Kansas State Set To Face Four-Time NCAA Champion Coach

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang knows what he is facing in tonight's matchup with Drake.

He is up against one of the best coaches in college basketball. The Bulldogs are led by first-year coach Ben McCollum, who won four NCAA titles at Division II Northwest Missouri State.

“Coach has won four national championships and he brought four players with him that played in the national championship game last year," Tang said. "They have some continuity, it shows up in them being undefeated and being able to win close games. They’ve already beat two hot major teams this year, and they’re not gonna be phased because five of their players are from Kansas City.”

McCollum built Northwest Missouri State into a national power in 15 seasons.

During his tenure with the Bearcats, he led the team to at least 21 wins in each of the last 13 seasons. Five of those years included 30-plus wins highlighted by a 38-0 campaign in 2018-19. That season marked just the fifth instance in Division II history that a team ran the table through the regular and postseasons.

DEPARTURE CREATES OPPORTUNITY

Kansas State took a loss with the sudden departure of forward Achor Achor, who was anticipated to be a major transfer acquisition.

Luckily, Tang says the team prepared for these situations. He is encouraged by the new opportunities presented to players like Taj Manning and Mobi Ikegwuruka, who will step up amidst Achor's exit.

“It opens up the opportunity for a lot of guys," Tang said. "It also gets people’s attention. Love Achor and wish him the best, but one of the things I said is that one of the goals this summer was to have an abundance. So that if you lost a player or two, you still had enough to accomplish what you wanted to accomplish.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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