Big 12 shake-ups

Good morning. Kansas State fired coach Jerome Tang on Sunday night, just days after a viral rant from a 29-point home loss to Cincinnati. It’s reportedly for cause, which would preclude the school from paying Tang’s $18.7 million buyout, but a separate report indicated Tang and the school were finalizing exit terms. Matt Driscoll will be the interim coach while the school searches for its next coach.

“Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”

The Wildcats are 10-15 this season and 1-12 in the Big 12, and will likely finish below .500 for the second-straight seasons despite having one of the sport’s largest NIL payrolls.

Let’s get to the rest of the weekend’s news, including plenty more from the Big 12.

1. Arizona’s loss tightens up Big 12 race

The Big 12 race is not for the faint of heart.

No. 16 Texas Tech got a massive game from junior big man JT Toppin (31 points on 13-of-22 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block) and upset No. 1 Arizona, 78-75 in overtime on Saturday night. It was the second-straight loss for the Wildcats (23-2, 10-2 in Big 12), who suffered their first loss of the season last Monday at Kansas.

After starting the season 23-0, it’s now 1 game back of Houston (a 78-64 winner over K-State) for the regular-season title. Five teams are within two games of first.

Part of Arizona’s issues was it played without starting forward Koa Peat for the entire second half due to a lower body injury. Arizona didn’t say how extensive the injury was, but not having their second-leading scorer was an issue.

“Grant is a chess player, and I’m more of a checkers player,” coach Tommy Lloyd joked. “I play checkers where you can double’ up and kinda overwhelm people. That’s being tested right now with where we’re at physically, and [Texas Tech] did a great job.”

That it did. The Red Raiders (19-6, 9-3) trailed by 7 points with 3:29 remaining, but relied on Toppin for baskets to force OT, then more of the same in the extra period — not to mention an assist on a key Donovan Atwell 3-pointer.

“In this league you better bring your best every night, literally every game, and that’s what makes you better,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “That’s what prepares you for March and April.”

Iowa State can attest to that. The No. 5 Cyclones hammered No. 9 Kansas, 74-56, on Saturday and rebounded from their worst outing of the season earlier in the week. Kansas (19-6, 9-3) had won eight in a row, but were held to just 31.6% shooting and 0.88 points per possession, its worst offensive game of the season.

It was a complete performance from Iowa State (22-3, 9-3), which had five players in double figures and shook off a slow start — it needed seven minutes to score four points — and essentially reversed roles from its loss earlier this season at Kansas.

Not that it gets any easier for Iowa State. It hosts Houston tonight.

2. BYU loses Saunders to season-ending injury

BYU’s bad injury luck got even worse on Sunday. Senior forward Richie Saunders suffered a lower-leg injury in the opening seconds of its 90-86 OT win vs. Colorado on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours later, Saunders and the school announced that he tore his ACL and won’t return this season. He’s been a program stalwart, appearing in 128 games over four seasons and scoring more than 1,500 career points. He was the Big 12’s Most Improved Player last season, and was the Cougars’ second-leading scorer this season, averaging 18 ppg and shooting 37.6% from deep.

“To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking,” he wrote. “I’ve loved every moment and every challenge that came with representing the school I love. These past four years have shaped who I am — on and off the court. Cougar Nation, thank you.”

Saunders was the fourth players to suffer a season-ending this season for BYU, which also includes senior guard Dawson Baker.

In Saunders’ absence Saturday, sophomore point guard Rob Wright III delivered a career-high 39 points. The Cougars (19-6, 7-5) will need even more from him and freshman AJ Dybantsa to have any chance of earning a top 4 seed.

They’re at Arizona on Wednesday, then host Iowa State on Saturday.

3. Fallout from St. John’s-Providence fracas

No. 17 St. John’s got a big road win on Saturday, but it only came after a hard foul and a fight that resulted in six ejections, and some extra missed games for the Friar that started it.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.