Kansas State nearly erased a 22-point hole Wednesday night, but the Wildcats fell 79-70 to the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center – and the moment that nearly changed everything started with a simple comment.
Down 18 points early in the second half, Kansas State guard C.J. Jones said something that prompted interim head coach Matthew Driscoll to get up and leave the huddle.
Matthew Driscoll explains why he left the huddle after C.J. Jones’ comment
The Buffaloes opened the second half scoring 17 unanswered points, quickly stretching the margin back to one of its largest of the night. After Kansas State let a seven-point deficit grow back to 18, Driscoll looked at his team and warned, “this thing’s about ready to get ugly.”
A lot has been made today about Matthew Driscoll's press conference last night. Here's something that stood out to me.
— Jason Kinander (@WIBWJason) February 26, 2026
Colorado took a huge lead. Driscoll said the game was getting ugly. CJ Jones disagreed. Driscoll left the huddle.
The Wildcats went on to cut the deficit to 7. pic.twitter.com/cXOhWpZldE
He wasn’t wrong — but he underestimated his team’s response. During a media timeout, Jones weighed in.
“[Jones] said to me, ‘coach, we’re turning this thing around,’” Driscoll said. “And I said really, you think you are? By the way, we just cut it to seven with the ball to begin the half, and we let them get back up 18.”
Jones didn’t flinch. His response to that observation appeared to send Driscoll over the edge. According to Driscoll, that was enough. He got up and walked away from the huddle.
“I said, ‘so you think we’re going to get stops and we’re going to turn this around?’ And he said, ‘I know we are.’”
The next thing the crowd saw was a different Kansas State team. The Wildcats chipped away at the deficit, eventually cutting the lead to a single possession and forcing Colorado to sweat out what had once looked like a runaway.
Driscoll’s choice felt like trust, not tension
The tone of Driscoll’s retelling could easily be taken out of context. On the surface, it sounded heated, like an interim head coach challenging one of his guards in the middle of a downward spiral. But that wasn’t the case.
If anything, it was belief and accountability. Driscoll challenged Jones, Jones doubled down, and the Wildcats responded. It wasn’t malicious. It was leadership.
Kansas State had been on the opposite end of a similar avalanche earlier this season, including a 29-point loss at home to Cincinnati. That one was “embarrassing.” This one felt different. Too little, too late — but different.
Where Kansas State goes from here
The Wildcats return home for another conference matchup, this time against the TCU Horned Frogs. At this stage, wins won’t change the big picture much beyond conference positioning and avoiding the bottom of the Big 12 standings.
But if Wednesday proved anything, it’s that belief and accountability still exists inside the locker room.
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