Kansas State’s Jerome Tang Rips Players After ‘Embarrassing’ Blowout Loss to Cincinnati

Wednesday night marked another tough game for Kansas State men’s basketball.

The program fell to 10–14 on the season, and 1–10 in Big 12 play with a 91–62 home blowout loss at the hands of visiting Cincinnati. After making the NCAA tournament in his first year leading the program in 2022–23, coach Jerome Tang is primed for a third-consecutive season of lagging results. This year stands to be his worst season yet since taking over the Kansas State program.

The usually mild-mannered Tang was at no shortage of words postgame, as he ripped his team for its “embarrassing” play.

“This was embarrassing,” Tang told the media with visible frustration. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We have practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning and we will get this thing right. I have no answer, no words. You all got two questions, so whoever wants to ask two questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. But right now, I’m like pissed. This…this is…yeah. Questions?”

Jerome Tang postgame:

"This was embarrassing. These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year. It is just, ridiculous. We have practice at 6am... I'm pissed. This is... this is... yeah."pic.twitter.com/LSWF2lIYsF
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 12, 2026

After fielding a question from a media member, Tang went back down the road of ripping his team.

“It means something to wear a K-State uniform. It means something to put on this purple man. Everything this university is about and all that it’s been about, why I love this place, man. They don’t love this place so they don’t deserve to be here.”

Before ending his press conference, which lasted just over two minutes, Tang was asked what he made of some fans in the student section wearing paper bags over their heads.

“I’d wear a paper bag too if I was them,” he quipped as he stood up, thanked the reporters and left the podium.

It will be a very different looking Kansas State basketball program next season. The only question now is whether or not Tang will be the one tasked to lead it.

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