Why Jerome Tang may be done with K-State’s basketball series against Wichita State
One by one, Wichita State basketball players described their 84-65 victory over Kansas State on Saturday at Koch Arena as a “special game” that meant much more than a typical non-conference clash.
It was easy to understand why they felt that way.
A rowdy crowd of 8,253 crammed into The Roundhouse for this in-state rivalry and roared with approval as they watched the Shockers defeat the Wildcats for the first time since 2001.
K-State players were equally happy when they defeated Wichita State in each of the past three seasons.
Now that Wichita State was on the victorious end of things, coach Paul Mills proclaimed the KSU/WSU rivalry to be “good for the state of Kansas.”
It is unclear what the future holds for this basketball series, but Mills obviously hopes that the Shockers and the Wildcats will continue playing.
But not everyone agrees with that sentiment.
K-State basketball coach Jerome Tang made it clear on Saturday night that this rivalry may not fit into his future scheduling plans.
“It doesn’t do anything for us,” Tang said.
Tang compared the K-State/Wichita State rivalry to the Big 12/Big East Battle, of which he is not a fan. He would rather have complete control over his team’s non-conference schedule on a yearly basis than play a matchup concocted by conference officials.
Blindly playing Wichita State every season also feels like an unknown.
“Especially with more conference games going on,” Tang said. “So we’re playing 20 conference games. The fact that you can play some games for NIL to help your players and help you with recruiting, there’s just so much more that goes into it.
“I know it’s important. Our fans enjoy it and their fans enjoy it. But if it’s not going to help us improve as a program and put us in a better position, I don’t know that it’s something that I necessarily want to do.”
K-State and Wichita State used to play in the 1980s and ‘90s, but their in-state hoops rivalry went dormant after 2002. The Wildcats and the Shockers decided to pick things up again in 2021, but only on a limited basis.
They have played four straight seasons, with K-State winning the first three times. It has been an entertaining game for both teams, despite the one-sided results. Impressive crowds have watched these teams play inside Bramlage Coliseum, Intrust Bank Arena, T-Mobile Center and Koch Arena.
Mills wants to continue the series with home games alternating every season between Manhattan and Wichita.
“I think it means a lot if you play in each other’s own home arenas,” Mills said.
Some, if not many, will agree with him. College basketball fans don’t have many games to look forward to before conference play gets underway. But this is a matchup that K-State and Wichita State can both enjoy.
It doesn’t seem like Tang shares the same enthusiasm for this series, though.
There is a chance that the rivalry will go dormant again.