Iowa State’s victory over Kansas State on Wednesday, with a final score of 78-67, gained attention due to two apparent heated exchanges between the head coaches.
Following the game, reports started circulating in the media suggesting that the Cyclones engaged in alleged cheating during the matchup. Addressing these rumors on Saturday after a 79-75 win against No. 8 Kansas, Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger expressed his disappointment.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that after such an awesome game, an awesome environment and atmosphere, that I even have to begin by addressing something that happened earlier this week,” Otzelberger told reporters. “The ludicrous rumors earlier this week that somehow we were trying to gain an advantage looking into our opponents’ huddles is an affront to our players, our fans, and to me.”
Otzelberger then explained that the actual issue originated from a Kansas State staff member using inappropriate language towards a student manager who was attempting to mop the floor beneath the basket.
Speculation arose when Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang was observed pointing animatedly at the crowd during a timeout on Wednesday, later approaching Otzelberger at midcourt for a conversation. After the buzzer, Tang appeared visibly upset while speaking with Otzelberger again in the handshake line.
During their respective news conferences, neither coach addressed the incidents directly. “I know you saw what you saw,” Tang said, “but I’m not going to talk about it.” Otzelberger described the circumstance as a “time where things are said between coaches that need to stay that way.”
Initially, it appeared that the situation might be attributed to the behavior of Cyclones fans offending Tang or his team. However, the narrative shifted when cheating allegations surfaced on Thursday through an anonymously sourced report from the Kansas City Star.
Kansas State was reportedly concerned that Iowa State gained an unfair advantage by positioning “managers and/or other team representatives in spots behind the visiting bench where they could view, and possibly record, the Wildcats as they huddled up during timeouts.”
A similar report from the Wichita Eagle suggested the Wildcats were worried about ISU spies “quickly passing information to the Iowa State bench via text messages.”
In response to the allegations, Otzelberger unequivocally stated, “Let’s put this to bed here and now. It didn’t happen. It won’t happen. And others need to be much more careful with their words moving forward.”
Following another road loss, this time falling 74-52 to Houston on Saturday, Tang did not address the situation.
