It's been a rough start for Kansas State.
And that's honestly an understatement for how bad the team has been this year. A unit projected to be at least a Tournament contender is now at the bottom of the Big 12. A combination of injuries, ineffective star performances, and a lack of cohesion has the Wildcats as arguably the conference's worst team.
After the TCU loss, coach Jerome Tang had a slightly different tone from when his team was blown out by Iowa State last week.
"I'm hurting for them right now. I'm frustrated because there are things I feel like I can do better, and I'm gonna figure that out," Tang said in his postgame interview. "Now we just keep going. This is not how we intended, but this is where we are. Life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you respond. We're gonna respond the right way."
He held PJ Haggerty and Nate Johnson accountable for their sloppy late-game turnovers in the Horned Frogs loss.
"I'm not sure it's just any one thing," Tang said. "Players have to make plays in those situations. You have to get the ball to the right dude and say, 'Go win it,' and we haven't been able to do that."
MARCUS JOHNSON COULD HELP KANSAS STATE AFTER TCU BREAKOUT
In the midst of Kansas State's 1-9 Big 12 disaster, the program is looking for any semblance of hope or progress to ride on for the remainder of the season.
Well, it got a bit of that in the TCU loss. Marcus Johnson, who scored just five points all season prior to Saturday afternoon, had 15 on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range against the Horned Frogs.
Honestly, Johnson probably would've been the story of the game had the Wildcats held on in the final seconds. His performance off the bench is the offensive spark the team has needed with a good chunk of the frontcourt out.
"We've asked him to stay ready," coach Jerome Tang said in his postgame interview. "Opportunities are going to come. Coach [Matthew] Driscoll says all the time, injuries, attrition, and the doghouse, every dude's going to get their opportunity. And Marcus has."
The former Bowling Green forward was brought in this offseason, along with the other stars that elevated the Wildcats to preseason Tournament contenders. He's been a non-factor thus far, but performances like yesterday should give Kansas State reason to at least put him in the rotation. Johnson averaged 16.2 points and five rebounds last season, but it hasn't translated during his time in the Big 12 so far.
In an inoffensive stretch without several key players, games like these at least give some optimism for a shift or temporary flicker.