Kansas State basketball has won three straight, but are the Wildcats ready for an encore?

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Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang insisted for the past three weeks that things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

As the Wildcats’ losing streak reached six and they plummeted in the Big 12 standings, he remained optimistic better times were ahead. And sure enough, they were.

Now that the Wildcats have won three straight games, including a stunning 80-61 blowout of No. 3-ranked Iowa State on Saturday in Ames, Tang predictably has pivoted.

“This is one game,” said Tang, whose Wildcats (10-11, 4-6 Big 12) play at Arizona State (12-9, 3-7) at 9 p.m. CT Tuesday at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona. “I told you all when we lose, it’s one game and we move on to the next.

“This is one win. We’ll move on to the next, because it’s the Big 12, and as soon as you think you can relax, you end up on a losing streak.”

Related: Kansas State basketball vs Iowa State recap: Wildcats end road skid in stunner at Hilton

Related: Kansas State basketball vs Iowa State: Score prediction, scouting report for Big 12 road test

Kansas State guard Mobi Ikegwuruka (4) rebounds the ball against Iowa State’s Demarion Watson (4) during Saturday’s Big 12 game at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

Still, back-to-back lopsided home victories against then-No. 23 West Virginia (73-60) and Oklahoma State (85-57) were a good start. Ending a 15-game road losing streak at Hilton Coliseum, where Iowa State had won 29 in a row, was sensational. It also served as validation for a K-State team that badly needed it.

“I feel like we’ve been fully capable of winning games all year,” said K-State forward Coleman Hawkins, who had 17 points, seen rebounds, three assists and four steals against Iowa State. “I think it’s just the flip side of it being a win. I feel like some games the validation has come in a half, and we just haven’t been able to put it together for a full 40 minutes.

“I think we’ve proven the last three games that we can do it for 40 minutes. That’s more the validation.”

Even Tang admitted winning at Iowa…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-basketball-won-three-150234150.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-03 15:02:00

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