Kansas State coach Jerome Tang may not be happy about the way his team is playing, but he could not be more pleased with his team in general.

The Wildcats (10-12, 1-8 Big 12) are on a three-game losing streak after a 95-61 shellacking at the hands of then-No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday.

They will try to get back on track Saturday when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas to take on TCU (13-9, 3-6) in a Big 12 matchup.

Tang is under pressure as the Wildcats face a third straight season of not making the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas State won 26 games and reached the Elite Eight in Tang’s first season four years ago, but have only won 45 games since.

Sunday was the latest painful game for Wildcats fans as the Cyclones went on runs of 22-4 and 13-0 in the first half to build a 29-point halftime lead.

The Wildcats, who played a fourth straight game with three starters out because of injury, cut the lead to 54-31 with 16:30 left, but Iowa State kicked the door open again with an 11-2 spurt.

Still, Tang could do nothing but praise his team.

“I’m not disappointed at all,” he said. “I’m with these dudes every single day and I know everything they are going through and y’all don’t. So I was proud of our guys, especially in the second half.”

P.J. Haggerty continues to lead the Wildcats with 23 points per game, and Abdi Bashir Jr. has 13.2.

The Horned Frogs are struggling as well, having lost two straight after an 87-61 defeat to Colorado on Sunday.

TCU failed to score for 7:23 in the first half and the Buffaloes went on a 12-0 run to lead 34-21. The Horned Frogs were behind by double digits the rest of the way.

“I have to look at myself and figure out how I can bring us out more early,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “There is not a lot positive we can take out of this game. We were a step slow on everything we did.”

David Punch leads the Horned Frogs with 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Xavier Edmonds is scoring 12 points a game and pulling down 5.6 rebounds.

–Field Level Media

Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was found guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators looking into an illegal bookmaking operation on Friday in a verdict delivered in Los Angeles.

Puig, 35, faces up to 15 years in federal prison after the completion of the 12-day trial. Sentencing is slated for May 26. Puig was released on bond Friday.

According to prosecutors, Puig accumulated $282,900 in gambling losses between May and June 2019 through an associate in a business run by former minor league pitcher Wayne Nix. The prosecutors allege that Puig sent Nix $200,000 to offset a portion of the losses the ballplayer accumulated in just a few weeks.

Puig then placed an additional 899 wagers on sporting events — excluding baseball — between July and September 2019. Puig made many of his bets at major league ballparks before or after games. His gambling debt eventually reached nearly $1 million, which he was unable to pay.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigators questioned Puig about his involvement in the gambling operation in January 2022. They allege Puig provided false statements to them on multiple occasions.

Puig initially reached a deal with prosecutors in August 2022 to close the case, agreeing to plead guilty to one count of lying to federal investigators. It likely would have meant probation and a fine. Instead, he chose to withdraw from the agreement in November.

During the trial, Puig’s defense stated he tried to cooperate fully, but the government refused to listen to his answers. Defense lawyers also said interpreters struggled to understand Puig’s Spanish dialect.

Puig’s defense said he is dealing with cognitive issues — including post-traumatic stress disorder — which impacted his ability to understand the line of questioning.

Puig’s bets were placed on tennis, football and basketball.

Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal sports gambling business and one count of filing a false tax return. Nix is expected to be sentenced later this year.

Puig batted .277 with 132 homers and 415 RBIs in 861 games over seven seasons with the Dodgers (2013-18), Cincinnati Reds (2019) and Cleveland (2019). He was runner-up for National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 and was an NL All-Star in 2014.

–Field Level Media

Providence coach Kim English hopes that, finally, his team has another win it can build off in Big East play.

After making an improbable comeback to beat Butler 97-87 in double overtime on Wednesday, the Friars (10-13, 3-9 Big East) go for back-to-back home wins on Saturday against DePaul.

It was a win that Providence surely needed. A career-high 36-point, six-rebound performance from Jaylin Sellers led the way as the Friars came back from a seven-point deficit in the second half and ultimately snapped a four-game losing skid.

“We’ve had some very, very tough locker rooms after games this season. I’m not sure I’ve had the words to say to the guys a lot of the time with the ways we’ve lost,” English said after Wednesday’s game. “It feels good to be on the other side of it for them, a lot more than me.”

Providence was 0-4 in overtime games before Wednesday. Incredibly, both of the Friars’ meetings with Butler needed two extra periods.

DePaul (12-11, 4-8) has dropped three in a row, but a solid defensive effort Tuesday in a 68-56 loss to No. 22 St. John’s was admirable.

DePaul’s opponents have scored less than 70 points per game four times in Big East play, with the Johnnies netting a season-low 29 in the first half earlier this week.

“This is a tough, tough business for all of us,” DePaul coach Chris Holtmann said. “So, if you’re not tough and tough-minded, you’re going to struggle. I think we got a group that (is) going to respond well.”

The Friars, who have averaged a conference-best 87 per game, will play DePaul in two of their next four games.

DePaul has gotten strong play out of Layden Blocker recently, as he has scored in double figures in each of the last seven games. Providence freshman Stefan Vaaks has done the same in every game this season.

Blocker scored 13 points with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks against St. John’s.

–Field Level Media