Kansas State coach Jerome Tang showed nothing but class as his team was eliminated from the 2023 March Madness in the Sweet 16.
After the No. 3 Wildcats lost 79-76 to No. 9 Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon, Tang visited the Owls’ locker room to offer a congratulatory message.
“Your toughness, your togetherness, your ability to make plays with each other, the way you communicate with each other, nobody can beat them,” Tang told the Florida Atlantic players. “Stay together, don’t get distracted from now on. Stay locked up, keep doing what you’re doing.”
Despite not matching the tag after winning 35 regular-season games (the most in the nation) and the Conference USA Tournament, the Owls were perhaps the biggest Cinderella of the NCAA Tournament this year to advance to the Final Four.
Florida Atlantic eliminated No. 8 Memphis, No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson (who had just beaten No. 1 Purdue in the first round, just the second time in history that a No. 16 defeated a No. 1 seed) and No. 4 Tennessee Kansas Before the end of State’s run.
The Owls will face the winner of Sunday’s Elite Eight game between No. 6 Creighton and No. 5 San Diego State.
“Toughest son of a gun we played all year,” concluded Tang’s message to the Florida Atlantic locker room.
Jerome Tang sent a classy message to the Florida Atlantic team after the loss to Kansas State. Screen recording
Jerome Tang reacts to Kansas State’s March 25 loss to Florida Atlantic. AP
In his first season as coach, Tang was instrumental in Kansas State’s unlikely rise.
The Wildcats hadn’t recorded a 20-win season or finished above .500 since 2018-19, but Tang — along with Harlem star Markquis Nowell and inspirational forward Keyontae Johnson — made it one of the program’s best stories. country.
Tang, 56, got his start as a high school coach and served as an assistant coach at Baylor for nearly two decades before finally getting the chance to become head coach this year.
Florida Atlantic players celebrate after defeating Kansas State at MSG on March 25, 2023 to reach the Final Four.Robert Sabo for the NY Post
Florida Atlantic celebrates defeating Kansas State at MSG on March 25, 2023.Getty Images
Tang helped elevate Baylor to one of the top programs in the country, winning the national championship with the team in 2021.
He immediately did the same with Kansas State, achieving beyond reasonable expectations.
And in failure, it seems, he is also trying to elevate his opponents.