Takeaways from Kansas State’s exhibition basketball victory against Fort Hays State

The Kansas State men’s basketball team gave fans plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the upcoming season during a 70-56 exhibition victory over Fort Hays State on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum.

Even though it’s difficult to accurately judge much of anything from a warm-up game against a Division II opponent, the Wildcats showed off their athleticism, size and talent. They also looked like a cohesive team, which wasn’t necessarily a given for a roster that features 10 new players.

Here are some takeaways from the exhibition game before K-State opens the season next week against New Orleans inside the Octagon of Doom.

Coleman Hawkins already looks like a go-to player

Much will be expected from Coleman Hawkins this season.

The handsomely paid Illinois transfer was viewed as the final piece to a NCAA Tournament roster when he signed with K-State. It seems like he is ready to live up to that billing.

Hawkins did a little bit of everything when he had the ball in this game. And his teammates got the ball to him quite often.

The 6-foot-10 senior big man played on the wing and in the post. He shot the ball from inside and outside. He made impressive plays on defense. He also finished with an offensive stat line that featured 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

His size and versatility allow him to play all over the court, which means he should have ample opportunities this season.

Brendan Hausen isn’t afraid to shoot from deep

The Villanova transfer led K-State with five 3-pointers.

That was a notable statistic, because no one else wearing home white uniforms was shooting the ball well from the perimeter.

Hausen connected on five of 14 shots from beyond the arc, so his efficiency was far from perfect, and he scored all of his points from deep.

Jerome Tang is expecting K-State to shoot the ball well from the perimeter this season. That didn’t happen against Fort Hays State, but at least Hausen had the confidence to keep firing away when his team needed him.

The Wildcats will probably look his way the same way they did Tylor Perry last season whenever they are in need of a clutch 3-pointer.

Turnovers were down for K-State

The Wildcats lost 503 turnovers last season, which averages out to nearly 15 per game.

That is not an experience that Tang wanted to live through again this year. For that reason, he prioritized quality ball-handlers and smart players when he started to rebuild this team via the transfer portal.

After one exhibition game, the results are promising.

K-State committed 13 turnovers against Fort Hays State, and only six of them came from their four primary guards -- CJ Jones, Dug McDaniel, David Castillo and Hausen.

Take away four turnovers from forward Achor Achor, who is unlikely to handle the ball for long stretches during the regular season, and the turnover numbers really look better than what fans were previously accustomed to.

Fort Hays State only scored 16 points off of those turnovers, which was also an improvement over many games from last season.

K-State showed good ball movement when it ran half-court sets. On one possession in the second half, the Wildcats rattled off four passes before they got the ball inside to David N’Guessan for an uncontested layup.

The Wildcats finished with 18 assists as a team. It doesn’t seem like this group will be plagued by turnovers like its predecessor.