As the Kansas Jayhawks gear up to face in-state rival Kansas State in Saturday’s Sunflower Showdown, Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang didn’t hold back on his respect for the Jayhawks’ defensive intensity.

K-State relied heavily on freshman point guard David Castillo and junior-college transfer Mobi Ikegwuruka during a narrow loss against Texas Tech earlier this week. Tang sent a message in the process: He is ready to build for the future with young players who display maximum effort when they are on the court.

On a four-game losing streak and no road wins in a year, Jerome Tang remains upbeat ahead of K-State's Sunflower Showdown game at Kansas this weekend.

Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 16) to preview the upcoming matchup with No. 9/10 Kansas.

The Wildcats are projected as a No. 3 seed in the latest women’s basketball Bracketology from ESPN. That feels right. But K-State does have some favorable metrics. Those could help the Wildcats climb up to the No. 2 line. They rank No. 5 nationally in the NET and at Bart Torvik.

Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang says he likes the progress the Wildcats are making day-to-day despite their current four-game losing streak.