Kansas State men’s basketball enters a make-or-break year for Jerome Tang. After opening his tenure with an Elite Eight run, the Wildcats have slipped to 19 wins, then 16 wins, and missed the NCAA Tournament two straight seasons. Now, with 10 newcomers, a new offensive coordinator in Matthew Driscoll, and All-American guard PJ Haggerty, Tang faces the challenge of regaining fan faith and steering K-State back to March Madness. We dive into every angle of this pivotal season: Tang’s Job on the Line: why patience is thin despite his $18-million buyout, and how one more missed tournament could define his tenure. Haggerty’s Star Power: the former Memphis All-American who averaged 21.7 PPG and now becomes the centerpiece of Tang’s offense. Driscoll’s High-Tempo System: imported from North Florida to fix an offense that ranked 125th in KenPom efficiency last year while the defense sat at 36th. Roster Overhaul: 10 new faces including Nate Johnson (Akron DPOY), Marcus Johnson (Bowling Green), Kamari McGriff (UNCW), Abdir Bashir (Monmouth), Serbian wing Andre Kostić (viewed as a potential one-and-done), plus returners like CJ Jones and David Castillo. Frontcourt Question Marks: Tyreek Smith’s waiver denial, limited size and rebounding depth, and who can step up inside. Schedule & Path to March: tough early tests at Creighton and Indiana, key Big 12 matchups (Kansas twice, plus TCU and West Virginia home-and-away), and the must-win non-conference games that could decide their tournament fate. Ceiling vs Floor: why K-State’s range stretches from a top-5 Big 12 seed to potentially 12th if chemistry fails — and how 20 wins (10-3 non-con + 10-8 Big 12) likely locks them into the Big Dance. Christian Rauh of Locked On Kansas State joins Andy Patton to unpack whether this roster truly has the talent and the fit to revive Kansas State basketball. 📌 Key Question: Can PJ Haggerty’s All-American scoring and Driscoll’s new-look offense reignite fan belief in Tang and end K-State’s March-Madness skid? Locked On College Conferences, Basketball & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege Follow on Twitter: https://x.com/lockedonKState Follow the show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3HhcfyjaoLGxYjsL1KmSZM More Coverage from Christian Rauh: https://blueprintsportsnetwork.com/ #KansasState #KansasStateFootball #KansasStateWildcats #NCAA #CollegeFootball Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 5-Hour ENERGY Enough with boring, flavorless caffeine, it’s time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots. Get the favorites you love or be bold and try something new in-store and online at https://www.5hourENERGY.com or Amazon today. Square To learn more, go support your favorite neighborhood spot and see what Square has been up to in your neck of the woods. And then if you have extra time, check out https://square.com/go/lockedoncollege Peloton Let yourself run, lift, flex, and push forward. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ today at https://www.onepeloton.com. Quo See why over 90,000 businesses trust Quo, formerly OpenPhone. Get started free and get 20% off your first 6 months at https://www.Quo.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. DoorDash With DoorDash Streaks, you save every Saturday you order — stack it up all season and you could save up to $250. Order this Saturday. Keep the streak alive. Fuel your gameday — only with DoorDash. Terms apply. Promo period through 11/18. Mazda It’s the small details that make the big plays. And just like there’s more to every player, there’s more to a Mazda vehicle. Mazda. Move and Be Moved. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Big 12 Conference: Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Baylor Bears, BYU Cougars, UCF Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes, Houston Cougars, Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Utah Utes, West Virginia Mountaineers