Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball

You don't like to start the year 0-1 with a loss against South Dakota State, but I think realistically it will take time, and you hope that When you look at this team, it's kind of like the women's team last year in that you just have a ton of new faces, a ton of new pieces, and that they're going to be clicking and playing their best basketball in March.

Yeah, I mean, we titled this segment, The Honeymoon Phase Has Ended for KSU Men's Basketball.

And by all means, correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm no marriage expert.

Your top story, no doubt, is the Jackrabbit men's basketball team.

As we open up your Reliabank headlines of the day, South Dakota State benefited from a pair of three-pointers late and withstood a game-tying attempt at the buzzer to pull off a season-opening statement win, 68-66, over Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum last night.

Jackrabbits took control of the matchup early.

On the sharp shooting of Davis Kern, redshirt freshman hit his first three-point field goals, and he scored 11 of the Jackrabbits' first 13 points.

San Diego State, they're right around about a 15.5 point favorite, so they get a nice winning cover there.

The biggest upset of the night, how about South Dakota State? Double-figure underdogs against Kansas State.

They were leading 35-28 at the half.

Let go of the rope in the second half, but find a way to pull this game out 68-66.

The Casey Alexander era begins with an L out there in Kansas State, and For Brandon Retschleiner, he and Isaiah Abraham had 16 points apiece for Kansas State.

Off the bench, Papa Endai, 18 points.

Goes 8 of 8 at the free throw line, 8 rebounds.

He'll give you some boards.

They're going to be pretty damn good.

When you have divine Uga Chukwu, who was a starter for Tom Izzo team last year, Abdi Bashir, who had a brother at Auburn last year, and he was at Kansas state transferring in.

Those guys are on the bench playing about 15 minutes a game for this team.

This team is going to be really dang good.

Clear, clear difference maker there.

And they had like a good returning core.

So the fact that you hit on a redshirt freshman to go alongside that, yeah that's that's huge and south dakota state should be in the running for a summit league title this year uh kansas state really kind of seemed out of whack especially offensively there was one possession with about three minutes left where they i think it was a stoppage in play or whatever where they were able to set up a play and they had somebody coming around the elbow and just clear miscommunication because uh point guard passed it nobody was there so we went out of bounds turnover crucial possession can't have that in a tight game so uh shout out to south dakota state for executing late uh as mac would put it Um, my next game ball is going to go to what was my favorite lock of the day.

And that was Rhode Island guys.

He's running the show.

Last night, Bramlage Coliseum, the Cats tried to make it two in a row on that floor after the K-State women won 61-41 in their opener against Wichita State.

The men tried to keep it rolling against the Jackrabbits from South Dakota State.

And from the very beginning, it was a...

It looked an awful lot like a couple of teams' first game.

But then in the second half, to begin the second half, The first four K-State shots were three-pointers, and they all went in.

And it was in no time at all that the Cats had outscored the Jacks 12-3 and had taken the lead, 40-38.

Now, 40-38 is certainly no cushion to write home about, but they eventually extended the lead out.

The early returns on new Wildcat head coach Casey Alexander.

Dicey, final score, South Dakota State 68, Kansas State 66.

Okay, it's not that dramatic, but it is definitely an epitome of brutality game for Alexander's Wildcats in his debut.

They trailed by seven at the half.

Today.

In not-so-happy news, Kansas State loses their first game of the Casey Alexander era yesterday.

That'll make my wife less happy because she's a wildcat.

But they lose by two to South Dakota State.

There was a tweet I saw.

I forget who it was.

I think it might have been Kellis Robinette, who covers Kansas State.

He might have said that.

It's good.

The Wildcats are champions of the Big 12.

This is the Morning Bliss.

We will get to Sam Hadfield here in just a second.