Kansas basketball already has a little extra edge heading into 2026-27, and it comes from an unexpected place. CBS Sports college basketball pundit Gary Parrish left the Jayhawks out of his preseason Top 25+1, giving Bill Self’s group a fresh piece of bulletin board material before the season even gets going.
Hard to believe? Joel Wagler at Through the Phog certainly thinks so.
On the roster front, the biggest question for KU’s opening lineup is still unresolved at center. Christian Reeves or Paul Mbiya will be the choice to start the season, but the signs point toward Mbiya as the favorite. Reeves’ shoulder surgery this offseason leaves his status uncertain, which gives Mbiya the inside track.
Michael Swain also took a closer look at Kohl Rosario and one specific area the Jayhawk has targeted since last offseason. Confidence was the focus. Rosario said he spent time working on his mentality and on controlling what he can control after thinking too much during a difficult start to last season, something that clearly affected his play.
There was plenty happening on the volleyball side, too. Matt Ulmer joined the K-Nation to talk about Kansas’ exhibition win over Creighton, and he later spoke with 27 Sports anchor Sydney Clark about the matchup, the young talent on this year’s team, and the energy around the squad. KSNT’s recap showed just how tight the contest was: Kansas won the first set 25-22, Creighton answered with a 25-23 second set and a 26-24 third, then the Jayhawks closed it out by taking the fourth and finishing the fifth 15-7.
Kansas women’s soccer also added a win, and Kent State’s recap lays out how it unfolded. The Flashes held the 12th-ranked Jayhawks scoreless for the first 75 minutes, but Kansas erupted for three goals in a five-minute stretch before Kent State scored in the final three minutes. The final was 3-1 Kansas.
Elsewhere, one quote stood out for all the wrong reasons. “Turnovers are technique plus awareness.
So, really showing a lot of film, having to show guys where we kind of missed some opportunities, be able to punch a ball out, strip a ball, different things like that. It’s something that we work on every day,” opened McDonald.
The Big Ten also moved quickly on a major eligibility issue. The league announced Tuesday that any player who has declared for the NFL draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster, or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big Ten roster.
Lane Kiffin pushed back hard, saying, “Over 100 athletes in multiple sports were cleared and said you could go play. That’s a court order,” Kiffin said.
“If you think back on all the different court orders of great players that were granted -- whether that’s Diego Pavia or, now, Trinidad [ Chambliss ] that were allowed to play a sixth year, we followed all court orders. I think you get into a really interesting situation as a conference if you’re now saying, ‘Well, we’re not going to follow this court order.’
These kids that a court says can go anywhere, we’re going to say, ‘No you can’t.’”
And there’s an MLB labor note worth watching, too. ESPN reported that if a new CBA gets done before the deadline, baseball will keep rolling as usual. If not, the owners and players could still negotiate while the sport operates under the old agreement, though the more likely outcome is an immediate lockout that would shut down all league business until a new deal is reached.
Tom Ley also wrote about Marge Schott, and that piece was linked as well.
In Other News...
Mizzou Fans Just Got A New Reason To Relive Border War Glory
A new documentary is putting one of the most memorable chapters of the Border War back in the spotlight. Armageddon at Arrowhead premiered with a focus on the November 2007 football showdown between Kansas and Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium, revisiting a game that still sits near the center of the rivalrys modern history. The film draws on perspectives from former players and looks at why that matchup carried so much weight for both sides.
Beyond the emotions of the day itself, the documentary also examines what came after. Missouri came away missing a chance to play for the national title, while Kansas punched its ticket to a BCS bowl appearance, leaving both programs with plenty to remember and plenty to debate whenever the rivalry comes up again. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Offensive Line Has One Camp Battle That Could Shape Everything
Kansas is spending camp trying to turn a reshuffled offensive line into something dependable, and the early emphasis has been less on highlight moments than on chemistry. With new transfers joining the mix, the Jayhawks have been working through the kind of communication issues that can make or break a unit up front. Redshirt junior Connor Stroh and left tackle Calvin Clements have both pointed to the same theme: the group has to understand each other well away from the field if it wants the five spots to function as one.
That challenge matters because the line is being asked to provide both athleticism and physicality, two traits associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki made clear are nonnegotiable. Camp battles along the front often get reduced to simple depth-chart questions, but for Kansas this one feels bigger than that. The Jayhawks are not just looking for five linemen who can win reps, they are trying to find the combination that can settle the offense before the season even starts. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Has Its Week 1 QB Answer But One Big Twist Remains
Kansas has its Week 1 quarterback answer in Isaiah Marshall, who was confirmed as the starter ahead of the season opener against Long Island. The decision gives Lance Leipold a clear first choice at the most important position, with Marshall winning out over junior Cole Ballard as the Jayhawks settle into game-week mode.
Cole Ballards role still makes this more interesting than a simple depth-chart announcement. Even after losing the starting job, he was named one of the teams captains, and Leipold has already indicated both quarterbacks are expected to play in the opener. So while Marshall will get the nod, Kansas appears set to lean on both players right away as it begins the season. [Read more 🡒]