Mar 5, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang talks to his team during a timeout in the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

K-State Men's Basketball Schedule Specked With Power Five Opponents

Originally posted on Kansas State Wildcats on SI
By Seth Kunz | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Kansas State men's basketball released its non-conference schedule Monday. While it features the standard "tune-up" games, the Wildcats will also see talent from the rest of the Power Five conferences.

'25-26 Schedule taking shape ️https://t.co/eJ1s6STnEo // #EMAW pic.twitter.com/nILPClop9x
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) July 28, 2025

Kansas State will begin the season with two exhibition games, the first of which will be against former Big 12 rival Missouri.

The Wildcats begin the regular season with UNC Greensboro and Bellarmine before hosting California. The game against California on Nov. 13 will be a doubleheader with their women's counterparts. This matchup springs Kansas State into a big week of non-conference play, hosting Tulsa and then playing in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.

Kansas State starts the Hall of Fame Classic against Mississippi State, and then will either take on Nebraska or New Mexico. Both the Cornhuskers and the Lobos experienced postseason success last year; Nebraska won the inaugural College Basketball Crown, while New Mexico advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Kansas State will then travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take on the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers also retooled in the transfer portal, boasting the No. 10-ranked transfer class in the country, only six slots behind K-State's highly touted transfer class. The final hurdle in their non-conference schedule is Creighton, which aims to build on its appearance in last season's NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats can build momentum in the non-conference schedule and spring into Big 12 play, helping to secure a spot in the Tournament for the first time since 2023.