Nebraska Out-Duels K-State in Exhibition Shootout, 88-84

Monday, October 26

Grand Island, Neb.

6:30 p.m. CT

Kansas State University

0-0,0-0Big 12

Nebraska

0-0,0-0Big Ten

Team	1	2	F
Kansas St.	38	46	84
Nebraska	43	45	88

Oct 26, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (.pdf)Postgame Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery

The Wildcats made an exhibition-record 16 made 3-point field goals.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – Junior Braden Frager and senior Pryce Sandfort combined for 51 points, as Nebraska out-dueled Kansas State, 88-84, in a high-flying, high-scoring exhibition on Monday night before 5,338 fans at the BigIron Events Center.

In a back-and-forth affair that lived up to the billing as the "Battle at the BigIron," the teams combined for 29 made 3-point field goal on 80 attempts, including 16 by the Wildcats. Nine different players connected from long range, including a combined nine by senior Brandon Rechsteiner and fifth-year Jaden Schutt.

The 16 made 3-pointers were the most-ever by a Wildcat team in an exhibition game.

Frager and Sandfort accounted for nine of the Huskers' 13 triples, as Frager led all scorers with 28 points, while Sandfort, a preseason All-Big Ten First Team selection, added 23 points. Rechsteiner paced three Wildcats in double figures with 21 points to go with 7 assists, while Schutt and freshman Jaylen Alexander accounted for 16 and 11 points, respectively.

Fitting for a game in which the teams combined to make 29 3-point field goals, it was a stretch of 3-point makes that gave the Huskers the edge they needed in a up-and-down affair.

After Rechsteiner connected on his fifth triple of the game that pulled the Wildcats to within 58-57 at the 11:36 mark, three different Huskers – freshman Jacob Lanier, junior Taj DeGourville and Frager – knocked down long range shots that extended the lead to 67-59 with just over 9 minutes remaining. They extended the lead to as many as 13 points at 75-62 after a 7-0 run capped by a fifth Frager 3-pointer with 4:15 left.

However, the never-say-die Wildcats kept chipping away at the deficit, using an 18-7 run to close to within 82-80 after back-to-back layups by Alexander with 25 seconds. DeGourville knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Husker lead to 84-80 with 18 seconds but Alexander made it a one possession game at 84-82 with a layup with 11 seconds to go before a K-State timeout.

Two more free throws by Frager followed by a Rechsteiner layup once again made it a one possession game at 86-84 with 3 seconds. However, Lanier put the game out of reach with two more free throws at 88-84 with 2 seconds remaining.

K-State connected on 47.7 percent (31-of-65) from the field, including 43.2 percent (16-of-37) from 3-point range, while Nebraska shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) overall, including 30.2 percent (13-of-43) from long range. The difference came at the free throw line, where the Huskers made 21 of 27 attempts compared to just 6 of 9 attempts by the Wildcats.

K-State led by as many as six points in the first half before Nebraska used a pivotal late 8-0 run to take control and enter halftime with a 43-38 lead. Each team shot better than 45 percent from the field led by the Wildcats' 48.3 percent (14-of-29) shooting, while they combined for 17 made 3-pointers. Frager led all scorers with 16 points for the Huskers, while Rechsteiner paced the Wildcats with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

HEAD COACH CASEY ALEXANDER
On how he approached the game…
"I mean, for the most part, we played it like a game with some minor adjustments. I mean, we had a substitution pattern for the first half scripted, regardless of score. We wanted to see some guys play certain minutes and at certain times, and we stayed with that script so that we would clearly never do that, but I don't know how far off that was from what we would have normally done at the same time. But we played to win, we played hard."

On Jaylen Alexander…
"Yeah, we felt like we got a steal when he committed and signed with us at Belmont. Felt like he belonged at this level. We're pretty worried about how long we were going to be able to keep him. You know, it's one of those deals where, well, if we get a year out of him before he leaves and goes Power Four, that would be good. So yeah, when we got the job, we invited he and Devin Hutcherson both two of the four commitments that we had to come with us. And Jalen's been what we expected and more. He belongs here. He's a good player. You know he's going to have some freshman up and down moments, but he's a very confident player. I mean, he's Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama. Best player in Alabama. I got some good ones down there. He deserved it. He's a good player."

On if he got to visit with his former player Sam Orme…
"Yeah, just a little bit. I wish that I had more time. There are a lot of us that came to K State from Belmont, so there were a lot of us that were kind of trying to wiggle our way in there and have some conversation. But we love Sam; he was good for us. Wish him the best here."

On the advantages of playing exhibitions like this as opposed to home games in the past…
"Yeah, they're all advantages. You know, I mean, they all serve their purpose. We played one private scrimmage, we played one home game, one road game, and I think ultimately that's probably the way I would draw it up every year. You know, but you go on the road and play a team that's got a ton of experience that was in the Sweet 16 last year in front of a partisan crowd, and it was a great experience for us to be able to go through this before the real thing happens, so we'll use this for what it was. And disappointed we didn't win, but I told the guys that I mean ultimately I have no concern about what happened in the game other than how we played it and you know the good plays we made and the mistakes we made."

On the transition to K-State…
"It's been great. I've loved it so far. It was good time for me and my family. Great place to be."

On Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager…
"I mean they're exceptional players. Price is really unique in his ability just to get it off no dip, you know, because of his size. He's just a hard closeout. We fouled him twice on three-point shots, and so very unique in that way. And Frager's just tough minded. You know, it's such a really competitive kid and very versatile, and those two guys we had a hard time with. We had a lot of assignment breakdowns. You know when you're playing a really high-level executing team that's going to take care of the ball and run their stuff well. You can't afford to make mistakes with switches or assignments on set plays, things like that. We had a lot of breakdowns, and we got exposed. That's what good teams will do to you."

On how the play of Brandon Rechsteiner and Jaden Schutt…
"They're both good players. They're both going to play a lot of minutes, and they're both going to be really important to whatever success that we have. And I'm not surprised at all. I've known this guy for a long time. He's a really tough, competitive kid. (Jaden) Schutt is great and plays with great confidence. Makes our team better. So, they're going to have to do that, and they're both team guys, and so, but they're also really good players."

On Nebraska's defense…
"They're very unique defensively, as anybody who follows them closely knows. But I thought our execution of the game plan offensively was good. I thought we did a good job of getting paint touches and getting inside-out threes. We shot a ton of them, but I wasn't very disappointed with the quality of many of them at all. They probably weren't either. I think they were 361 out of 365, and threes given up last year. You know, so it's just how their defense is built. Good thing is we made 16 threes. Bad thing is it wasn't enough."

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

This was the first time K-State and Nebraska have met in an exhibition game after playing 223 times between 1906 and 2025, mostly as conference opponents in the Missouri Valley, Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12 Conferences.
K-State has a 76-24 all-time record in exhibition games, including a 7-6 mark at neutral sites… The Wildcats have been playing exhibition games since 1964.
K-State finished 0-2 in exhibition play after losing to Missouri, 71-67, on Oct. 23.
The 16 made 3-pointers were the most-ever in an exhibition.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by senior Brandon Rechsteiner, who scored 21 points on 8-of-14 field goals, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range… Fifth-year Jaden Schutt added 16 points on 4-of-8 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws, while freshman Jaylen Alexander chipped in 11 points.
K-State started a lineup of senior Brandon Rechsteiner, fifth year Jaden Schutt, fifth year Dez Lindsay, junior Isaiah Abraham and senior JT Rock.

UP NEXT
K-State officially opens the Casey Alexander era on Tuesday, November 3 when the Wildcats play host to South Dakota State at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will air on ESPN+.

A variety of ticket packages (link here) are available for the 2026-27 home schedule which includes 19 games at Bramlage Coliseum.

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.