Cal expects first tougher test of season at Kansas State

Cal will try to continue its best start since 2019 when it visits Kansas State in a nonconference game on Thursday night in Manhattan, Kan.

The Golden Bears have won their first three games, most recently toppling visiting Cal State Fullerton 93-65 on Monday night, but Kansas State will present a much tougher challenge than the first three opponents.

Cal coach Mark Madsen said the Golden Bears can't expect to ride their early success, but rather need to focus solely on who's next.

"We're 3-0, but it's early in the season, these have been home games, there's been no travel involved," Madsen said. "Now, we're playing one of the top teams in the country in Kansas State. This is going to be a battle, an unbelievable test for our players."

Cal guard Dai Dai Ames, who scored 24 points against Fullerton, knows what the Golden Bears will be up against. He played for Kansas State during the 2023-24 season, starting 16 games.

"It's a Big 12 team, so it will be a better test," Ames said. "Depending on the crowd, it's going to be loud. That ain't nothing to fear, it's just noise."

Kansas State is off to a 2-0 start following wins over UNC Greensboro (93-64) and Bellarmine (98-71).

Hitting triple digits won't be out of the question for the Wildcats this season.

"We're going to outscore people, and get better at that," Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. "Because we got some dudes. They can shoot that thing."

The best scorer so far has been point guard P.J. Haggerty, who's averaging 25 points through the first two games. He averaged 21.7 points for Memphis last season and 21.2 for Tulsa the year before.

Haggerty had 11 assists and three turnovers in his most recent game against Bellarmine.

"There's a whole ‘nother level he can get to, and he'll get there," Tang said. "He's capable of having double-digit assists every night. He's capable of being an 11-to-1 to one turnover guy instead of 11-to-3. He's capable of all of that."

--Field Level Media