Kansas State basketball back to work against Chicago State in final nonconference game
MANHATTAN — Kansas State's basketball team finished the 2023 portion of the schedule on a high note, which made for a merry Christmas break.
But now the Wildcats are back at work with one more nonconference game, scheduled at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Chicago State at Bramlage Coliseum, before diving into their Big 12 schedule.
A convincing 69-60 victory over Wichita State on Dec. 21 in Kansas City, pushed the Wildcats' record to 9-3. They face a 7-12 Chicago State team that has dropped three in a row, all on the road, including a 70-58 setback Saturday at DePaul.
Guard Tylor Perry, who led K-State with 17 points and five assists against Wichita State, said after the victory that the Wildcats can ill afford to look past Chicago State. After all, beating the Shockers was a bounce-back from an embarrassing 62-46 loss at home to Nebraska four days earlier.
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"Just continue to get 1% better every day. You can't look far ahead," Perry said. "You've got to play one game at a time, and we're not in conference yet.
"We've got to handle Chicago State, and they have a really good, talented team over there. So, we can't look past them at all. We've got to handle business at home before conference, and then war starts."
Indeed, the Wildcats follow the Chicago State game with their Big 12 opener at 5 p.m. Saturday against conference newcomer Central Florida.
But first, Chicago State. The Cougars present an interesting matchup featuring a four-guard lineup and no rotation player taller than 6-foot-7, though four of their starters fall in the 6-6 to 6-7 range.
Guard Wesley Cardet leads the Cougars with 18.8 points and 2.8 assists per game, followed by fellow junior Jahsean Corbett with 13.1 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds. For K-State, Cam Carter averages 16.3 points, Perry 15.8 and 5.5 assists, and forward Arthur Kaluma 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball to face Chicago State in nonconference finale
