How Jerome Tang is preparing Kansas State for a daunting game at No. 1 Arizona
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas State plans a cohesive road trip to Arizona and Arizona State to bond.
- Coach Tang adopts nothing-to-lose approach to challenge No. 1 Arizona.
- K-State will use recent top-10 test to build confidence and raise ceiling.
The Big 12 schedul-emakers didn’t do Kansas State any favors at the start of conference play.
Four days after the Wildcats began their league schedule with an 83-73 home loss to No. 9 BYU they will hit the road for an away game against No. 1 Arizona at 8 p.m. on Wednesday inside McKale Center.
Some might complain about playing back-to-back games against Final Four contenders. K-State coach Jerome Tang is taking a different approach as the Wildcats head on a prolonged trip to the desert to play both Arizona and Arizona State before returning home.
“I’m excited about this road trip,” Tang said, “both because of the weather and because we get to spend a lot of time together. And also the opportunity that’s in front of us to go play the No. 1 team in the country on their home court. I’m excited about this.”
K-State will take a nothing-to-lose approach into its game against Arizona.
Tommy Lloyd has built a juggernaut in Tucson this season, as Arizona is off to a 14-0 start with marquee wins over Florida, UCLA, Connecticut, Alabama, Auburn and more.
Few will expect K-State to win this game as a big underdog. Arizona has won its first eight home games by an average margin of 31.8 points. No one will hold it against K-State if that trend continues. But the Wildcats could gain some respect by simply competing in this environment.
They might as well enjoy the opportunity, right?
Tang does have history coaching against highly ranked opponents. He has gone up against top-10 competition in 14 games since he was hired at K-State. His record in those games: 7-7. But he hasn’t coached against a No. 1 team.
Tang is hopeful that K-State’s conference opener will help prepare both him and the Wildcats for this type of game, even though it was a double-digit loss.
“I’m hoping they walk away with confidence,” Tang said, “that we just played a top-10 (team) in the country, a team that people say can win a national championship. And we didn’t play close to what we’re capable of. The ceiling is high. We should be really confident.”