K-State Hoops Laps Pair Of Blueblood Programs After Latest Win

Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang reacts from the bench during the second half against Iowa State in the Big-12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Feb 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kansas State is the hottest basketball team in the NCAA with its six-game winning streak.

On Tuesday, the Wildcats defeated then No. 13 Arizona. It was their fifth win against a Top 25 team this season. How impressive is that? That's the same as Duke and rival Kansas ... combined.

K-State has 5 top 25 wins, the same total as Duke and KU combined. #KStateMBB https://t.co/2ehSHOf0ba

— Ben Boyle (@RealBenBoyle) February 12, 2025

The Wildcats bounced back from a slow start to the season. The winning streak was preceded by six straight losses. It has put them back in the hunt for NCAA Tournament consideration.

“Man, this is a blast,” Tang said after defeating Arizona Tuesday night. “I know everyone would wanna say, ‘Well man, if they had done this earlier, can you imagine what would happen?’ The reason it’s so much fun right now is because of what we went through earlier with the struggles. We’re not hugging each other because of the win. We’re hugging each other because of all the tears we cried, all the sweat, and all the rough times we went through. But we stuck together, so we’re even happier for each other.”

K-STATE FOOTBALL MAKES COACHING CHANGES

Kansas State announced two changes to the coaching staff.

On Thursday, Brian Lepak was named offensive line coach while Drew Liddle is the assistant.

"Not only is Brian one of the top young coaches in our conference, but his background and experience with the offensive line made him the logical choice for this role," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. "It was also important to have two coaches work in the trenches with our guys, and elevating Drew to assist Brian provides us stability and allows for a smooth transition."

The moves were set in place after former offensive line coach Conor Riley left to take the same job with the Dallas Cowboys. Last year Lepak completed his third year as the tight ends coach. Liddle moves after serving as an offensive analyst.