Why K-State coach Jerome Tang thinks the Wildcats aren’t shooting enough 3s
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- Jerome Tang pressed K-State to attempt more 3-pointers to revive scoring.
- 7-foot-2 center Dorin Buca hit two 3s, while K-State finished 8-for-36 from deep.
- Tang built the roster for high-volume 3s; K-State still shoots 37.1% from deep.
Dorin Buca normally does most of his damage in the paint for Kansas State, but the 7-foot-2 center surprisingly stepped outside and made a pair of 3-pointers during a 101-76 loss to No. 1 Arizona on Wednesday at McKale Center.
His shooting was one of few bright spots for the Wildcats on a night when little went right against a superior opponent.
Jerome Tang wants more of it. A lot more, actually.
When Tang was asked if Buca now has a “green light” to fire away from beyond the arc, he didn’t say no.
“I actually wanted our forwards to combine for 10 3s attempted tonight,” Tang said. “They did what I wanted them to do in that aspect there.”
Buca made both of his attempts from 3-point range on his way to 12 points and two rebounds in 16 minutes of action. By taking more outside shots than usual, he did his part on offense. Unfortunately for K-State, his teammates combined to shoot 6-of-34 from 3-point range.
K-State (9-6, 0-2 Big 12) also went cold from the outside when it began conference play by making just 3 of 21 outside shots in a home loss to BYU.
The Wildcats need to snap out of that slump if they want to end a two-game losing skid when they head to Arizona State on Saturday.
Tang wants more K-State basketball players to follow Buca’s lead as they look to do exactly that.
His message moving forward might as well be bombs away. K-State attempted a season-high 36 outside shots against Arizona (15-0, 2-0 Big 12), but he wanted more.
“We have got to take shots to make shots,” Tang said. “I actually wanted to hopefully get up 40 tonight. I thought in the first half, we turned down four. Our goal was to make 14, and that would have given us a chance to win this game. ... We went 8-for-36, but if we were 14-for-36 then we’re talking about a one-possession game. I thought our guys tried to execute the game plan.”
When K-State was at its best earlier this season, it found success at the 3-point line. Outside shooting can be a strength for this team. It has drained as many as 19 3-pointers in a game, with PJ Haggerty and Abdi Bashir standing out as quality shooters at various times.
“Coach wants us to keep shooting 3s,” K-State guard Nate Johnson said after he scored 15 points against Arizona. “We have just got to find it. I think we got a lot of good looks today. They just weren’t going in.”
Even after a pair of clunkers, K-State is still shooting 37.1% from 3-point range on the season.
That’s why Tang is urging the Wildcats to get back to what they do best by attempting more 3-pointers than ever before.
He assembled this team to get hot from the outside and win high-scoring games. It might as well play to its strength.
“We are all capable of shooting from 3-point range,” Haggerty said after he went 2-of-6 from beyond the arc while scoring 19 points against Arizona. “We have just got to see some go in. When they go in, we’re a better team.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 5:30 AM.