Kansas State basketball’s blowout loss to Houston exposes difference in the two programs

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MANHATTAN — If the Kansas State basketball team’s performance against Houston showed nothing else, it accentuated the gap that exists between the two programs.

K-State coach Jerome Tang said as much after watching No. 11-ranked Houston dismantle his Wildcats, 87-57, Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

“We could play our best game against these guys in a packed arena, and it’s going to be hard to beat them,” said Tang, who was much more critical of his team following Tuesday’s 14-point road loss at Oklahoma State. “So, when you don’t bring your best game, it’s just tip your hat to them.”

The loss was the sixth in seven games for the Wildcats, who fell below .500 for the first time at 7-8 with a 1-3 Big 12 record. Houston improved to 12-3 overall and 4-0 in the conference.

“This wasn’t an effort issue. They’re just better than we are at maybe every position,” said Tang, whose Wildcats trailed 46-24 at halftime, trimmed the deficit to 14 midway through the second half, and then saw Houston go on a 19-3 tear to blow it open. “They’re not just more talented, (but) they have an experience to them.

Related: Kansas State basketball vs Houston: Score prediction, scouting report Big 12 opener

Related: ‘They just did a much better job’: Slow start dooms Kansas State basketball in loss to Oklahoma State

Kansas State forward Coleman Hawkins is double teamed by Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis (5) and Emanuel Sharp (21) during their Big 12 game Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

“They’ve got two guys that are six-year guys, and one of them is six years in the program, and three guys that have three-plus years in addition to that in the program. So, hats off to coach (Kelvin) Sampson to be able to build that kind of program.”

Sampson, now in his 11th year at Houston, agreed that continuity has played a pivotal role in his team’s sustained success.

“I would say that the most impressive thing about our program is that in the last 10 years, we’ve had three kids transfer out that have played in our top 10…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-basketballs-blowout-loss-150745553.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2025-01-12 15:07:00

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