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Kansas Basketball Turns Heads with Major Team News on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It was a tough and frustrating 2024-25 season for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. The 62-year-old head coach saw his team eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
This marked the third straight season Kansas failed to reach the Sweet 16 following its national title run in 2022.
But Self, his staff and a revamped roster are ready to turn the page and gear up for the 2025-26 season.
The Jayhawks recently posted their official non-conference schedule, and as usual in Lawrence, it’s filled with high-level competition. Self is no stranger to tough early-season tests, and 2025-26 will be no different.
Fan reactions summed up the anticipation:
“This is a loaded Non-Conference schedule. Big props to Bill Self.” said this commenter
Jayhawk fan here loving the challenge: “North Carolina, UConn, and Duke? Bring it on.”
“Louisville, UNC, Duke, UConn, mizzou, NCState and oh hey it’s December 14.” says this fan
More tough competition talk: “North Carolina, UConn and duke are going to be tough games Border war should in Lawrence but I guess playing in Kansas City is fine I’m going to enjoy the burners (expletive) on Princeton those (expletive) nerds.”
“Guantlet.” another adds here
This fan knows it won’t be easy: “Absolute mayhem.”
The preseason tips off with a scrimmage against Pat Kelsey’s Louisville Cardinals. Kelsey, in his first year, helped Louisville return to the NCAA Tournament last season.
Kansas’ first regular-season home game will be against Doug Gottlieb’s UW-Green Bay Phoenix. From the Nov. 7 trip to North Carolina through a Dec. 13 visit to NC State, the Jayhawks will face one of the toughest slates in the country.
After visiting Chapel Hill on Nov. 7, Kansas hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton before facing Duke in the Champions Classic on Nov. 18. That showdown will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Next comes the inaugural Players Era event in Las Vegas, a multi-game neutral site showcase with opponents to be announced later.
Then it’s back to Allen Fieldhouse for a high-profile home game against Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies on Dec. 2. The rivalry game against Missouri follows, this time played in Kansas City. Both the Huskies and Tigers made the NCAA Tournament last season.
The non-conference schedule wraps up with a road game at NC State on Dec. 13, then home games against Towson and Davidson before Christmas.
Self addressed the ambitious schedule:
“Once again, we have a non-conference schedule that should be one of the most challenging anyone will play,” he said. “We have a home game against UConn in early December, away matchups at North Carolina and NC State, neutral games like Duke in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden, the three games at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, and another with Missouri in Kansas City. Those, along with the Big 12 competition, make this a very tough and demanding schedule.”
The Jayhawks remain one of college basketball’s elite programs, with four NCAA championships and six runner-up finishes in school history. While recent seasons have fallen short of expectations, Self has a strong track record of bouncing back. The revamped roster and elite schedule should have Kansas battle-tested by the time Big 12 play begins.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
