Kansas State's bad NIL investment on display during ugly start in loss to Kansas

Kansas State probably didn't have this in mind when it spent millions in name, image and likeness deals.

The Wildcats added another insulting chapter to its difficult 2024-25 season on Saturday, falling into an early hole on the road against in-state rival Kansas and never recovering in an 84-74 loss.

Associated Press No. 9 Kansas (13-4, 4-2 in Big 12) jumped out to a 14-0 lead four minutes into the game. Kansas State (7-10, 1-5 in Big 12) began 0-of-7 from the court, not scoring its first field goal until the 15:30 mark of the first half.

Despite making the game more competitive in the second half, Kansas State's defense struggled, allowing Kansas to shoot 68.2 percent (15-of-22), never putting its lead in jeopardy.

The most recent defeat continues a terrible season for Kansas State and head coach Jerome Tang.

The Wildcats have been under immense pressure as the losses mount after the program spent considerable resources on the roster this offseason. 

As The Wichita Eagle's Kellis Robinett wrote, "Tang and the Wildcats constructed their current roster with a large NIL budget. They hoped to win a national championship with those resources."

In June, CBS Sports men's college basketball insider Matt Norlander reported that 6-foot-10, fifth-year senior guard Coleman Hawkins, a transfer from Illinois, received an estimated $2 million to join Kansas State.

The Wildcats also added former Samford power forward Achor Achor, who was dismissed from the program in December, and four-star high-school recruit and former Kentucky center Ugonna Onyenso, among others.

Tang has been critical of the backlash his team has received, but he should have had the foresight to see some of his team's shortcomings.

"They're trying to put into just a few months what some of the teams have multiple years to do," he said in December, via The Wichita Eagle.

He also rebuked those who criticize players for earning NIL funds, including an unnamed TV commentator who suggested "a certain player was getting paid too much money to miss a certain shot," per Robinnett.

While he has a point about how his players shouldn't be targeted because they're rightfully being paid, his criticism isn't entirely accurate. Teams with massive payrolls are constantly derided when they fall short of expectations.

For example, in April 2024, sports personality Dan Patrick criticized the Warriors for failing to make the playoffs after entering the season with the NBA's highest payroll.

"Nobody spends more money than Golden State, but you didn't get your money's worth for a 10-seed that's now out of the playoffs," Patrick said.

The Wildcats put a spotlight on themselves when they went out and spent millions on their roster. But Kansas State's struggles aren't an indictment of the pay-for-play era of college athletics. However, it is a reminder that simply spending a bunch of money isn't a ticket to success.