(Photo credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images)

Kansas State can point to newcomers such as PJ Haggerty as a reason the Wildcats are off to their best start since the program last made the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23.

But as the Wildcats (4-0) prepare to face Mississippi State as part of the four-team Hall of Fame Classic on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., returnee David Castillo again figures to play a prominent role.

A heralded recruit who struggled as a freshman a season ago, Castillo is averaging 13.5 points per game for a Kansas State attack that is averaging 93.5 points per contest.

When the Wildcats were down by one to Tulsa on Monday with 24 seconds to play, teammate Khamari McGriff came up with a turnover. He promptly fed Castillo, who despite a poor shooting night calmly cut to the hoop and connected on the game-winning layup in an 84-83 victory.

'David Castillo is a really good basketball player, and I'm not surprised by any of this,' Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. 'There's so much more for him. When he missed the open 3 that could've tied the game, he didn't let it linger. When we got the steal and he came down, he didn't hesitate, went and got it and made the finish.'

Where the Wildcats can be undone is on the boards (110th in rebounding margin), and that's where Mississippi State has traditionally made its living under coach Chris Jans.

This year's bunch is outrebounding opponents by an average of 11 per game, but the Bulldogs (2-1) struggled last time out to separate themselves from Southeastern Louisiana in a 75-68 win on Saturday.

Season scoring leader Josh Hubbard scored 15 points for Mississippi State, which committed 16 turnovers one game after making 26 in a loss to then-No. 16 Iowa State on Nov. 10.

Jans was baffled at the number of turnovers.

'We get a couple of back-to-back turnovers and the lead shrinks,' he said. 'Then, the coaches are upset, the players are a little dejected, and it snowballed on us a little that way. We're learning lessons, but we've got to apply them to the games.'

The winner of this game will square off on Friday vs. the victor of the Nebraska-New Mexico matchup.

--Field Level Media