Kansas Basketball enters the 2023-24 season as one of the consensus top teams in the country. Their non-conference schedule will be their first opportunity to prove they deserve top billing.
There were some key losses for Bill Self’s team in the offseason. Jalen Wilson finally left for the NBA. Top-tier sharpshooter Gradey Dick also went to the league, becoming a lottery pick for the Toronto Raptors.
There’s a trio of solid returnees to Lawrence, however, including guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and wing Kevin McCullar Jr. The third notable player to come back to Kansas is another “Jr.,” but he played like a star last year: big man K.J. Adams Jr.
Not to mention the incoming players, led by potential All-American big man Hunter Dickinson. Nick Timberlake is also joining the fray and should be bringing his strong scoring touch all the way from Towson.
Non-conference action is the first chance to see how it all comes together this season.
Let’s have a look at the non-conference schedule for one of college basketball’s top teams in 2023-24, the Kansas Jayhawks.
Last year, the Jayhawks won yet another Big 12 regular season title. But they faltered in the NCAA Tournament, failing to make it out of the first weekend after being upset by the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second round.
During the regular season, Kansas was barely touched in non-conference play, securing upper echelon wins such as a neutral site victory over Duke, a home win over Indiana, a dominant win at rival Missouri, and a win at Kentucky in the final Big 12/SEC Challenge. The lone blemish came against Tennessee in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game.
Let’s take a look at Kansas’ non-conference schedule, starting with the traditional contests.
Regular Season Games
These are the regular season contests that are part of normal business for the Jayhawks: no early-season tournaments, no named rivalry games, no challenges, etc.
November 6 vs. North Carolina Central
LeVelle Moton has turned North Carolina Central into one of the top teams in the MEAC on a consistent basis, taking the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament on four occasions. They managed to put a scare into the major foes it faced last season, keeping the final score within a dozen at LSU, Marquette, and Virginia. Allen Fieldhouse is a different animal to start the season, though.
November 10 vs. Manhattan
It would be a short hop from Manhattan, Kansas to Lawrence. Unfortunately for the Jaspers, they’re coming all the way from the Big Apple. The team showed some good fight last season after losing their head coach weeks before the season, imploding the program. Manhattan is a mid-tier MAAC team at best, though John Gallagher is a great coach who should get the Jaspers into a better spot.
November 28 vs. Eastern Illinois
Thus continues the run of cupcake opponents coming to Allen Fieldhouse. The Panthers finished in the basement of the Ohio Valley Conference last season and their most notable moment came when a star took a swing at a fan.
December 5 vs. Kansas City
One could say the Roos are fortunate that they don’t have to leave the state to go to Kansas, but the program actually plays its home games in Missouri. Last season was the team’s first under former New Mexico State and UNLV coach Marvin Menzies; the team went 11-21. Menzies has built mid-majors up in the region before, so the Roos should be better, but not good enough to really scare the Jayhawks.
December 16 at Indiana
After beating the Hoosiers at home last year, the Jayhawks return the favor by visiting Bloomington for their first true road game of the season, more than a month into the year. The Hoosiers were formidable last year, but are likely to take a step back following several key exits, none larger than Trayce Jackson-Davis. Still, this should be a highly competitive game and Xavier Johnson and Kel’el Ware will present big problems.
December 22 vs. Yale
James Jones has turned Yale into a perennial Ivy League contender, winning the regular season title last year before succumbing to Princeton in the conference tournament championship. With Matt Knowling back for another season, the Bulldogs should be one of the conference’s best once again and the toughest non-conference home game for Kansas this season.
December 30 vs. Wichita State (at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO)
Kansas closes non-conference play with a game at the T-Mobile Center against Wichita State. The program quickly gave up on Isaac Brown, but made a great hire in poaching Paul Mills from Oral Roberts. There are a couple of interesting players there, including big man Kenny Pohto, but the Shockers need some time before they could possibly shock the Jayhawks.
Tournaments and special contests
There’s a bountiful amount of early-season tournaments and specially marked games the Jayhawks will be in this season.
November 14: State Farm Champions Classic vs. Kentucky (in Chicago, IL)
Since being founded in 2015, Kansas is knotted with Duke for the best record in the fairly even Champions Classic at 7-5. That includes a split 2-2 record against the Wildcats. As always, Kentucky is cycling through freshmen and transfers, though having Antonio Reeves back and Tre Mitchell in the fold are key. This will be the first major spotlight game for freshmen DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle the pressure.
November 20-22: Maui Invitational (in Lahaina, HI)
The Jayhawks are one of the frequent fliers to the annual Hawaiian basketball mecca, one of five programs with at least three tiles in Maui Invitational history. They’ll likely enter the tournament as the favorite this year, but it’s one of the most loaded fields in history. The other teams: Gonzaga, Marquette, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, and Chaminade. That’s a murderer’s row of teams, at least three of whom seem likely to fly back to the continental United States with two losses on their ledger.
December 1: Big East/Big 12 Battle vs. UConn
In four competitions, the Big 12 has surprisingly never won the battle between the conferences (though they’ve tied three times). Kansas will have its hands full with one of the best teams in the nation and the defending national champions, the Huskies. It should be an interesting game between two teams that will still be looking to get into a groove after roster overhauls. Being at home helps Kansas.
December 9: HyVee Hoops Border Showdown vs. Missouri
The Border War is always intense, but last year, it was a non-contest. Kansas smacked Mizzou by 28 points, its second consecutive rout in the long-running battle, which has tilted nearly 2-to-1 for the Jayhawks. The Tigers haven’t beaten their counterpart since 2012 – when they were both in the Big 12 – and Kansas has won 13 of the last 15 in the series. The loss of Kobe Brown is tough on Dennis Gates’ team, but he did add Connor Vanover and Caleb Grill in the transfer portal.
Kansas’ non-conference schedule runs the gamut in 2023-24. It will be a big indicator as to how far the Jayhawks can go.