Kansas State men’s basketball’s hopes of a Big 12 Tournament title run and berth into the NCAA Tournament came to an end as the No. 10-seeded Wildcats fell to No. 7 Baylor, 70-56, on Wednesday night at the T-Mobile Center.
“I just wanted to be able to spend one more day with them, and that’s just my whole goal,” head coach Jerome Tang said to K-State Athletics. “Can we just go one more day? It’s never easy when the season ends.”
Tang told the Kansas City Star that K-State is unlikely to continue its season in a consolation tournament, ending the year at 16-17. It is the first losing season under Tang and the Wildcats’ first since 2021-22 season.
“I don’t think Coleman (Hawkins) and David (N’Guessan) are going to want to play in The Crown,” Tang said. “It is also after the portal opens, and that’s just bad timing. You have to have a team to be able to do it. So I don’t see that happening.”
Baylor, playing on a bye, used a hot-shooting first half to jump out to a 17-point halftime lead, shooting over 50% in the first half. Coupled with a stifling defense to build a lead, this carried the Bears to the win.
Leading the way for K-State was senior forward David N’Guessan, as he led all scorers with 20 points and also added 10 rebounds.
“David is an example of a young man who stayed in the same program for three years and went from a role player to a star and an All-Conference guy, and that if you trust the process and stick with it and you’re committed, it can happen,” Tang said.
In what was likely to be his final game in a Wildcat uniform, N’Guessan gave it his all, and his effort and leadership did not go unnoticed by his teammates.
“He [N’Guessan] really taught me to be a leader,” guard Dug McDaniel said. “He’s taught me a lot. He helped me grow up a lot. He leads by example so he doesn’t have to talk a lot. You can just tell by the way he carries himself.”
McDaniel himself scored 14 points in the contest, joining N’Guessan in double digits. Senior Max Jones also poured in 10 points.
Baylor freshman superstar V.J. Edgecombe led the Bears with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Bears also got great performances from first team all Big-12 member Norchad Omier, who scored 12 points and added 14 rebounds, and senior Jayden Nunn, who scored 18 points off the bench with hit four 3-pointers.
The first half of the contest was competitive early before Nunn scored seven straight points and sparked a run K-State couldn’t slow down. At the half, K-State trailed 41-24.
In the second half, K-State closed the gap to as close as 11 outscored the Bears in the period, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for a comeback. K-State shot 37% from the field and 12% (3-25) from 3-point land in the game. Baylor was at 46% from the floor and 33% from deep.
In the locker room after the game, one-year Wildcats Coleman Hawkins was in clear disappointment, wanting to help carry this K-State team farther and impact the program.
“I feel like I let a lot of people down. I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me. It affected my play” Hawkins said to KSNT. “I wish I could just go back and block out everything, not for myself, but for my team.”
K-State heads into the offseason ahead of Tang’s fourth year at the helm, looking to prioritize continuity in roster management after a season that was stalled early by a lack of togetherness.
