The Casey Alexander era at K-State didn't begin as anyone had envisioned. Tuesday night's 68-66 loss to South Dakota State at Bramlage Coliseum was disappointing after two exhibition games against Missouri and Nebraska.

For a fan base hoping to see immediate signs of progress under its new head coach, losing the season opener at home was hardly the statement anyone wanted.

While the frustration is understandable, patience will be essential as Alexander attempts to get things rolling in Manhattan.

Alexander inherited a program that has struggled for the last couple of seasons. With a new coaching staff and only one player back from last season's team, expecting everything to come together immediately was always unrealistic.

That being said, and Alexander talked about it, that isn't an excuse for Tuesday's performance. Alexander's teams are known for their shooting ability, but that wasn't the case against the Jackrabbits. In the loss, the Wildcats shot only 28.6% from the three-point line, compared to South Dakota State, which shot 41.6%.

Trailing by two points with under 30 seconds remaining, the Wildcats got two opportunities to tie the game up, but they were unable to execute and get the basket.

Alexander's teams get better throughout the season

Alexander has established a track record of building teams throughout the season. During his time coaching at Belmont, his teams lost the season opener but bounced back and have good seasons. It wasn't a quick fix, but rather, by continuing to develop players and cleaning up mistakes.

After the game on Tuesday night, Alexander told reporters his team made too many mistakes, especially on defense.

"We really made a lot of mistakes," Alexander said. "We couldn't get out of our own way on that end. You gotta put yourself in the right place to perform that assignment. If you're not in the right place, you're gonna get exposed."

There were flashes of what this team could become. The Wildcats got off to a great start in the second half, using a 16-3 run to cut a halftime deficit to take a six-point lead.

Pape N'Diaye provided a spark with 18 points, while Brandon Rechsteiner and Isaiah Abraham contributed 16 apiece.

The big picture matters more than a result on Nov. 3

K-State fans have endured plenty of frustrations in recent seasons. Expectations remain high, and understandably so. Wildcats' fans are a passionate fan base who are looking to seeing their team back contending for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Expecting Alexander and his staff to come in and fix things during the first game was never going to happen. He was hired to establish a foundation capable of producing consistent success.

Despite the struggles, Alexander has a clear vision of how he wants his team to play and its identity. Ask the upcoming coaches in the next month if they have to prepare for K-State in a different way than the past couple years, and there would be emphatic 'Yes' answers.

Similarly to the football team, if the same mistakes are being made two months from now, then questions rightfully so can be asked.

K-State has to improve from its performance on Tuesday night, but Alexander has shown throughout his coaching career that his teams do just that.