Kansas basketball coach Bill Self criticizes unsportsmanlike postgame conduct by K-State, Jerome Tang

The Kansas Jayhawks and K-State Wildcats have been rivals for more than a century. Naturally, players and coaches often have disdain for each other — look no further than the massive brawl between the two teams in 2020. It goes without saying that there is no love lost between these programs.

When K-State head coach Jerome Tang defeated Kansas in an overtime thriller in his inaugural season in Manhattan, he jumped on the scorer's table to give a speech and obnoxiously started chanting "KSU". The Jayhawks and coach Bill Self handled it with grace. When the Wildcats upset their rivals for the second year in a row last month, all the Jayhawk players and coaches stayed behind to partake in a respectful handshake line.

But in KU's 90-68 victory in the Sunflower Showdown yesterday, things were a bit different. The handshake line between the two teams was not as respectful as it was when Kansas was on the losing end, and Coach Self was not afraid to hold back in his postgame press conference.

When asked about the interaction between him and Tang, the two-time national champion didn't sound pleased with his behavior. "No, no, he just didn't shake hands. He just did a fly-by. It's fine," Self said backhandedly.

"I will say this. When we got our a** kicked there, we shook everyone's hand and did a handshake line and all that stuff," he continued. "So I guess it was different here today." Even if Self did not specifically call Tang a bad sport, he definitely implied something along those lines with his remarks.

Self has been in Lawrence for two decades, and Tang is wrapping up his second season at K-State. Time will tell whether the longtime Baylor assistant becomes the permanent face of the Wildcats' basketball program, but the spark between him and Self could add another interesting dynamic to an already heated rivalry if they meet in the Big 12 Tournament.

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