Coleman Hawkins drops his verdict on controversial Michigan State incident that cost Tom Izzo's team a shot at Big 10 conference title
Kansas State forward Coleman Hawkins gave his verdict on the last-second non-call that handed No. 18 Wisconsin a 77-74 win over No. 7 Michigan State in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 player dropped a five-word statement on the referee's decision not to call a foul on Wisconsin guard John Tonje, who attempted to strip the ball off the hands of the on-rushing Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr at mid-court.
"That's not a foul lol," Hawkins reacted on the Bleacher Report reel that was posted on Instagram.
No foul was called and this gave the Badgers (26-8) a ticket to the Big Ten Tournament final where they'll face Michigan (24-9) on Sunday. The Wolverines edged Maryland (25-8) 81-80 in the other semifinal game on Saturday.
Although Michigan State (27-6), the 2025 Big Ten Conference regular season champions, failed to secure a Big Ten double, it still has a strong chance of getting picked as an at-large team in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The selection committee will announce the teams that will complete the tournament bracket on Selection Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
Coleman Hawkins apologizes for getting overly emotional after loss to Baylor
Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins apologized for crying after the Wildcats' 70-56 loss to Baylor (19-14) in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.
Hawkins, who played for four seasons with Illinois before transferring to K-State, explained he was emotionally affected by the failure to help his teammates win the tournament, which could've given the team an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament despite having a mediocre record in the regular season.
"These guys haven't experienced some of the things I've experienced," Hawkins said per Sports Illustrated. "I really wanted to come in and impact the program. I'm sorry for crying, but f*** this s*** hurts."
The fifth-year player, who averaged 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 30 games this season, has high hopes for K-State coach Jerome Tang and believes that the 58-year-old Trinidadian bench tactician will lead the Wildcats to the national championship game.
"He promised that moving forward he's going to win a National Championship and he knows that this is the right place to be," Hawkins said.
Kansas State had an up-and-down start in the non-conference regular season, going 6-5. After winning its first Big 12 game against Cincinnati, the Wildcats lost six straight, which proved costly to their campaign. Though they bounced back by winning six straight, they went 2-5 in the last seven games to drop to the No. 10 seed in the Big 12 Tournament with a 15-16 record.
Hawkins' efforts didn't go to waste, as he was named in the All-Big 12 Third Team along with Houston's Joseph Tugler, Kansas' Zeke Mayo and Iowa State duo Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey.