Will Kansas State basketball’s series with Wichita State continue? Jerome Tang not so sure

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WICHITA — Kansas State basketball’s finale in a four-game series with Wichita State on Saturday night — a disappointing 84-65 loss, by the way — might also be the last time the two teams get together for a while.

An enthusiastic crowd of 8,253, a fair number of K-State fans included, gave its stamp of approval for continuing the rivalry, and so did Wichita State coach Paul Mills. But Tang, the blowout loss notwithstanding, is not so sure.

“This game, it’s kind of like the (Big 12/Big East Battle series). It doesn’t do anything for us,” said Tang, whose Wildcats also were blown out at St. John’s two weeks ago to start their current three-game skid heading into Big 12 play. “And especially with more conference games going on, playing 20 conference games, the fact that we can play some games for NIL to help your players and help you with recruiting in that aspect, there’s just so much more that goes into it.”

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Kansas State guard C.J. Jones (3) dribbles past Wichita State’s Corey Washington (6) during Saturday night’s game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita.

Mills, a longtime friend and colleague of Tang’s from their days as assistant coaches at Baylor, gave his full-throated endorsement for continuing to play a series that was resurrected with a four-year contract that included games at both schools’ home arenas as well as neutral-site games in Kansas City and at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena. But he also had an inkling that Tang was not as enthusiastic about it.

“Jerome was at my house earlier this summer, somewhere in July,” Mills recalled. “We were sitting there watching film and talking through a number of things, and as he was leaving, I asked him, I said, ‘We’re extending the series, right?’ And he said, ‘Smarter people than you and I will make that decision,’ so we’ll see.

“But…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-basketballs-series-wichita-153428517.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-22 15:34:00

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