MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Bellarmine men's basketball team's next chance to get head coach Doug Davenport career win No. 1 comes Saturday evening at Kansas State.
 
Tipoff between the Knights and Wildcats is set for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) on ESPN+.
 
About Kansas State
Kansas State (1-0) lost their top five starters/leading scorers from last season's team that went 16-17 (9-11 Big 12). The Wildcats beat Arizona State in the first round of the Big 12 Championship before falling to Baylor in the second round.
 
C.J. Jones is head coach Jerome Tang's top returner, having averaged 19.0 minutes, 5.7 points and 1.5 assists as a junior. The now senior guard appeared in all 33 games and started nine. Overall, K-State returns just four players from a year ago. Also back are junior guard Mobi Ikegwuruka (2.1 points, 2.4 rebounds), sophomore guard David Castillo (2.4 points, 0.8 assists, 0.6 rebounds) and redshirt junior wing Taj Manning (0.8 points, 0.8 rebounds).
 
The Wildcats added 10 newcomers this season to match their 10 departures from a year ago. Among the most significant additions to the roster is senior guard Nate Johnson, who last year was named the MAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year while at Akron. K-State also snagged senior wing Marcus Johnson (16.2 points at Bowling Green) and guard P.J. Haggerty (21.7 points at Memphis) from the transfer portal.
 
K-State used a big second half to take down UNC Greensboro in their opener Tuesday night. The Wildcats outscored their guests 60-30 in the second stanza en route to a 93-64 win after trailing by 10 points in the first half and one point at halftime. Haggerty led all scorers with 27 while Nate Johnson sank 6 of 7 three-point attempts and flirted with a triple-double at 22 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds.
 
Versus Kansas State
Bellarmine lost their only previous matchup with K-State, 83-73 in Manhattan on November 10, 2023. Bash Wieland scored a team-high 17 points and Peter Suder handed out six assists. As is the case this season, that game was the second of back-to-back games against Power-5 opponents to start the season. (Bellarmine lost 91-57 at Washington, then of the Pac-12, in the 2023-24 opener four days prior.)
 
Last Time Out
Bellarmine dropped their season opener Monday at Georgia, 104-59, in the first meeting between the programs. UGA outscored the Knights 58-30 in the paint and 31-4 on fast breaks, outrebounded them 38-29 and forced 22 Bellarmine turnovers to their six. Jack Karasinski led all scorers with 23 points and all rebounders with eight.
 
Knights Knotes

• Bellarmine is 1-17 against Power-5 opponents, all on the road, since transitioning to Division I for the 2020-21 season. The one win was a 67-66 triumph over in-town foe Louisville on November 9, 2022.
• Bellarmine is 0-5 against Big 12 opponents since making the jump to Division I. They last faced a Big 12 opponent on December 21 of last year when they fell 79-55 at Colorado.
• Jack Karasinski led the Knights averaging 15.4 points last season and started this season with a 23-point, 8-rebound performance at Georgia. The eight rebounds were more than he grabbed in any single game last season.
• Despite an off shooting night at Georgia, Tyler Doyle dished out four assists, grabbed two rebounds, made two blocks and recorded one steal.
• Seven players made their Bellarmine debuts Monday. True freshmen Sam Donald and Dominique Murphy and redshirt freshman Grant Neal made their collegiate debuts. Neal and Murphy each recorded 2 points while Donald added 3 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound and 1 block. Also debuting were four transfers: Donovan Hunter (9 points, Kent State), Brian Waddell (7 points, Purdue), Michael Wilson Jr. (5 points, Division II North Greenville) and Darrius Bolden (UW-Stevens Point).

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