Fordham’s 124th season opens Monday with a trip that leaves no room to ease in. The Rams head to Lawrence, Kansas, to meet the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, a setting that turns every trip down the floor into a stress test.
Kansas comes in ranked No. 17 in the preseason AP poll, and the home court brings the kind of pressure that has made Allen Fieldhouse such a tough place for visitors. For Fordham, the first challenge is not just the opponent. It is keeping its focus from drifting into the moment itself and treating each possession like its own problem to solve.
That matters even more for a team starting a new year under head coach Mike Magpayo. A game like this can show how a roster talks to one another, how it handles pressure and what happens when the other side makes a push. Those are the kinds of lessons that can stick with a team well beyond opening night.
The matchup also gives Kansas a chance to settle in at home and start the season on the right foot. A sharp opening would help the Jayhawks find their rhythm early, while any uneven stretch could give Fordham a reason to believe the door is open.
On paper, this looks like a mismatch. But for Fordham, the value is in the setting as much as the scoreboard.
Facing a ranked team in a building like this is the kind of chance most programs only get when the schedule hands it to them. If the Rams stay composed and keep competing through the rough patches, they can walk away with something useful no matter how the final score reads.
In Other News...
Kansas Got A Painful Answer In Cole Ballards First Start
Isaiah Marshalls lower-leg injury left Kansas without much of a choice against TCU, and Lance Leipold said the quarterback was not close to being available. That opened the door for Cole Ballard to make his first start, and the young passer showed enough to keep the Jayhawks moving, throwing for 285 yards and a touchdown while giving the offense a spark in a tough spot.
The problem was the other side of the ledger. Ballard also turned the ball over, and those mistakes helped swing the game against Kansas in a loss that left both quarterback and coach focused on the same theme afterward: missed chances. Leipold and Ballard both acknowledged the errors, and Ballard made clear how much the turnovers bothered him, leaving the Jayhawks with a painful but revealing answer at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Got Another Reminder Of How Loaded This Roster Is
Kansas got another reminder this week that the roster Bill Self is putting together has real conference weight to it. Freshman Tyran Stokes and transfer forward Trey Kaufman-Renn both landed among the top 10 players in the Big 12 on Ariel Petermans preseason list, a nod that underscores how much attention this group is drawing before the season even tips off. Stokes, already named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, comes in with the kind of buzz that usually follows a cant-miss newcomer, while Kaufman-Renn brings a proven frontcourt presence from Purdue.
For Kansas, the appeal is in the balance. Stokes gives the Jayhawks a high-end freshman centerpiece, and Kaufman-Renn adds older, established production to a roster that is expected to be one of the leagues most talented. Having two players recognized that highly in the same preseason ranking is a strong sign of the ceiling here, and it also hints at how much pressure opponents will face trying to account for both ends of the Kansas front line. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Blew A 13-0 Lead In A Brutal Home Collapse
Kansas had the kind of first half that can make a home crowd start thinking big, controlling the game early and taking a 13-0 lead into halftime against TCU. Cole Ballard was sharp enough to keep the offense moving, and Nazhee Cox gave the passing game a real spark with a big afternoon as the Jayhawks looked in command for much of the opening two quarters.
The second half told a much different story. Turnovers and missed chances opened the door for TCU, which steadily chipped away before finishing off a 22-16 comeback win, leaving Kansas to sort through a collapse that felt especially painful on its own field. Ballard finished with 285 passing yards, but the Jayhawks could not turn that production into enough points after halftime. [Read more 🡒]