Kansas and Louisville are set to meet again in an exhibition that should offer a much clearer look at both rosters than Kansas’ preseason opener ever did.
The Jayhawks will host the Cardinals tomorrow in a nationally televised matchup, the second game in a home-and-home series that started last year with KU’s 90-82 win at the KFC Yum! Center.
Kansas opened its preseason with a win over Pittsburg State, but Bill Self treated that game more like a long tryout, spreading minutes around to 12 players. This one should tell a lot more about what the rotation might actually look like when the games count.
There’s still the usual exhibition caveat here: effort won’t be at a regular-season level, and every coach handles these games differently. Even so, this feels like the kind of scrimmage both programs wanted when they scheduled it. It gives Kansas a serious test in its own building, and it gives Louisville a chance to respond after getting handled by the Jayhawks a year ago.
The biggest buzz point is obvious. Flory Bidunga is back in Lawrence, only now he’s wearing Louisville colors after leaving for the ACC on a hefty NIL deal.
That alone makes this a little spicier than the average October tune-up. But Bidunga isn’t the only high-end piece Pat Kelsey brought in.
Jackson Shelstad, the Oregon transfer, is another major addition for the Cardinals. He was one of the most coveted players in the country, and along with Bidunga, he gives Louisville a pretty dangerous point guard-center pairing. Kelsey has built a transfer-heavy roster that ranks No. 2 in the country according to 247 Sports, and he’s guided Louisville to AP Top 25 finishes in both of his seasons while going 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament.
That’s why Louisville won’t be walking into Allen Fieldhouse casually. Kelsey knows what happened in last year’s meeting, and his team should come in looking to make a statement early.
For Kansas, the more interesting questions are still about the new faces and how quickly they fit. Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. are hardly strangers, since both played for the Jayhawks last season, but their roles are still part of the roster shuffle that had KU looking finished until late last month. Then Trey Kaufman-Renn entered the picture, adding another layer to what was already a crowded frontcourt situation.
Kaufman-Renn brings real pedigree from Purdue and could grow into an All-Big 12-caliber player once he settles in. Whether he’s even around by the time postseason play arrives is unknown, and that applies to the other recent additions as well.
But Council and White will be available tomorrow, and Kaufman-Renn could make his debut too after starting practices this week. That gives Kansas yet another name to evaluate in a roster that seems to change every time the lights come on.
The freshman drawing the most attention last time out was Tyran Stokes, and he’ll still have plenty of eyes on him tomorrow. But Kaufman-Renn adds a different kind of intrigue, especially with all the movement around the Jayhawks over the last few weeks.
Louisville enters ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP poll, with Kansas six spots behind at No. 17. Those rankings came before Kaufman-Renn joined the mix, but they still tell the story pretty clearly: the Cardinals are a legitimate opponent with plenty of quality pieces, and Bidunga is part of the reason why.
Kansas has used road exhibitions against Illinois, Arkansas and Louisville over the past three years. This time, the marquee matchup is coming at home, and Self should get a better read on which players are ready for early-season tests against teams like Kentucky and opponents at the Players Era Festival.
If Kansas gets the kind of energy this building is known for, and if Stokes delivers a few of those highlight-reel dunks, the crowd should have plenty to chew on. From there, the Jayhawks may be able to grind out a close one.
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 Enters Media Days With One Roster Question Fans Can't Ignore
Bill Self heads to Big 12 Conference media days with a roster that already looks very different from the one Kansas fans watched last season. Keanu Dawes, Kohl Rosario and Tyran Stokes are set to join him, while the Jayhawks have also added fifth-year forward Trey Kaufman-Renn through the transfer portal and brought in senior guards Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White as part of a revamped mix of experience and upside.
The big question now is how all of that comes together once the spotlight turns from summer movement to actual rotation decisions. Stokes will draw plenty of attention as one of the faces of the group, but the real intrigue for Kansas is how quickly the newcomers settle in and which pieces Self can trust when the season starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]