Key For Kansas State's Casey Alexander Is Having Realistic Expectations In First Season

Kansas State Wildcats coach Casey Alexander has perhaps the job in the Big 12 in his first season. 

He took over for the fired Jerome Tang during the spring but has to completely overhaul the program. The Wildcats are fielding a mostly new roster. He is also adjusting to coaching a new environment. 

So this is a stiff challenge for a coach making the leap from a mid-major program to a Power Five conference. Alexander recently spoke with reporters about the season. 

He gave his most telling answer when asked about the possibility of making the NCAA Tournament in his first season. Alexander was brutally honest with his answer. 

"It's not so much this year because it's year one or this team or anything like that," Alexander said. "It's just NCAA Tournament. It's not an easy, not an easy accomplishment. And this league is a really tough league, and it's important to stay healthy. It's important to not let a game or two losing streaks turn into a four or five game losing streaks."

He's basically saying this is a work in progress. No one is expecting him to have instant success but the hope is Alexander can start building a foundation right away. He's already started to make recruiting inroads in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. 

But he knows this isn't going to be an overnight project. 

"But I believe in this team," Alexander said. "I wouldn't mention that. It's not fool's gold. I think that we have good pieces. I think that we're a really smart team. I think we'll play really hard. I think we'll play really well together. And I think that's a good formula for winning. It always has been for us. And I think this team can do that."

Here's the full Big 12 schedule this season for the Wildcats: 

Here's the full schedule: 

Jan. 2 at Baylor Bears, TBD

Jan. 5 vs. Houston Cougars, TBD 

Jan. 9 vs. Arizona Wildcats, TBD 

Jan. 12 at West Virginia Mountaineers, TBD 

Jan. 16 vs. Texas Christian Horned Frogs, TBD

Jan. 19 at Arizona State Sun Devils, TBD 

Jan. 23 vs. Kansas Jayhawks, TBD 

Jan. 30 at Iowa State Cyclones, TBD 

Feb. 3 vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys, TBD 

Feb. 6 vs. Colorado Buffaloes, TBD

Feb. 10 at Utah Utes, TBD 

Feb. 13 at Brigham Young Cougars, TBD 

Feb. 16 vs. Arizona State Sun Devils, TBD 

Feb. 20 at Cincinnati Bearcats, TBD 

Feb. 24 vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders, TBD 

Feb. 27 at Kansas Jayhawks, TBD 

March 3 at Central Florida Knights, TBD 

March 6 vs. Cincinnati Bearcats, TBD