3 Takeaways From Kansas State's Blowout Loss To No. 8 Iowa State

Kansas State's conference woes continued in a dominant loss at home against the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones.

Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang looks on during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Bramlage Coliseum. | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

After starting the season with five straight wins, the Kansas State Wildcats have gone through quite the roller coaster of a 2025-26 season, a coaster that saw a valley instead of a mountain Sunday with their blowout 95-61 loss to the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones.

PJ Haggerty put together 23 points, grabbed nine boards, and dished out three assists, but there really wasn't much more to the Wildcats' offense Sunday afternoon.

The loss dropped Jerome Tang's team all the way to the bottom of the Big 12 with a 1-8 record against their fellow conference opponents.

Takeaways From Kansas State's Blowout Loss to Iowa State

Kansas State Wildcats guard PJ Haggerty (4) shoots in the lane against West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jasper Floyd (1) during the first half at Hope Coliseum. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Following Sunday's 34-point loss, here are some takeaways from the contest.

Complete and Total Domination

The game went about as you would expect a game between a top 10-ranked team and an unranked opponent to go, but Kansas State was beaten in every sense of the word by the Cyclones Sunday afternoon.

Iowa State's field goal percentage (55-40), three-point percentage (52-30), free throw percentage (75-67), and rebounds (39-24) were all higher than that of Kansas State's, while the Wildcats narrowly lost the turnover battle 14-12.

By halftime, it was clear that the competitiveness of the contest had gone out the window, as the Cyclones held a 50-21 lead, and while Kansas State put up more of a fight in the second half, the damage had long been done, and it was all Iowa State in Manhattan.

Haggerty Stays Consistent Despite Loss

PJ Haggerty kept his season average at 23 points with ease, scoring exactly that many during the loss, and kept his streak of scoring in double-digits alive, something he has done in every single game of the 2025-26 season, which was recently highlighted by a 34-point effort during Kansas State's lone win against the Utah Utes two weeks ago.

Haggerty's 23.0 points per game are good enough for fourth in the country, proving his effectiveness on the offensive side of the court, a silver lining for the Wildcats in light of their struggles throughout the season.

A True "Up and Down" Season

Kansas State's 2025 season has been defined by streaks for the most part.

They began the year by winning their first five games, before going on a four-game losing streak starting with a loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game, before embarking on a four-game winning streak right before conference play, which has not treated the team well, and Kansas State has now lost seven of their last eight games.

The Wildcats will look for a turnaround to their disappointing 2026 when they head to Fort Worth to face the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday at 1:00 PM.

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