Kansas State’s preseason picture got a little clearer Monday, and the Wildcats will get an early test against a familiar regional name.
The school announced it will face Nebraska in an exhibition game on Oct. 26 at Eihusen Arena inside the BigIron Events Center in Grand Island, Neb. The site sits about 90 minutes west of Lincoln and 3 hours, 30 minutes north of Manhattan, a setup that figures to draw plenty of interest from both fan bases. It will also be the first exhibition meeting between the two schools.
That matchup is part of the first stretch of the Casey Alexander era at Kansas State. Alexander is entering his first season after finding success at Belmont, and he inherits a roster that has been completely turned over. Sophomore guard Andrej Kostic is the lone returning player as the Wildcats try to move on from three straight losing seasons under former coach Jerome Tang, who was fired in the spring.
Kansas State’s non-conference slate now includes a busy opening run, starting with an exhibition against Missouri on Oct. 23 before the Nebraska date three days later. The full schedule runs through late December and features South Dakota State on Nov.
3, Cal State Northridge on Nov. 6, Creighton on Nov.
10, Montana on Nov. 16, Campbell on Nov.
20, Gonzaga on Nov. 24, a three-day event that includes Alabama/Baylor on Nov. 26, a TBD opponent on Nov. 27 and a championship game on Nov. 28.
The Wildcats also have road and home dates with Seton Hall on Dec. 4, IU-Indy on Dec.
8, Wichita State on Dec. 11, Little Rock on Dec. 18 and Lindenwood on Dec.
With so many new faces, Alexander’s biggest challenge is getting everyone aligned quickly once practice ramps up. Two transfers who already know each other could help ease that process: Brandon Rechsteiner and Jaren Schutt.
Rechsteiner and Schutt were teammates at Virginia Tech for one season in 2024, and both saw playing time before moving on. Rechsteiner spent last season at Colorado State before transferring to Kansas State, a move tied in part to his previous relationship with Alexander from high school. Schutt joined him in Manhattan because it gave him a chance to play closer to home; he is from Illinois.
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