Kansas State’s Casey Alexander isn’t pretending first-year life in Manhattan comes with easy answers. He’s walking into a Big 12 job that demands a full reset, and he knows the calendar is not going to do him any favors.
Alexander, who replaced the fired Jerome Tang in the spring, inherits a roster that looks dramatically different and a program that has to be rebuilt while he gets used to a new setting. It’s a big jump from a mid-major to one of the toughest leagues in the country, and Alexander has been upfront about what that means in year one.
When asked about the NCAA Tournament, he didn’t try to sell a dream he isn’t ready to promise.
"It's not so much this year because it's year one or this team or anything like that," Alexander said. "It's just NCAA Tournament.
It's not an easy, not an easy accomplishment. And this league is a really tough league, and it's important to stay healthy.
It's important to not let a game or two losing streaks turn into a four or five game losing streaks."
That’s the tone he’s setting: realistic, measured, and focused on building something that can last. The early signs, at least in his eyes, are encouraging.
Alexander said he’s already begun making recruiting inroads in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, part of the groundwork he needs to lay as he takes over the program.
He also made it clear he isn’t looking at this roster with skepticism. He likes the pieces he has and believes the group has a chance to compete in a way that fits his style.
"But I believe in this team," Alexander said. "I wouldn't mention that.
It's not fool's gold. I think that we have good pieces.
I think that we're a really smart team. I think we'll play really hard.
I think we'll play really well together. And I think that's a good formula for winning.
It always has been for us. And I think this team can do that."
Kansas State’s Big 12 slate is loaded from top to bottom, starting Jan. 2 at Baylor and running through a final stretch that includes trips to Cincinnati and Kansas. The Wildcats will also host Houston, Arizona, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Cincinnati, with road games at West Virginia, Arizona State, Iowa State, Utah, BYU and Central Florida.
The full conference schedule: Jan. 2 at Baylor Bears, TBD
Jan. 5 vs. Houston Cougars, TBD
Jan. 9 vs. Arizona Wildcats, TBD
Jan. 12 at West Virginia Mountaineers, TBD
Jan. 16 vs. Texas Christian Horned Frogs, TBD
Jan. 19 at Arizona State Sun Devils, TBD
Jan. 23 vs. Kansas Jayhawks, TBD
Jan. 30 at Iowa State Cyclones, TBD
Feb. 3 vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys, TBD
Feb. 6 vs. Colorado Buffaloes, TBD
Feb. 10 at Utah Utes, TBD
Feb. 13 at Brigham Young Cougars, TBD
Feb. 16 vs. Arizona State Sun Devils, TBD
Feb. 20 at Cincinnati Bearcats, TBD
Feb. 24 vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders, TBD
Feb. 27 at Kansas Jayhawks, TBD
March 3 at Central Florida Knights, TBD
March 6 vs. Cincinnati Bearcats, TBD
In Other News...
Kansas State Women Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
Kansas States womens basketball program is heading into the season with an unexpected hole after announcing that guard Brandie Harrod will miss the year because of an injury. For a team trying to build momentum and sort out roles early, losing a guard at this stage changes the picture in a hurry, especially when depth and backcourt stability tend to matter so much over the grind of a long Big 12 schedule.
Elsewhere in Manhattan, the future kept moving forward as linebacker and edge rusher Malachi Johnson officially committed to Kansas State for the 2028 class. Its the kind of long-range addition that gives the program something to point to down the road, even as the basketball side is forced to adjust right now without one of its key pieces. [Read more 🡒]