The K-State men’s basketball team will play its largest conference schedule in school history in 2024-25.
Visits by NCAA Tournament qualifiers Arizona, Colorado, Houston and Texas Tech highlight Kansas State’s conference schedule for the coming season, which the Big 12 released Thursday.
Big 12 schools will embark on a new 20-game league schedule with 10 games at home and on the road as the conference expands to 16 teams in the coming season with the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.
The conference schedule has evolved from 10 games in the Big Six (1928-47) to 12 games in the Big Seven (1947-58) to 14 games in the Big Eight (1958-96) to 16 (1997-2011), 18 (2012-24) and now 20 in the Big 12 era.
Dates, tipoff teams and television information will be released at a later time.
In addition to its permanent home-and-home series with Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, K-State will also play home-and-home series against Arizona State, Cincinnati, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
In all, the 10-game home Big 12 schedule will include visits by Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Wildcats will make trips to Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU and Utah.
K-State finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-15 record, including a tie for ninth in the Big 12 with an 8-10 mark, and advanced to the NIT. Among the Wildcats’ 19 victories were four over Top-25 teams, including three in the Top 10. The team has won 45 games in head coach Jerome Tang’s tenure, including consecutive postseason appearances.
Thirteen of the 16 Big 12 teams won at least 17 games in 2023-24 with 11 winning at least 20 games, including 32 wins by league champion Houston. Thirteen made the postseason a season ago, including NCAA Tournament appearances by Arizona, Baylor, BYU, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech.
On the women’s side, K-State next season will face traditional rivals Iowa State and Kansas twice and Cincinnati twice as part of its league slate.
Teams will play three Big 12 opponents twice, then play the other 12 conference opponents one time, for a total of 18 conference games. The conference will release a full Big 12 schedule a later date.
In addition to its home games against Cincinnati, Iowa State and Kansas, the Wildcats will host new league members Arizona and Arizona State and will also welcome in Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and UCF.
In combination with road games with the Bearcats, Cyclones and Jayhawks, K-State will make road trips to new members Colorado and Utah and will also travel to BYU, Houston, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
The Wildcats enter the 2024-25 season with the return of 10 letter winners, including four starters from last season’s 2024 NCAA Tournament squad. The Wildcats will be led by 2024 All-America center Ayoka Lee, who returns for her final season, senior guard and 2023 All-Big 12 First Team selection Serena Sundell, and the senior duo of Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn.
