It’s about to get real: Kansas State basketball schedule amps up with trip to St. John’s

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Kansas State basketball’s record-breaking blowout victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday was a pleasant reminder for the Wildcats of what is possible.

It also served as their last breather before things get real.

With three challenging nonconference games before they tackle an expanded Big 12 schedule, the Wildcats’ margin for error shrinks rapidly, starting with their first true road game Saturday at St. John’s. Tipoff is set for 10:30 a.m. CT at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York.

“It’s put together that way to help us get ready for the Big 12,” said K-State coach Jerome Tang. “I feel like the team is starting to figure each other out, and the staff, we’re starting to figure the guys out, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us, one game at a time, to see how much we can continue to grow.”

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Kansas State freshman guard David Castillo shoots a 3-pointer during the Wildcats’ game Sunday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Castillo scored a career-high 17 points in the record-breaking 120-73 victory.

With the new 16-team Big 12 moving to a 20-game conference schedule, it has shortened the growth period for Tang and the Wildcats (6-2). It also has forced him to rethink how to balance the need for piling up victories with getting the team ready for what lies ahead.

In addition to St. John’s (6-2), the Wildcats play Drake on Dec. 17 in Kansas City and Dec. 21 at Wichita state before delving into the Big 12 at home against Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve.

“When you have to pick up two more conference games, then it makes you kind of cut back on the number, because I think initially we wanted to play like six or seven high-major teams in the nonconference,” Tang said. “But when you pick up two more Big 12 games, you have to drop two games from the nonconference.

“It would make sense, in my…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/real-kansas-state-basketball-schedule-144511828.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-06 14:45:00

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