7 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Following Kansas State University’s overtime victory against in-state rival, the University of Kansas Jayhawks, on Monday night, fans were sure to let the Jayhawks know how they felt.
The crowd erupted in a vulgar chant directed toward KU, and Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang was not pleased.
“I heard it when I was walking out, and I was not very happy,” Tang said after the game. “You know, we will get there when that is no longer a thing. Because we will care more about KSU than anybody else.”
The chant has been happening for years now, long before Tang has been at the helm of the Wildcats program, but he wants to hold K-State to a higher standard.
Another way to hold the program to a higher standard is courtstorming. Last season, when the Wildcats upset the Jayhawks at Bramlage Coliseum, the fans stormed the court. He then grabbed the microphone and told fans, “I told y’all we’d get you one courtstorming. From now on … expect to win.”
He said after Monday’s win, he was glad to see students stay in the stands because he wants beating highly-ranked teams to be the norm.
“Two of the proudest moments for me being here are when you can beat a nationally ranked team — Baylor was top 10 and Kansas is top 5 — and your fans don’t storm the court,” Tang said. “We are building an expectation that these are games that we are going to win, and we are going to be that kind of program.”
During a timeout after the Wildcats were up 75-70 in the waning seconds of overtime, assistant coach Kareem Dowling urged the fans to stay in their seats. Tang said he believes expecting to beat big teams is something that should be the norm at Kansas State.
“Let’s have an expectation that we’re going to win,” Tang said, “I never see them storm the court at Allen Fieldhouse. I never see them storm the court at Duke and at North Carolina. I don’t believe there’s any reason why, given time and the opportunity, that we can’t build that kind of a program here in Manhattan.”
So far, it appears Tang is building that kind of program. The team currently sits at 15-8 overall and 5-5 in Big 12 play, and compounding that with last season’s postseason success — which ended two points shy of a Final Four appearance — it’s safe to say the Wildcats are building a powerhouse in Manhattan.