Why K-State basketball coach Jerome Tang isn’t concerned about road environment at KU
How long has it been since the Kansas State men’s basketball team won a game against KU inside Allen Fieldhouse?
There are several ways to answer that question.
The simplest way is by stating that the year was 2005. But that’s no fun.
You could also say that the Wildcats were coached by Jim Wooldridge at the time — or that their leading scorer was Cartier Martin or that the Big 12 still featured all of its founding members. You could also point out that Jerome Tang was just getting started as an assistant at Baylor back then or that Apple was five years away from selling its first iPad.
Point is, it’s been a while.
But there is hope that K-State may end its 16-game losing streak at KU when the Jayhawks and Wildcats meet in Round 2 of this season’s Sunflower Showdown at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, even though the game will be played in one of the toughest road venues in all of college basketball.
The No. 7 Wildcats are ranked higher than the No. 8 Jayhawks for the first time since 2013. K-State also defeated KU in overtime earlier this year when they met at Bramlage Coliseum. One more reason for optimism: K-State shouldn’t be fazed by the noise it encounters in Lawrence.
This team is used to playing in loud basketball arenas by now, including Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler), Hilton Coliseum (Iowa State), Ferrell Center (Baylor) ... and Bramlage.
“We’ve had some great venues in this league,” Tang said. “It’s no longer just one place that has got a great home-court advantage. The fact that we get to play in front of one all the time should help. We are used to a big crowd. I think that is going to help us.”
That hasn’t always been the case for K-State in this rivalry.
The Wildcats have struggled to attract fans to Bramlage at times over the past decade. So have other teams across the Big 12. But that hasn’t been the case this season. The Octagon of Doom is back in Manhattan with K-State off to an 18-3 start. Tang’s team has played in front of sellout crowds at home since the start of January and K-State fans seem to get louder with each passing home game.
A blowout victory over Florida on Saturday was the latest example. The crowd was electric from start to finish.
“That was ridiculous out there,” Tang said. “I couldn’t even talk in the huddle at times, because it was so loud. To have that kind of support behind you and the energy that they bring, man, it is just incredible.”
For the first time in ages, Bramlage Coliseum has mirrored Allen Fieldhouse in terms of decibel levels this season.
If K-State pulls off an upset on Tuesday, Tang thinks the fan base deserves an assist.
“I think that’s going to help us with our communication,” Tang said. “As a staff, we’ve had to adjust some of how we communicate with the guys because of the noise that our crowd makes. So that’s going to help us go in there.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2023 at 1:08 PM.