Kansas now has the full outline for its 2026-27 men’s basketball season, with the Big 12 releasing its conference schedule on Thursday.
The league slate runs 18 games, and Kansas opens Big 12 play on Jan. 2 at Allen Fieldhouse against West Virginia.
A few familiar opponents show up twice on the schedule. Kansas will play Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State both home and away.
The Jayhawks’ first meeting with Iowa State comes in Ames on Feb. 13, then the Cyclones return to Lawrence for Big Monday on March 1. Kansas is 41-0 under Bill Self on Big Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The other Big Monday matchup sends Kansas to Houston on Feb. 1.
The Sunflower Showdown starts early this time around. Kansas travels to Manhattan for the first matchup on Jan. 23, then hosts Kansas State on Feb. 27.
Other Big 12 teams coming to Allen Fieldhouse include Colorado, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, UCF and Texas Tech. Texas Tech visits Lawrence on Feb. 6.
Kansas also gets one crack at the reigning Big 12 champion Arizona Wildcats, with that game set for Feb. 20.
The nonconference portion of the schedule was already announced on June 2, and it features Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Nov. 10, Missouri on Dec. 6 in Kansas City and UConn on Dec.
- The Jayhawks will also play in the Players ERA 8 in Las Vegas from Nov. 17-19, where they’ll have three games in three days beginning with UNLV.
Before the regular season opens against Fordham on Nov. 2, Kansas will host three exhibition games.
Pittsburg State is first on Oct. 16 in a game tied to Late Night in the Phog, followed by Louisville with Flory Bidunga on Oct. 21 and Duke on Oct. 25.
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Kansas Defense Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Against Arizona State
Kansas has spent the early part of the season showing that its defense is ahead of where it was a year ago, with key contributors emerging up front, at linebacker and in the secondary. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald has pointed to that growth as the Jayhawks have settled in, and the improved play has given the unit a clearer identity heading into the heart of the schedule.
The next chance to measure it comes against Arizona State, and that matchup is shaping up as the most revealing one yet for a group that has taken visible steps forward. Kansas already showed it can handle a physical rushing team in a way that was not always there last season, but this is the kind of game that can show whether those gains are real progress or just a promising start. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces An Early Isaiah Marshall Test In Arizona State Clash
Kansas heads into its meeting with Arizona State with more than just a new opponent on the docket, because the setting alone gives this game a different feel. The Jayhawks will be dealing with a neutral-site stage that adds travel, atmosphere and a little extra pressure, while the football part of the assignment still comes back to familiar concerns: getting the run game going and helping Isaiah Marshall settle into a rhythm early.
For Kansas, that means the margin for error is slim against an Arizona State offense with real speed on the perimeter. Reed Harris and Omarion Miller give the Sun Devils two receivers the Jayhawks have to account for, which puts even more importance on Kansas' front seven and coverage discipline. On the other side of the ball, the Jayhawks also have a clear path to making life harder on quarterback Cutter Boley, and if they can disrupt him at the right times, it could shape the game long before the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]
Tre White Buzz Raises A Bigger Kansas Lineup Concern
Tre Whites name has started circulating again around Kansas basketball, and for good reason. The former Jayhawk is among the players involved in an Indiana lawsuit seeking a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAAs 5-in-5 rule, which at least opens the door to a possible return if hes eventually cleared to compete.
Even so, White alone would not solve the bigger issue facing Kansas as roster pressure builds. The Jayhawks are still looking at a lineup that could use more help across the board, especially with ball handling and size, and the frontcourt picture remains unsettled enough that any added depth would only go so far in addressing it. [Read more 🡒]