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MANHATTAN — You know that neuralyzer device from the Men in Black movies that erases memories when you look into the flash? Kansas State sports fans might be in search of one of those in order to forget what was a wild 2025-26 athletics season.
It was one to forget, but everyone who went through it will never forget. From the strangest stretch of postgame press conferences you'll ever see to disappointing results on the respective playing surfaces, these memories will never fade.
We went back and ranked the 10 worst of the 2025-26 season, so you don't have to. Spoiler alert, there is plenty of men's basketball in here.
The Wildcats had a two-touchdown lead around the midway point of the fourth quarter before the Bears went 82 yards in three plays to cut the Wildcats' lead to six. After that, Avery Johnson threw a pick-six that gave the Bears the lead. Even after K-State regained the lead, Baylor answered with a 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to beat the Wildcats and drop them to 2-4.
The most promising player on the women's basketball team's young roster decided to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season. A former five-star prospect, Speiser showed why she was held in such high regard out of high school more as the season went on. She will continue her career at Oklahoma.
The Cats started 5-0, then lost a thriller to Nebraska before dropping a road game at Indiana. Those losses were forgivable, but an 82-66 loss to Bowling Green at Bramlage Coliseum was a sign of what was to come throughout a train wreck of a basketball season.
Of the Wildcats' 26 regular-season losses, they held leads in the seventh inning or later in 12 of them. Injuries and pitching derailed a team that had enough offensive power to contend for a Regional.
After Dylan Edwards went out hurt following a muffed punt on his first touch of the season, no one ever knew whether he would play or not. He had one good performance against UCF, but was largely a non-factor until he left the team in early November. This was all really weird, and now he's transferred to Kansas, adding a bit more fuel to the rivalry.
This was one of the more lethargic efforts you'll ever see on a basketball court, with K-State losing 95-61 at home and on national television. Jerome Tang said after the game that he was proud of his players, but that outside circumstances might have played a role in how it all went down. Still, this was about as bad as it gets.
Postgame press conferences became bigger stories than the games most nights during the men's basketball season, whether it was Tang complaining about NCAA rules or Matthew Driscoll praising Tang after he was fired, when no one was even asking about the coach.
Remember, the Wildcats were within four points with 7:52 left in the game, but lost 86-62 to the Jayhawks at Bramlage Coliseum. This led players to admit they had quit, while the Jayhawks danced and mocked the Wildcats on their home floor.
Losing to Iowa State in Ireland was forgivable. A narrow win over North Dakota the next week raised eyebrows. Losing to Army told everyone that the Wildcats were in for a long season. This was bad.
Could it be anything else? Tang's postgame tirade after K-State's loss to Cincinnati was used as grounds to fire him for cause. "These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform," Tang exclaimed about his team as students in the crowd wore paper bags over their heads. It would be hard to get lower than where Kansas State was on this night.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State sports' 10 worst moments of 2025-26 features Jerome Tang
Continue reading...
It was one to forget, but everyone who went through it will never forget. From the strangest stretch of postgame press conferences you'll ever see to disappointing results on the respective playing surfaces, these memories will never fade.
We went back and ranked the 10 worst of the 2025-26 season, so you don't have to. Spoiler alert, there is plenty of men's basketball in here.
10. K-State football's collapse at Baylor
The Wildcats had a two-touchdown lead around the midway point of the fourth quarter before the Bears went 82 yards in three plays to cut the Wildcats' lead to six. After that, Avery Johnson threw a pick-six that gave the Bears the lead. Even after K-State regained the lead, Baylor answered with a 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to beat the Wildcats and drop them to 2-4.
9. Jordan Speiser left Kansas State women's basketball
The most promising player on the women's basketball team's young roster decided to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season. A former five-star prospect, Speiser showed why she was held in such high regard out of high school more as the season went on. She will continue her career at Oklahoma.
8. Kansas State basketball lost to Bowling Green
The Cats started 5-0, then lost a thriller to Nebraska before dropping a road game at Indiana. Those losses were forgivable, but an 82-66 loss to Bowling Green at Bramlage Coliseum was a sign of what was to come throughout a train wreck of a basketball season.
7. Kansas State baseball blew way too many leads
Of the Wildcats' 26 regular-season losses, they held leads in the seventh inning or later in 12 of them. Injuries and pitching derailed a team that had enough offensive power to contend for a Regional.
6. The whole Dylan Edwards saga
After Dylan Edwards went out hurt following a muffed punt on his first touch of the season, no one ever knew whether he would play or not. He had one good performance against UCF, but was largely a non-factor until he left the team in early November. This was all really weird, and now he's transferred to Kansas, adding a bit more fuel to the rivalry.
5. Kansas State basketball's performance vs Iowa State
This was one of the more lethargic efforts you'll ever see on a basketball court, with K-State losing 95-61 at home and on national television. Jerome Tang said after the game that he was proud of his players, but that outside circumstances might have played a role in how it all went down. Still, this was about as bad as it gets.
4. Jerome Tang, Matthew Driscoll postgame press conferences
Postgame press conferences became bigger stories than the games most nights during the men's basketball season, whether it was Tang complaining about NCAA rules or Matthew Driscoll praising Tang after he was fired, when no one was even asking about the coach.
3. Kansas State basketball's home embarrassment vs Kansas
Remember, the Wildcats were within four points with 7:52 left in the game, but lost 86-62 to the Jayhawks at Bramlage Coliseum. This led players to admit they had quit, while the Jayhawks danced and mocked the Wildcats on their home floor.
2. Kansas State football was shocked by Army
Losing to Iowa State in Ireland was forgivable. A narrow win over North Dakota the next week raised eyebrows. Losing to Army told everyone that the Wildcats were in for a long season. This was bad.
1. Jerome Tang's meltdown after losing to Cincinnati
Could it be anything else? Tang's postgame tirade after K-State's loss to Cincinnati was used as grounds to fire him for cause. "These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform," Tang exclaimed about his team as students in the crowd wore paper bags over their heads. It would be hard to get lower than where Kansas State was on this night.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State sports' 10 worst moments of 2025-26 features Jerome Tang
Continue reading...
