Schedule outlook
Kansas basketball opens the season with a big meeting in the State Farm Champions Classic on Nov. 9 against Michigan State. It is the 15th meeting between the two teams with the Jayhawks holding a two-game winning streak in the series. The matchup stands at 7-7 currently.
Kansas basketball will return home on Nov. 12 to host Tarleton State then a scrappy Stony Brook squad on Nov. 18. Then, the Jayhawks are off to Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational. They’ll open things up on Nov. 25 against Nov. 25, then face Dayton/Miami on Nov. 26 and Alabama/Iona/Belmont/Drake on the other side of the bracket depending on results on Nov. 28.
The Jayhawks will stay on the road to kick off December with St. John’s on Dec. 3 then face UTEP on Dec. 7 in a neutral-site game at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
It’s a fair trade-off with three of their final four non-conference games being at home. Missouri (Dec. 11) and Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 18) will make visits in what should be fun matchups. Then they’ll face Colorado (Dec. 21) on the road before hosting Harvard (Dec. 29) and kicking off their Big 12 basketball schedule in January.
The New Year will kick off with TCU at home on Jan. 1 before two road games against Oklahoma State (Jan. 4) and Texas Tech (Jan. 8). Two home games follow against Iowa State (Jan. 11) and West Virginia (Jan. 15) before they go back on the road to face Oklahoma (Jan. 18) and Kansas State (Jan. 22) in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. Kansas holds a five-game winning streak in the rivalry and has won 13 of the last 14 meetings.
Texas Tech will make a visit on Jan. 24 in a primetime matchup. The conference slate will pause for the Big 12/SEC Challenge as Kansas basketball squares off against Kentucky on Jan. 29 to close out the month. The Jayhawks have won four of the last five meetings which helps considering the Wildcats have owned the matchup with 23 wins and 10 losses in the series’ history.
The Jayhawks return to the Big 12 basketball schedule with Iowa State on the road on Feb. 1, then host Baylor on Feb. 5 before returning to the road to face Texas on Feb. 7.
Two home games against Oklahoma (Feb. 12) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 14) before heading back on the road to face West Virginia on Feb. 19.
In the final four games on the conference schedule, the Jayhawks will host Kansas State (Feb. 22) go on the road to face Baylor (Feb. 26) and TCU (March 1) before their final game at home against Texas on March 5. The conference tournament will run from March 9-12.