Jerome Tang may have been disappointed after his Kansas State Wildcats’ season came to an end on Saturday, but that didn’t prevent the head coach from showing true class in defeat.
Kansas State lost to the Florida Atlantic 79-76 in the finals of the East Region on Saturday, with the Owls moving on to their first-ever Final Four. After the defeat, Tang walked to FAU's locker room and delivered a stirring speech.
Tang praised his opponent and told them he would be rooting for them in the Final Four.
“Your toughness, your togetherness, your ability to make plays for each other … the way you communicate with each other, nobody can beat y’all," Tang said.
"So just stay together — don’t get distracted between now and then. Stay locked in. Keep doing what you doing. Y’all are the toughest son-of-a-guns we played all year long."
As for the on-court machinations upcoming, FAU will face the winner of Sunday's Creighton-San Diego State game when the Final Four gets underway next weekend. On the other side of the bracket, UConn awaits the winner of Miami's showdown with Texas.
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