never wanna see anybody celebrate on your court. It sucks to see them do it. Like it really, really sucks. I haven’t experienced that before, and it is not a good feeling at all."

Tang said the team shouldn't need these antics for motivation, but unfortunately, that may have to be the case. Whether it's injuries, lack of cohesion, or just lackluster play, Kansas State has been lifeless in conference play. It's on a worse trajectory than last season, when the team finished 16-17 amid a rollercoaster year. Tang even admitted that the Kansas loss was due to a lack of competitive fire, a concerning statement for a unit that should be motivated to fulfill its Tournament expectations.

"At some point in time, they gotta hit your chest, and you have to say 'no,'" Tang said. "We were just letting them get there, whether it was a post or a guard driving. At some point, you gotta look the other dude in the eyes and say, 'No, you’re not going there.'"

Perhaps seeing Council's celebration can illustrate how devastating the program's current state is. The Wildcats head to West Virginia on Jan. 27 for their eighth Big 12 game. Here are the details for the Tuesday night matchup:

Game time: Jan. 27, 8:30 p.m.

Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV

TV: FOX Sports

Betting line: K-State (+8.5)

O/U: 146.5

Moneyline: WVU -450, KSU +340

G P.J. Haggerty: 23.4 PTS, 5.2 REB, 4.5 AST

G David Castillo: 11.6 PTS, 2.5 REB, 2.3 AST

G Nate Johnson: 11.3 PTS, 4.8 REB, 4.1 AST

G Taj Manning: 3.6 PTS, 4.1 REB, 0.7 STL

C Dorin Buca: 3.5 PTS, 3.8 REB, 1.4 BLK

SCORING OFFENSE: 84.1 POINTS/GAME (8th in Big 12)

SCORING DEFENSE: 80.5 POINTS/GAME (14th in Big 12)

TEAM 3-POINT SHOOTING: 37.3% (4th in Big 12)

OPPONENT 3-POINT SHOOTING: 32.1% (6th in Big 12)

REBOUNDING: 36.3 REBOUNDS/GAME (11th in Big 12)

OPPONENT REBOUNDING: 36.0 REBOUNDS/GAME (15th in Big 12)