Kansas State basketball’s season ends with loss to BYU at the Big 12 Tournament
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State men’s basketball’s season ends 105-91 as BYU freshman Dybantsa scores 40.
- K-State finishes 12-20, 3-15; AD nearing a coaching hire.
- PJ Haggerty’s scoring surge showcased effort; team lacked talent.
It’s over.
One of the most disappointing seasons in Kansas State basketball history came to an end with a 105-91 loss to BYU in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center.
That will be viewed as a sad development for the K-State coaches and players who wanted to extend their time together and go on an unlikely run in KC. But some, and perhaps many, K-State fans are glad there are no more games on the schedule.
K-State (12-20, 3-15 Big 12) ended the season with its most losses in five years. Former head coach Jerome Tang was fired midway through his fourth year on the job. EMAW nation is ready to move on and hope for better days with a new coach, perhaps Jerrod Calhoun from Utah State, Alan Huss from Creighton or Casey Alexander from Belmont.
Athletic director Gene Taylor said in an exclusive interview before Tuesday’s game that K-State was getting close to the end of its coaching search. He is hoping to finalize a deal with one of the candidates on his list by the end of the week, though a hiring announcement could come later than that.
All eyes are on the coaching search now that K-State has been eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament.
BYU defeated K-State thanks to 40 points from freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa. The Wildcats countered with 27 points from PJ Haggerty and 19 points from Nate Johnson, but it wasn’t enough. The Cougars set a new Big 12 Tournament record for points in a game.
The Cougars will face West Virginia in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.
For the Wildcats, it’s on to next season.
Here are takeaways from Tuesday’s action:
K-State had no answers for AJ Dybantsa
The 6-foot-9 forward proved once again why many think he could be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft.
Dybantsa scored an incredible 40 points on 21 shots to go along with nine rebounds and six assists.
That allowed him to break the Big 12 Tournament scoring record for a freshman. Some guy named Kevin Durant previously held the record with 37 points.
The Wildcats were helpless against Dybantsa. Nothing they tried on defense could slow him down.
PJ Haggerty seems to play his best in KC
He didn’t make any of the Big 12’s three all-conference teams, but PJ Haggerty likely would have earned more than honorable mention from the league had he played more games at T-Mobile Center.
The junior guard was in the zone during all three of his games here.
Haggerty erupted for a season-high 37 points in an entertaining win over Mississippi State at the beginning of the year. Then he followed that with 27 points in a narrow loss against Nebraska.
He kept the good vibes going Tuesday when he scored 27 points against BYU. He averaged 23.3 points a game during the regular season. That number jumped to 30.3 inside T-Mobile Center.
The Wildcats played hard for Matthew Driscoll until the end
K-State didn’t always play well under its interim coach, as the Wildcats went 2-5 under his guidance. But K-State did always play hard with Matthew Driscoll in the lead chair.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said he was “impressed” by the way Driscoll handled things after Jerome Tang was fired last month.
The Wildcats once again fought hard for 40 minutes Tuesday. Even though few expected them to win this game as 10.5-point underdogs, they pushed the Cougars until the bitter end.
K-State fell behind 36-26 in the first half, but it rallied to take a 49-43 lead thanks to some timely plays from CJ Jones, Haggerty and Johnson.
BYU led 50-49 at halftime. You can’t ask for much more fun on a basketball court than that.
In the end, K-State wasn’t talented enough to hang with Dybantsa and BYU. But it played like a team that wasn’t ready for its season to end.
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 8:20 PM.