Kansas State basketball is back, and the Wildcats are putting their brand-new look on display for the first time in public tonight at Bramlage Coliseum against old Big 12 foe Missouri.
It’s a near-total overhaul in Manhattan. Andrej Kostic is the only returner from last season’s 12-20 team, which finished with the firing of Jerome Tang. Everything else has changed - the roster, the staff, even the feel around the program.
Casey Alexander, hired away from Belmont to steer the rebuild, brings a track record that includes a 26-6 finish in his final season there and a first-place regular-season run in the Missouri Valley Conference. Belmont fell to Drake in the conference tournament quarterfinals, but Alexander’s group still had a realistic NCAA Tournament path before he had already announced he was leaving.
At K-State, Alexander has built almost everything from scratch. He wasn’t able to bring any of his former Belmont players with him, but he did land both of his top high school recruits and assembled a roster with a solid base of high-major experience.
Still, don’t expect the full playbook tonight. Alexander has already called this a very “vanilla” game, and Missouri brings back a deep group while also adding McDonald’s All-Americans. For Kansas State, the best-case scenario may simply be keeping things respectable and avoiding a lopsided score.
Even so, it’s the first chance to see what this new era might look like.
Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT at Bramlage Coliseum.
The game will air on ESPN+ with Ben Boyle on play-by-play, Stan Weber as analyst, and Laci Lister reporting. It can also be heard on portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson and Bob Chipman on the call.
Online coverage is available at K-Statesports.com and through the Varsity Network app, with live stats at k-statesports.com and updates on social media from @KStateMBB.
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Faces A Huge Avery Johnson Concern
Avery Johnsons status suddenly turned into the biggest pregame storyline for Kansas State after he landed on the Wildcats Friday availability report as doubtful ahead of the matchup with Arizona State. The quarterback had briefly left the previous game after a run, then came back and finished without any obvious sign of trouble, so the late-week designation caught plenty of attention around a team that has built its offense around his presence.
If Johnson cant go, Kansas State would be forced to turn to backup Jacob Knuth, a situation that changes both the game plan and the pressure on the rest of the offense. For a Wildcats team trying to keep momentum against a tough Big 12 opponent, the final decision on Johnson looms as one of the most important developments of the week. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Suddenly Has A Bigger Question Than Arizona State
Avery Johnsons status has become the biggest storyline for Kansas State heading into its matchup with Arizona State, and the latest injury report did little to clear things up. The Wildcats quarterback is still listed as doubtful after briefly leaving the previous game with an injury before returning to finish it, leaving the staff to keep one eye on preparation and another on the final availability report still to come.
If Johnson cant go, Jacob Knuth would be in line to start, which changes the shape of the game plan well before kickoff. For a Kansas State team trying to stay on schedule in a key conference test, the uncertainty at quarterback now looms larger than the opponent across the field. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Walks Into A Dangerous Road Spot At Arizona State
Kansas State heads into a tricky road test at Arizona State on Sept. 26, with both teams sitting at 1-2 in Big 12 play and looking to keep from slipping further in the standings. The Wildcats will see a Sun Devils team that is still searching for traction under Kenny Dillingham, and the change at quarterback from Cutter Boley to Mikey Keene adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already has plenty on the line.
Mountain America Stadium figures to have the kind of atmosphere that can make a September trip uncomfortable, and the game-day details only add to the feel of a real crossroads spot for Kansas State. Between the ticket buzz and the forecast for Tempe, this one has the ingredients of a road game that asks plenty of a team still trying to steady itself in conference play. [Read more 🡒]