Kansas State’s first non-conference schedule under Casey Alexander is set, and it comes with a little bit of everything: a heavyweight trip to Las Vegas, a home return date with Creighton, and an in-state meeting with Wichita State in Kansas City.
The Wildcats also announced an exhibition against Missouri on Oct. 23, while their Big 12 opponents had already been revealed, with dates still to come.
Alexander’s debut season opens Nov. 3 at home against South Dakota State, the start of a slate that mixes a few manageable early tests with several games that will tell a lot about where this team stands. The Jackrabbits are coming off a 14-18 season and a first year under Bryan Peterson after Eric Henderson left for Drake. It was their first losing season since 2009.
Two games later, K-State hosts Cal State Northridge on Nov. 6. The Matadors went 20-14 and have posted winning records in each of Andy Newman’s three seasons.
The first real measuring-stick game arrives Nov. 10, when Creighton visits Bramlage Coliseum. That’s a return game after Kansas State beat the Bluejays 83-76 in Omaha last winter.
Creighton went 16-18 last season, but the program enters a new chapter with Alan Huss taking over after Greg McDermott’s offseason retirement. Huss was linked to the Kansas State opening before staying put, and this one looks like the Wildcats’ first major test.
The home stretch before Thanksgiving includes Montana on Nov. 16 and Campbell on Nov. 20.
Montana has been a model of consistency under Travis DeCuire, stringing together nine straight winning seasons and three NCAA Tournament trips. Campbell, meanwhile, begins a new era under Jimmie Williams after he spent the last four years at Division II Anderson, which earned a No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament.
Then comes the trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era 16, and that’s where the schedule really tightens up.
K-State opens the event Nov. 24 against Gonzaga, which finished 31-4 and ranked 15th in KenPom. The Bulldogs should be a top-10 team when the season starts.
The Wildcats follow on Nov. 26 with Alabama or Baylor, and that second-day matchup could bring a familiar face if it’s Baylor, where former K-State coach Jerome Tang is now the Bears’ associate head coach. On Nov. 27, the opponent will be one of Michigan, Creighton, TCU or Miami, though Michigan seems the least likely of the bunch.
After Vegas, the Wildcats head to Seton Hall on Dec. 4 for a return game after the Pirates beat K-State 78-67 in mid-December. Seton Hall went 21-12 last season and should be in the mix for an NCAA Tournament bid in Shaheen Holloway’s fifth year.
The rest of December stays at home until the Big 12 grind begins. IU Indy comes to Manhattan on Dec. 8, and that one should be a straightforward matchup after the Jaguars finished 7-25.
Wichita State follows on Dec. 11 in Kansas City, reviving the in-state rivalry. The Shockers went 24-12 and should bring a strong team after keeping much of the roster from a second-place finish in the American.
Kansas State closes the non-conference portion with Little Rock on Dec. 18, Lindenwood on Dec. 21, and Omaha on Dec.
- Little Rock dropped to eight games under .500 after back-to-back winning seasons, Lindenwood is coming off the best year in its four-season Division I run, and Omaha should serve as a final tune-up before league play begins.
In Other News...
Avery Johnson's K-State Future Just Became A Bigger Debate
Avery Johnsons senior season already carries plenty of weight for Kansas State, but a new NCAA eligibility rule has added a longer-term wrinkle to the conversation around the Wildcats quarterback. Johnson has been the full-time starter for three years, and with the chance to stretch a college career out to five seasons now on the table, the idea of what comes next has become a little less straightforward than it looked a few months ago.
For now, though, Johnson sounds like a player locked into the immediate task rather than mapping out 2027. He said he might consider the extra year if needed, but the focus remains on the upcoming season, which is where Kansas State needs him most. The broader debate can wait, even if the rule change has made it impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Just Sent A Big Early Message About This Season
Kansas States non-conference slate for the upcoming basketball season is out, and it immediately gives a clearer picture of the kind of challenge the Wildcats are choosing before league play begins. The schedule includes matchups with Missouri, Gonzaga, Seton Hall, Creighton, and an Alabama-Baylor bracket event, a lineup that should test the group early and offer plenty of chances to measure where it stands after a season that ended without an NCAA Tournament berth.
The timing matters, too, because this is the first schedule release since the program changed direction on the sideline. Casey Alexander, who arrived after his run at Belmont, is now in place on a five-year contract, and the early calendar suggests the Wildcats are not easing into his tenure. For a team trying to get back into the tournament picture, the non-conference portion already feels like a statement about the standard Kansas State wants to set. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Alexander Just Sent K-State Fans An Encouraging Message About Tradition
Casey Alexander is only beginning his run as Kansas States head coach, but he is already making a point of leaning into the programs past while he installs his own system. That has meant reconnecting with former Wildcats, a group that still carries real weight in Manhattan and can help set the tone for what comes next.
Several K-State alumni have been around campus this month practicing with Purple Reign as the group gets ready for its best-of-three TBT series. Alexander has made it clear that building the future does not mean ignoring what came before, and the way he is involving former players suggests he understands how much tradition still matters to the fan base. [Read more 🡒]