Melvin Council mocks Jerome Tang's dance following win over Kansas State

Without freshman superstar Darryn Peterson in the lineup, No. 19 Kansas dominated rival Kansas State 86-62 Saturday night in the latest edition of the Sunflower Showdown. The Jayhawks led by just two points at the break, but outscored the Wildcats 49-27 in a dominant second half.

As the second half came to a close, Kansas senior guard Melvin Council Jr. mocked Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang‘s ‘Wabash’ dance. Following every Kansas State home win, Tang hops into the crowd and dances with the crowd.

Council Jr, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 assists in the win, began to dance with seven seconds remaining in the game. He then lingered around Tang in the handshake line before being pulled away by teammate Jamari McDowell.

Melvin Council mocking the dance Jerome Tang does with the fans after they win 😭😭

I hope a reporter asks Tang about that after the game lol pic.twitter.com/GwScfOWFyP

— Cade Thompson (@Cade4ISU) January 25, 2026

With the win, Kansas improved to 8-2 without Peterson in the lineup. With Peterson in the lineup, the Jayhawks are 7-3. The Canton, OH native, who is projected to be one of the top selections in the 2026 NBA Draft, is averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Kansas, led by Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Self, has now won 11 of the last 15 meetings against Kansas State.

Bill Self returned to sideline for Kansas Saturday night after health scare

Self returned to the sideline Saturday night after missing the previous game after being hospitalized on Monday. The move came “out of an abundance of caution” after Self reportedly was experiencing chest pains, according to an EMS call released by Wichita’s KWCH-12 in a since-deleted tweet. He discussed how he was feeling prior to tip-off Saturday night.

“I feel great and I think you’re exaggerating right off the bat,” Self said when asked about his health. “Don’t think it was that big a deal. I do feel good. I had an AFib episode, which I didn’t even know I actually had. So that’s good to find that out.”

Kansas played just seven players in the win, with five of them scoring in double figures. Sophomore forward Flory Bidunga led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, followed by sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson‘s 19 points and five rebounds, Council Jr’s 17 and 12, and freshman forward Bryson Tiller‘s 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Jayhawks improved to 15-5 (5-2) with the win, while Kansas State fell to 10-10 (1-6) with the loss. Kansas has won five of its last six games, while its rival has lost six of its last seven games.