Kansas State is in a dark place right now.
A preseason full of promise has drastically dived into one of the worst seasons in recent memory. And in the center of it is coach Jerome Tang. The Wildcats suffered their worst loss under Tang, falling to Iowa State by 34 at home. It was a performance illustrating the program's current state.
Even amid a 1-8 Big 12 start, this might have been the most humiliating game yet. A lack of rebounding effort, perimeter defense, and 3-point shooting took Kansas State out of the matchup before it even started.
Even alumni expressed disappointment in the performance.
"Embarrassing to say the least," former Wildcats guard Jacob Pullen tweeted. "The effort, the energy, the defense, and offense. I never thought I’d see the day when Iowa State beat us by 35 at home. I think I lost once in my career to them."
The postgame press conference was tense, as you could feel the reporters just trying to get something out of Tang to recap the disastrous loss. There's something to be said about pride and player praise, but lauding your team after a 35-point loss isn't the greatest look. It felt more like a lack of accountability and making the excuse of playing a better team.
"I'm not disappointed at all," Tang said in his Iowa State postgame interview. "I'm with these dudes every single day; I know everything they're going through, and you all don't. I was proud of our guys, especially in the second half."
But even amid the outside noise, Tang is continuing to back his team.
"This isn't a message for the fans. This is a message for my players," Tang said. "I love these guys. They work really hard. They chose to come play for this university and this coaching staff. I love these dudes. If you saw them the last two days of practice, you'd say that they're ready. The problem is that Iowa State is just better. And sometimes you guys want there to be something that we could have done differently."
Sadly, it won't stop the outside calls for his job. Contract buyout details for the four-year coach are starting to emerge among the swirl of conversations about him potentially departing the program.