K-State’s Jerome Tang was fired from the Wildcats on Sunday night. Despite Tang’s buyout being more than $18 million — which would be the biggest buyout in college basketball history — decisions between K-State and Tang are not yet settled. 

The Tang era will conclude after his fourth season as the Wildcat’s head coach with a current 10-15 overall record, and sitting last in the Big 12 conference at 1-11. 

“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”

Tang faced backlash following recent comments after K-State’s 91-62 loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 11. During the postgame press conference, Tang called the Wildcats’ performance embarrassing and said that his players didn’t deserve to wear the K-State uniform. The loss prompted immediate action, as the Wildcats’ road jerseys at Houston didn’t have players’ last names on the back.

Eyes started to watch more intently after K-State’s 95-61 loss versus Iowa State on Feb. 1, when Tang said he was not disappointed in the team but in the outcome of the game. Since then, the Wildcat team, from the coaching staff to the players, has been under a microscope, every move, motive and future outcome analyzed.

Over his three full seasons with K-State, Tang has a 45-47 record. He led the Wildcats to an Elite Eight appearance during the 2022-23 season, but has not been back since, holding losing records both this season and last season.