Kansas basketball gets the real thing on Monday night, and the first regular-season test comes with Fordham walking into Allen Fieldhouse.
After three exhibitions - including a comfortable win over Pittsburg State and competitive battles with Louisville and Duke - the Jayhawks are finally playing a game that counts. Bill Self used those tune-ups to mix and match lineups, trying to figure out how this roster fits together.
Fordham, an Atlantic 10 team that went 17-15 last season, was picked seventh in the preseason rankings. On paper, this is a step down from Kansas’ last two exhibition opponents, but the Jayhawks are still sorting out their rotation, so this one could stay tight for a while.
The game is set for Monday, November 2, at 7 p.m. CT in Allen Fieldhouse. It will be Fordham’s first trip to the building since 1977, when Kansas won 99-67.
Fans looking to watch can find the game on ESPN+, with streaming available through FuboTV or Disney+ with an ESPN package.
Even now, the starting five is still a little murky, though three spots appear to be spoken for. Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, and Tyran Stokes are set in stone, while the other two positions seem to be a battle among Taylen Kinney, Keanu Dawes, and Christian Reeves.
White’s ability to slide between guard and the four gives Self some flexibility. Trey Kaufman-Renn will also enter the mix, most likely at the five, once he gets more comfortable in the system and with his teammates.
That adjustment is part of the bigger story with this group. Kansas looks different with Council and White in the fold than it did before they arrived.
Self had been preparing to lean on a number of inexperienced players, but now he can draw on veterans who already know the system and give the younger guys more time to settle in. The challenge now is getting everyone comfortable in their roles and connected on the floor.
There’s also a streak hanging over the opener: Kansas has won 52 straight regular-season home openers. Self, Roy Williams, and Larry Brown all never lost their first home game of the season, and Ted Owens - recently inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame - was the last KU coach to lose the first game of the season in the Phog, more than five decades ago.
The exhibition numbers suggest the offense could be worth watching right away. Kansas averaged 82.6 points per game across those three tune-ups and scored at least 80 in each one. That kind of pace makes for a fun watch, and the hope is that it carries straight into the regular season.
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 🡒]