It's safe to say that Kansas State is off to a rough start this season at 0-5 in the Big 12 slate.
In fact, it's the program's worst start to conference play since 1997. The Wildcats haven't lost five in a row to start the Big 12 since the NCAA realignment. The latest was against Oklahoma State, another game in which Kansas State was plain careless and reckless. The fouls and turnovers piled on as the game progressed, costing the Wildcats in the final seconds when three Cowboys' foul shots sealed the victory.
Wildcats coach Jerome Tang appreciated the team effort for keeping it close, vowing to translate it to winning going forward.
"We're playing with energy, effort, and enthusiasm, and we're really sharing the ball," Tang said in his postgame press conference. "There's been some great ball movement out there, and as we keep doing that, we're going to get the right shots. We just have to cut down on our turnovers. We're rebounding better. We're more physical. Rebounding in the first few games in the Big 12, there was such a rebounding disparity that it didn't even give us a chance. Now we're giving ourselves a chance. And so now we've got to take the next step."
Still, though, many fans are likely far past the point of looking for improvements and instead want to see results. The Tournament expectations are not even a factor at this point, as the Wildcats are dead last in the conference with nothing to be optimistic about thus far. The team's structure is deteriorating because the forwards lack size. Khamari McGriff is pretty much the only frontcourt defender, constantly drawing fouls with the defensive pressure always on him.
Without a frontcourt presence, the Wildcats have been overreliant on PJ Haggerty's star performances, which have since simmered. The star guard fails to start fast or turns the ball over too much as the primary bucket-getter. Abdi Bashir Jr. has dropped significantly in scoring, a damning decline for a player tasked with being Kansas State's primary outside shooter. Nate Johnson has been solid defensively, but his scoring lapses are too steep for a player who's supposed to round out the primary trio.
David Castillo hasn't been the same player since the pre-conference stretch, going from regularly dropping double digits to getting just six field goals in the last four games. His absence leaves the Wildcats without a No. 2 scorer and the bench without a dependable leader.
So, yeah. The Wildcats have a lot to fix, and Tang's unit will have to do some soul-searching if they want to get anywhere close to their preseason expectations.
They have their next opportunity against Utah on Tuesday night.