The season for the Kansas State men’s basketball team was full of highs and lows, including the sudden firing of former head coach Jerome Tang. After going on a six-game losing streak, Tang was frustrated with the performance of his team, leading him to make negative comments after matchups against Cincinnati and Houston in mid February.
As the Kansas State men’s basketball team traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, for Big 12 Tournament play, the Wildcats came in as the No. 15 seed, competing against No. 10 BYU. During their last encounter on Jan. 3, the Cougars defeated the ‘Cats 83-73 in a physical battle.
The Kansas State Wildcats turned heads and brought upsets throughout their first three games of the Big 12 Tournament before facing off against the No. 1 seed TCU Horned Frogs in the semifinals.
As the number 12 seed, the Kansas State Wildcats went into the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament hungry and ready to compete. During the opening round, the Wildcats matched up against the 13-seed Cincinnati Bearcats and took the expected win, 91-66. Setting the tone for the tournament, K-State broke the Big 12 Tournament single-game record for three-pointers, along with the school record, with 17 made threes.
