The Casey Alexander era at K-State began on Friday night, as the Wildcats lost 71-67 in an exhibition game to Missouri.

While the loss was disappointing, there were encouraging signs for a program looking to turn the page after a disappointing 2025-26 season.

The Wildcats opened the game on fire, taking an early 9-0 lead and a 32-27 lead into the half before Missouri took over in the second half. K-State trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, but battled back to cut the deficit to two points in the final seconds.

Shooting is a key part of Alexander's offense, but it was an area where the Wildcats struggled on Friday night. They made only 9 of 34 three-point attempts and also committed 16 turnovers.

Here are 10 Observations from Friday night's exhibition game.

1.…