Kansas State’s first look under Casey Alexander came with some encouraging scoring and the same old reminder that rebuilding takes time.
The Wildcats fell 88-84 to Nebraska in an exhibition game Monday in Lincoln, giving the first-year coach an early glimpse at what this roster can do and how far it still has to go.
Brandon Rechsteiner paced Kansas State with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Jaden Schutt chipped in 16 points, and Jaylen Alexander finished with 11.
There’s no hiding what kind of season this is shaping up to be for Kansas State. Alexander inherited a program that has been sliding for three straight seasons, including back-to-back losing campaigns and a 19-15 finish in 2023-24 despite one of the highest NIL payrolls in college basketball. He replaced Jerome Tang, who was fired at the end of last season.
The roster is almost entirely new, with Andrej Kostic the lone returner. That leaves Alexander with a full reset as he tries to put his own mark on the program after building Belmont into a winner.
Kansas State is hoping that track record carries over, even though the Big 12 offers almost no room to breathe. The league includes powers such as Houston, Kansas and Arizona, which makes the climb back into contention a steep one.
The Wildcats open the season Nov. 3 at home against South Dakota State at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
Their Big 12 slate includes a Jan. 2 trip to Baylor, a Jan. 5 home game against Houston and a Jan. 9 matchup with Arizona. Kansas State will also host Kansas on Jan. 23 before the second rivalry meeting in Lawrence on Feb.
- The conference schedule closes with a March 6 home game against Cincinnati.
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Quarterback Concern At The Worst Time
The Big 12 race keeps opening and closing in odd ways, with BYU and Texas Tech both getting tripped up in recent conference upsets while Utah remains the leagues lone unbeaten team but still has plenty of hard football ahead. For Kansas State, though, the bigger issue is much more immediate: the Wildcats are suddenly sorting through quarterback injuries at a point in the season when every conference game feels like it matters twice.
Avery Johnson is listed as day to day, and backup Jacob Knuth is injured as well, leaving Kansas State with an uneasy spot in the one place it can least afford one. The Wildcats have stayed in the hunt long enough to know how thin the margin is in the Big 12, and now their ability to keep pace may hinge on how quickly the depth chart settles before the next round of games arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Adds Intrigue To Kansas State's Biggest Road Test Yet
Colorados weekly press conference added a little extra texture to Kansas States biggest road test yet, with Deion Sanders taking a moment to acknowledge what the Wildcats are dealing with on the opposite sideline. Sanders spoke with respect about former Kansas State coach Chris Klieman and also had praise for Collin Klein, who is guiding the program in his first season as head coach. It was the kind of pregame chatter that matters because it underscores how much attention this matchup has drawn, even before kickoff.
Sanders own background and influence on college football are part of why his comments carry so much weight, but the focus in Manhattan is less on the sound bites than on the challenge ahead. Kansas State will face a Colorado team that knows how to command the spotlight, while Klein continues to put his stamp on the Wildcats in a transition year that already has some intrigue around it. With the game approaching, the conversation around this one is as much about coaching voices and program direction as it is about what happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Just Put Colorados Biggest Problem In Focus Before K-State
Colorados special teams have taken a step forward, but the bigger issue around Deion Sanders program still sounds familiar: the Buffaloes keep hurting themselves with penalties and uneven play on offense, defense and special teams. Sanders said the group is improving in one area while still fighting the kind of consistency problems that can undo a team long before the opponent does, and he pointed to a broader need for better preparation as the schedule moves on.
For Kansas State, that kind of self-inflicted noise is the sort of thing worth watching closely. The Wildcats have their own reasons to stay locked in, but Sanders made it clear his team is still searching for cohesion and discipline, and he took responsibility for getting it there. With K-State up next, Colorados margin for error already looks thin, even if one part of the operation has started to settle in. [Read more 🡒]