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The Casey Alexander era at K-State began on Friday night, as the Wildcats lost 71-67 in an exhibition game to Missouri.
While the loss was disappointing, there were encouraging signs for a program looking to turn the page after a disappointing 2025-26 season.
The Wildcats opened the game on fire, taking an early 9-0 lead and a 32-27 lead into the half before Missouri took over in the second half. K-State trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, but battled back to cut the deficit to two points in the final seconds.
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Shooting is a key part of Alexander’s offense, but it was an area where the Wildcats struggled on Friday night. They made only 9 of 34 three-point attempts and also committed 16 turnovers.
Here are 10 Observations from Friday night’s exhibition game.
1. K-State showed a competitive spirit that was lacking last year
One of the biggest questions entering Friday was how K-State’s almost entirely new roster would respond against high-major competition.
The Wildcats answered that emphatically. Opening the game on a 9-0 run provided an early glimpse of what Alexander’s team is capable of when everything is clicking.
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The opening stretch was particularly encouraging considering the roster turnover, and the challenge of installing an entirely new system.
2. The Wildcats showed some fight
The most positive takeaway from the game on Friday night was the competitive spirit of the Wildcats. At times last year, fans were frustrated with how the team competed, but that wasn’t the case against Missouri.
It was only an exhibition game, and the result doesn’t impact the record at all. However, the way Alexander’s team continued to compete, you would have thought an NCAA Tournament berth was on the line.
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the team competed in a way that made the fans proud, and that is the first step.
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3. The second half showed there is work to do
After leading by five points at the half, things got away from them for a while in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/10-observations-k-states-exhibition-053640419.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-24 05:36:00
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