Yay basketball!
I beg you, it’s an exhibition game, do not read too much into any results. Kansas State brings their shade of lavender back to Mizzou Arena for the first time since a 10 point loss to the Wildcats in 2012. If you forgot, Mizzou was pretty awesome that season but Frank Martin’s K-State squad had their number. Missouri was ranked 3rd in the country and it was the second loss to Martin and the Wildcats on the season. The two teams have played each other since then, with two neutral site games in 2015 and again in 2018. But the last time the Tigers beat K-State was in 2011.
Again, this game doesn’t count, and will not go into the official stats. But it’s always nice to win.
How to Watch: Missouri vs Kansas State
- When | 7:00 p.m. CT
- Where | Fred Bramlage Coliseum; Manhattan, Ks.
- TV | ESPN+ (stream only)
Since this game is at K-State, the broadcast rights go to the Big 12, the Big 12 has an extensive deal with ESPN+. You can purchase ESPN+ through your cable provider, or separately through a Disney+ and Hulu subscription, or on it’s own through ESPN’s website.
The Starters
Mizzou (0-0) — I’ll be a little surprised if Mark Mitchell gets the start. He may not even play. We’ll see, but these are just guesses.
PG: Jason Crowe, Jr. (FR)
CG: Jamier Jones (SO)
WING: Trent Pierce (SR)
CF: Toni Bryant (FR)
POST: Bryson Tiller (SR)
Notable Bench Players: Mark Mitchell (G-SR) — may not play due to pending litigation, C.J. Gunn (G-SR) — may not play due to pending litigation, Jaylen Carey (SR), Kennard Davis, Jr (SR), Aaron Rowe (SO),
Kansas State (0-0)
PG: Brandon Rechsteiner (SR)
CG: Jaden Schutt (G-SR)
WING: Isaiah Abraham (JR)
CF: Timo Malovec (JR)
POST: JT Rock (SR)
Notable Bench Players: Matt Gilhool (SO), Pape N’Diaye (JR), Andrej Kostic (SO), Dezdrick Linday (G-SR)
Note: These starting lineups are not only projected but at this stage just guesses, for Kansas State I checked a combination of sources to give my best guess. It does look like Mark Mitchell will be available.
Hello to an old frenemy: K-State Wildcats
After the disastrous ending to Jerome Tang’s tenure, the Wildcats are rebooting with former Belmont head coach Casey Alexander. Tang burst onto the scene in 2022-23 after he took over for Bruce Weber and led the Wildcast to the Elite 8. The boosters in Manhattan funnelled NIL money into his hands the next season, but the high priced roster fell flat with a 19-15 season. The following year it was much the same, with the ‘Cats spending big in the portal, but a worse return. The team went 16-17 behind Dug McDaniel and Coleman Hawkins. The last year the bottom fell out.
But one game stands out as a bit of a sliding doors from last year. K-State had gotten PJ Haggerty out of the portal, and led Nebraska late in the game 85-83. The Cornhuskers found a way to win that game late, K-State lost. That sent a 5-0 team into a four game loseing streak, and in the tough Big 12 they only managed three conference wins.
Enter Alexander. For 7 seasons Alexander had steered Belmont to the top of the OVC, and then the MVC. But life in a single bid league meant only one NCAA Tournament appearance, desite lots and lots of league wins. Also recruiting and developing players, only to have a high major lure them into the portal with a promise of a bigger payday had to get exhausting. Alexander recruited and developed the following players who would transfer up for more money:
- Will Richard, transferred to Florida in 2022
- Even Brauns, transferred to Iowa in 2023
- Cade Tyson, transferred to North Carolina in 2024
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, transferred to Maryland in 2024
- Malik Dia, transferred to Ole Miss in 2024
- Tyler Lundblade, transferred to Tennessee in 2026
- Sam Orme, transferred to Nebraska in 2026
- Drew Scharnowski, transferred to Duke in 2026
Now Alexander is taking over in Manhattan, and he doesn’t have a huge budget, but there’s proof in concept. If he can find and develop players, the bet here is the boosters will come back to retain the guys he’s found. K-State could be one of the more interesting programs to follow in the next few seasons, as Alexander takes a serious step up in competition, and his skills at rostering and developing talent will be put to the test.
0 Keys to the Game
Show up, have fun, don’t get anyone hurt
I’ve watched a healthy amount of exhibition basketball the last few days and weeks and I’m going to hammer this point home: this game does not matter.
It’s great to have hoops back. I’m as excited as anyone to see this team in action against someone else. I will probably get frustrated watching them, and may even yell at the television once or twice. But when the clock hits 0, I’ll remind myself the result doesn’t matter.
The hope here is Gates can put anyone and everyone up against the wall and see how they do with the lights on, against competition that isn’t their own teammates. Here’s to health on both sides, good competition, and a fun game.
Game Prediction?
KenPom has Mizzou ranked 48th preseason, and K-State 96th. The Tigers NetRtg (what KP used to call AdjustedEM, EM = efficiency margin) is +17.04, while the Wildcats is +7.10. That’s a difference of 9.94 per 100 possessions. That’s about 0.099 points per possession difference on a neutral floor (ok you can round up to 0.1), with K-State the home team, and guessing they hit something like 70 possessions tonight, I’ll give Mizzou a 7 point advantage on neutral, giving around 3 points for a home floor, I’ll guess KenPom would put the score something like 80-75 Tigers.
But that said, I expect and hope both coaches go deep into their bench and we see some weirdness in lineups on both sides. I know I expect it on the Mizzou side.
I don’t plan on running a Study Hall after this game, like last year I’ll probably put up some post game thoughts. But I will run the Study Hall numbers to determine what things looked like because I’m a weirdo. I’ll probably hop in the comments once they’re run and post the trifecta. So enter the trifecta if you want.