The Kansas State Wildcats (10-15, 1-11 Big 12) dropped their 15th game of the season, and the 11th in conference play on Saturday afternoon, falling 78-64 to the No. 3 Houston Cougars.
On paper, it just looks like another tally in a loss column that’s already grown out of control, but for K-State head coach Jerome Tang, it was a step in the right direction.
Pregame predictions miss the mark on Wildcats' total point spread
Ahead of tipoff, the Cougars (23-2, 11-1 Big 12) were favored to win this one by over 90% with a point spread set at 22.5 points. Only one of those predictions proved true after the conclusion of Saturday’s matchup.
That 22.5-point spread looked more like 14 at the final horn. Against Cincinnati, K-State was a 2.5-point underdog in a game it lost by 29 points. Talk about a drastic improvement, and against the No. 3 team in the nation nonetheless.
The same rings true from earlier in the year. During the nonconference slate against Louisiana-Monroe, the Wildcats failed to cover a double-digit spread, winning by only eight points.
If this is a trend that decides to continue, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, and a positive outlook to the 2026-27 season at the very least.
Haggerty puts on another strong showing, three players finish in double figures
K-State starting point guard PJ Haggerty scored 23 points from the floor, playing all 40 minutes of action and finishing as one of three players to finish the game with 10 points or more.
The Memphis transfer led the team’s scoring for the 14th straight game and scored 20 or more for the fourth time in five games.
Nate Johnson ended the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Taj Manning with 10 points, three assists and two steals.
Haggerty still carried the majority of the point totals, but didn’t look like the stand-alone starter in that category. Again, another win for Tang and the Wildcats.
Strong showing in second half kept things competitive
K-State entered the break trailing 33‑19, just 14 points behind after opening the game on a 9‑2 run in the first 6:01. What started as a defensive, low‑scoring first half exploded into a 45‑point second half for both teams.
Yes, K-State went toe-to-toe with the No. 3 team in the nation, matching the Cougars’ scoring in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats shot just 20.8% from the floor in the first half, more than doubling that number to over 45% in the second.
It was also the first time in three games that the Wildcats scored more than 40 points in a single half of play.
Those numbers don’t read like a team that stopped playing down the stretch. If they did, it’s likely the score would have been much different than the final result.
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