The Kansas State men’s basketball team began its season with an 89-65 victory over New Orleans on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum. It wasn’t an effortless game for the Wildcats, who fell behind by double digits in the early going and needed big nights from guards Max Jones and Brendan Hausen to pull away in the second half.

New Orleans finished 5-16 in Southland action and 2-15 on the road a season ago. The Privateers averaged 73.5 points per game while shooting 41.8% from the field and 30.3% from de