If you weren’t paying attention, you just might have missed that basketball starts tonight.
Well…it doesn’t really start tonight, as this is just an exhibition game, but it’s our first chance to see the
new-look merc Wildcats in action. And we’re going to need all the help we can get, because for the fourth time in Jerome Tang’s fourth start to the season as head coach at K-State the Wildcats have a nearly completely new roster to open the season.
A whopping four players return from the 2024-25 squad that finished 16-17 overall and 9-11 in Big 12 play….and somehow that record looks better than how that season felt. The highly-rated recruit point guard that barely played David Castillo, “went into the portal and came back because he couldn’t find another spot” CJ Jones, breakout surprise Mobi Ikegwuruka, and the-somehow-still-around Taj Manning return to anchor a group that features four new international players, five D1 transfers, and one high school recruit.
This motely crew takes the court tonight in Columbia, MO to face off against old Big 12 foe Missouri. What would normally be a huge non-conference matchup, a renewed rivalry game that could be featured TV, has been reduced to an exhibition game that has been barely marketed. Dennis Gates, also beginning his fourth season at Missouri, lead his program to a 22-12 overall finish (10-8 SEC) and a first-round loss to Drake in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That was a significant turnaround from the 23-24 season when the Tigers finished just 8-24 overall and went winless in SEC play.
So now the Tigers and Wildcats will face off looking for different things. Gates wants to knock off the rust and get energized to take the next step. Tang just needs to see what this “team”, this collection of players wearing a purple uniform that says “K-State”, is capable of.
At least if things go really poorly for K-State, it doesn’t actually count.
We’ve got an 9:00pm CT tipoff for the game tonight from Mizzou Arena, and you can catch the action on the SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Tim Welsh (analyst) on the call.
If you don’t have the SEC Network or can’t access the stream on ESPN.com, the game can be heard across portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!
