MANHATTAN - Kansas State’s first exhibition under Casey Alexander had a little of everything: a fast start, a rough middle stretch, and a late push that made Friday night interesting right down to the end.
The Wildcats fell to Missouri, 71-67, at Bramlage Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 23, but they spent plenty of the night showing they could hang. K-State erased a 13-point deficit and gave itself a real shot to tie or even steal it in the closing seconds.
Before that finish, though, the game offered a clear first look at Alexander’s group. Kansas State opened with Brandon Rechsteiner, Jaden Schutt, Brock Vice, Isaiah Abraham and Matt Gilhool in the starting lineup. The first substitutions followed quickly: JT Rock for Vice with 17:26 left in the first half, Dez Lindsay for Gilhool with 16:39 left, Andrej Kostic for Schutt at the first media timeout, Jaylen Alexander for Rechsteiner with 15:03 left, Pape N'Diaye for Rock with 15:03 left, and Montana Wheeler entering with 10:47 left.
The Wildcats wasted no time showing what their offense wants to be. Schutt, Gilhool and Abraham each knocked down a 3-pointer on Kansas State’s first three shots.
Then the rhythm disappeared. K-State went almost six minutes without scoring, and Missouri answered with an 8-0 run before N'Diaye ended it with a layup.
The Wildcats hit just one of their next 11 attempts from beyond the arc and finished 9 of 34 from 3-point range.
Missouri’s athletic edge showed up as the game wore on. Kansas State tried to offset it with ball movement, length and active defense, and there were moments when that worked.
The Wildcats forced turnovers and made the Tigers work early. But once Missouri found another gear, especially after halftime, the difference was obvious.
The Tigers came out of the break with a 15-3 burst, turned defense into offense and finished plays at the rim while K-State had trouble handling the pressure.
Still, there was a clear edge to Kansas State’s effort. This was not a group that folded when things got difficult.
The Wildcats kept diving on the floor, kept scrapping and kept pushing back even after Missouri stretched the lead to 13 with 5:47 remaining. K-State climbed back to within two with 27.1 seconds left and had a look to tie, but Abraham missed a contested layup with 17 seconds to go.
Vice’s start was one of the more interesting early wrinkles. His presence in the first five was a surprise, and he was gone just 2:34 into the game.
Miami transfer Timo Malovec being out with an injury opened the door for that look. Vice made the most of his short stint, scoring seven points - the second-most of his career, if the game had counted - and showing both some toughness in the paint and range with a made 3-pointer.
Rechsteiner had a quieter night as a shooter, finishing 4-for-13 from the field. Even so, he found ways to help, pulling down a team-high five rebounds in the first half and handing out three assists. He didn’t score until he buried a 3-pointer with 10:14 left in the second half, but he stayed on the floor because Kansas State needed what he could do elsewhere.
Schutt, meanwhile, looked every bit like a shooter. His release is quick and clean, and it helped him finish with 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting. If this first outing was any indication, he’ll have nights when the points come in bunches.
Kostic’s early appearance was encouraging, too. The lone returner from last season has been dealing with preseason injuries, so seeing him get in after the first media timeout stood out, even if his night was short. He played just three minutes.
Kansas State’s size may be worth watching as the season approaches. The Wildcats have length, but Missouri had the stronger bodies when contact picked up.
K-State had trouble finishing through traffic at times, and the Tigers were able to impose themselves inside more often than not. Vice was the exception in stretches, but overall the physical edge belonged to Missouri.
Even with the loss, nearly everyone who played left a mark on the stat sheet. Kostic was the only Wildcat not to record a stat in his limited minutes, and Vice was the only player who didn’t grab a rebound.
The score won’t mean anything in the standings, and Kansas State has another exhibition ahead Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. CT in Grand Island, Nebraska, against the Cornhuskers. But Friday gave Alexander and his staff plenty to study - some good ball movement, some disruptive defense and enough toughness to suggest this team has a pulse.
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