Kansas basketball now knows the road map for its 2026-27 Big 12 season.
According to a KU release, the Jayhawks will begin their 18-game conference schedule on Jan. 2 with a home date against West Virginia. From there, the league grind gets going quickly, with Kansas State showing up twice in late winter - first on Jan. 23 in Manhattan and then again on Feb. 27 in Lawrence.
Kansas will finish its Big 12 regular season on March 6 with a road trip to Baylor.
The schedule lands at a moment when Kansas is drawing plenty of attention. Bill Self is back after considering retirement, and the Jayhawks also landed 247Sports’ No. 1 recruit in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes. The freshman guard is viewed as a player who could help push Kansas toward Big 12 and national success, though that kind of season will require him to produce consistently and for the rest of the roster to raise its level too.
Here’s the full Big 12 slate for Kansas in 2026-27:
Jan. 2 (home) - West Virginia
Jan. 6 (away) - Utah
Jan. 9 (away) - BYU
Jan. 13 (home) - Colorado
Jan. 16 (home) - UCF
Jan. 19 (away) - Cincinnati
Jan. 23 (away) - Kansas State
Jan. 30 (home) - Oklahoma State
Feb. 1 (away) - Houston
Feb. 6 (home) - Texas Tech
Feb. 9 (home) - Arizona State
Feb. 13 (away) - Iowa State
Feb. 17 (home) - Baylor
Feb. 20 (away) - Arizona
Feb. 24 (away) - TCU
Feb. 27 (home) - Kansas State
March 1 (home) - Iowa State
March 6 (away) - Baylor
In Other News...
Kansas Football Faces A New Big 12 Concern Under Lance Leipold
A new industry-wide look at college football spending has put Kansas in a familiar but uncomfortable spot as Lance Leipold tries to keep the program moving forward. The Athletics report, which estimates 2026 roster budgets across the Power 4 from more than 70 unnamed sources, places the Jayhawks near the lower end of the Big 12 and well behind many of the sports biggest buyers.
The estimate pegs KUs roster spending at about $15-17 million, a number that underscores how hard it can be for the Jayhawks to keep pace in an era where roster investment is becoming as important as coaching and development. The report also points to the same financial pressure points Kansas has been navigating for a while, with conference media-rights revenue and continued spending on the stadium and Gateway District limiting what can go directly into the team itself. [Read more 🡒]
Ochai Agbaji Just Landed A Shot Kansas Fans Will Watch Closely
Ochai Agbajis NBA journey has taken him through Brooklyn, Toronto and Utah, and now the former Kansas guard is getting another chance to stick with a team that enters camp with an opening on its roster. The New York Knicks have added him on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, the sort of move that keeps a player in the mix while leaving very little settled before the final cutdown.
For Jayhawks fans, it is another reason to track a familiar name in the league, especially with New York carrying one open roster spot and several other players on similar deals. Agbaji is in the middle of a crowded competition that also includes John Konchar, Drew Eubanks, Bruce Brown and James Wiseman, so the path is there, but far from clear, and the next few weeks will decide whether this becomes a real opening or just another stop on the way. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Heads To London With A New Quarterback Concern
Kansas heads into its trip to London already managing a few injury questions, and the quarterback room is suddenly part of that conversation. Backup Cole Ballard is listed as doubtful for the matchup with Arizona State after hurting his right arm against Missouri, while starting quarterback Isaiah Marshall has still been practicing despite a sore arm of his own.
The bigger wrinkle is the depth behind Marshall, where availability matters as much as anything this week. Several other Jayhawks, including Cam Pickett, Bam Crouch and Carson Bruhn, are also in the questionable category, and Kansas has a third option in Chase Jenkins, who has been taking snaps in practice and is available if needed as the Jayhawks sort through the last bits of uncertainty before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
