Exhibition Games Against Missouri and Nebraska Provide Big Opportunities for K-State

K-State is entering a new era with Casey Alexander, and the coach is looking to get the Wildcats back on track. The Wildcats have finished under .500 in each of the last two years, with Jerome Tang being let go late last season. Alexander had to bring in nearly a brand new roster as Andre Kostic is the only returning player last season.

The preseason will play a huge role in helping the team develop chemistry for the start of the regular season. Exhibition games have become much more popular across the country, with many big-time matchups over the last couple of years. Alexander and his staff made sure to get some good tests in exhibition play, as the Wildcats will take on former conference rivals, Missouri and Nebraska.

For the Wildcats, these two games will be huge into seeing where they truly are entering the regular season.

Nebraska coming off the best season in school history

The Cornuskers were the talk of the college basketball season at different times last year. They got off to a 20-0 start, and then later in the year they won their first two NCAA Tournament games in school history. Fred Hobierg has built Nebraska into a legitimate contender. With Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager coming back, the Cornhuskers once again figure to be a team making noise in the NCAA Tournament.

These two teams matched up in Kansas City last year, with the Cornhuskers winning a thrilling 86-85 game in the Hall of Fame Classic Championship game. The brand of basketball that Nebraska plays is exactly what K-State fans are hoping for under Alexander. The Cornhuskers do a phenomenal job of moving the ball and getting wide-open shots. For Alexander, looking to build something in Manhattan, the Cornhuskers have laid a great foundation in a similar way.

Optimism is sky-high for the Missouri Tigers

Dennis Gates has done a very good job during his time at Missouri, but expectations have never been higher than they are this year.

The Tigers made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, but lost in the first round to Miami. As good as that team was last season, the 2026-27 version could be the best in a long time at Missouri. The recruiting class that Gates brought in was one of the best in the country with 5-star recruits Jason Crowe and Toni Bryant.

Both of these guys are capable of having an All-SEC type of season. Rowe is the type of freshman guard who can come in and make a run at the SEC Player of the Year. Not only did Gates do a great job of recruiting high schoolers, but he also did a fantastic job in the transfer portal.

Jameir Jones (Providence) and Bryson Tiller (Kansas) were two guys who were highly sought after in the portal. Both of these players are capable of putting the ball in the basket, with Tiller's ability to shoot the ball from deep being a huge asset in this Missouri offense.

K-State will know quickly where the team needs to improve

These are two phenomenal tests for the Wildcats to see where they are. As much as teams work in the off-season, there is no way to truly know about a squad until they are in game action. For Alexander, his team gets to take on two teams that made the NCAA Tournament. These teams were in a similar situation to K-State just a few years ago, and now they are both looked at as dark-horse candidates in their respective conferences.

Win or lose, Alexander will learn about his squad before the regular season even starts. Those lessons learned in October could pay dividends in March.

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