Kansas basketball heads into Big 12 media days on Tuesday with plenty of familiar attention and a few fresh wrinkles.
Bill Self will be in Kansas City, Missouri, for the event, joined by senior forward Keanu Dawes, sophomore guard Kohl Rosario and freshman guard Tyran Stokes. That group alone tells part of the story for the tied-No. 18 Jayhawks, who are beginning to take shape ahead of the 2026-27 season and their preseason exhibition slate.
For Self, this is year 24 in charge of Kansas, and the expectations around his team are already clear. With the roster he’s put together, KU will be judged on whether it can compete near the top of the Big 12 and stay in the national conversation.
The pieces are there, but the group still has to come together, especially with so many recent additions in the mix. And while the Jayhawks should be aiming high, the NCAA tournament marker is hard to ignore: Self hasn’t taken Kansas to a second weekend since the national title run in 2022.
A big part of the buzz centers on Stokes. The freshman arrives in Lawrence carrying the weight that comes with being 247Sports’ No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2026.
He’s widely viewed as one of the best players in the country and a future early pick in the NBA draft. The question now is how his season will be remembered at Kansas - as an individual showcase, a driver of team success, or both.
Another major talking point is how Kansas landed fifth-year forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. On Monday, the program announced that the Purdue transfer would join the roster.
He is currently eligible because of a court case in Indiana, and his arrival comes as freshman forward Grant Mordini has been ruled out for the season because of injury. Self’s explanation of how that all came together should be a topic of interest, especially with Kaufman-Renn raising the ceiling of the front court.
Kansas also recently added senior guards Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, both of whom were on the team last season and are currently eligible because of separate court cases. Their presence gives Self more options, but it also complicates the early months of the season. The rotation and starting lineup may take time to settle, and some players who expected larger roles will have to adjust once the roster hierarchy sorts itself out.
Beyond the obvious names, there’s still room for another player to emerge. Stokes and others appear set for major minutes, which could make it harder for a true breakout story to develop.
Even so, Self has spoken highly of the freshman class, including guard Taylen Kinney, and he’s made it clear there’s talent deeper in the group as well. The door is open for someone to surprise and force his way into the conversation.
In Other News...
Bill Selfs Early Read On Two Kansas Newcomers Says Plenty
Kansas basketballs late offseason additions were always going to draw extra attention, and the preseason opener offered an early glimpse at how two of them are settling in. Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. both arrived under unusual eligibility circumstances, giving Bill Self a pair of new starters to blend into the lineup on the fly. In the first exhibition, White looked the more polished of the two, scoring 16 points and showing a comfort level that fit the eye test.
Selfs early read also suggested the gap between the newcomers may not be all that surprising. He pointed to differences in how each spent the offseason and made it clear White is further along in his progression right now, while Council had a tougher night. For Kansas, the larger question is how quickly both can get fully up to speed, because the Jayhawks brought them in to help right away and the season will demand that adjustment sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Gets An Early Reality Check From National Voters
Kansas preseason outlook came with a little public humility on Monday, as the Jayhawks landed outside the top tier in the AP Top 25 and settled into a spot that reflects both respect for the program and a reminder of how much work is ahead. The season will begin with an immediate test at Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas is set to play exhibition games against ranked Louisville and Duke, a fitting early gauge for a roster trying to find its footing before the games start to count.
The challenge does not stop there. Kansas is scheduled to face 10 teams ranked in the preseason top 25 during the season, so the Jayhawks will not have to wait long to find out where they stand nationally. One wrinkle in all of that: former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn joined the roster after the preseason voting had already wrapped, leaving the poll as only part of the picture for a team that may look a little different once the real evaluation begins. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Has Early Bulletin Board Material With This Preseason Ranking
Kansas opened the preseason at No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25, a ranking that extends its streak of being included in the poll to 35 straight years. For a program that has spent so much of the modern era carrying national expectations, it is a reminder that even in a year of transition, the Jayhawks are still viewed as a relevant piece of the national picture, with top recruit Tyran Stokes joining a roster that also brings back experienced help.
The placement gives Kansas a little extra motivational fuel, especially with Michigan sitting ahead of it and Iowa State tucked just behind. Bill Selfs team is expected to be in the thick of the Big 12 race and will have to navigate a demanding nonconference slate as well, which means the early ranking is less a reward than a challenge. The Jayhawks have been in this spot before, and now they get to spend the fall trying to prove the voters were a little too cautious. [Read more 🡒]