Did Kansas duck UConn in the Big 12/Big East Battle?

Many in the college basketball world were hoping to see No. 1 Kansas make a return trip to two-time defending national champion UConn this season in the final year of the Big 12/Big East Battle.

A year ago, Kansas defeated UConn, 69-65, in an epic matchup of the last two national champions at Allen Fieldhouse. While the leagues do not generally schedule rematches the following year, it would have been a juicy national-television game between teams that, with UConn repeating as champs earlier this year, have won the past three national titles.

While UConn head coach Dan Hurley “absolutely” wanted the game, Kansas coach Bill Self “clearly didn’t want it,” a person with knowledge of the possible matchup told NJ Advance Media. But Self said he was unaware of any potential rematch with UConn.

“I’ve never heard that,” he told NJ Advance Media by text. “My scheduler never shared that with me.”

A Kansas spokesman said: “It’s really up to the two conferences. They set the schedules.”

Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com also has reported on his podcast that Self didn’t want the matchup, however.

Self, a two-time NCAA champion, is a highly impressive 23-8 against UConn, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and UCLA, and has shown no aversion to scheduling tough non-conference schedules. This year, Kansas already has beaten North Carolina, Michigan State and Duke.

A Kansas-UConn game would have a been a huge ratings draw for “Big Fox” this weekend, but Kansas is scheduled to visit Missouri on Sunday, which complicated the situation and forced UConn and Kansas to play midweek games in the challenge.

A year ago, UConn beat North Carolina at Madison Square Garden four days after going into hostile Allen Fieldhouse.

Instead of a Kansas-UConn game this year, No. 25 UConn hosted No. 15 Baylor and beat them, 75-72, on Tuesday, the same night that No. 1 Kansas lost at Creighton, 76-63. Both games were on FS1.

The only game in the battle airing on “Big Fox” is Saturday’s Kansas State-St. John’s game. The other games air on FS1, FS2 and the ESPN networks.

Kansas defeated Creighton, 73-72, in 2020 in Lawrence.

Ahead of this year’s Creighton game, Self was asked if he was surprised that his team wasn’t being sent to UConn.

“If you go back and look at it, didn’t we host Creighton here a few years ago, and in the same challenge?” he said. “And Marcus [Garrett] made two of three instead of three of three that would have sent it to overtime in that right at the very end the game. So we were fortunate to win that game in front of, you know, 1,500 people, and 900 were probably Creighton fans, if I remember, right?

“So … you know, disappointing that we didn’t get a chance to really play Creighton at home in a true home game. Also lucky that we won it, but I kind of figured that’s where the return game would go, but I didn’t have any say so on that. I don’t know who is Connecticut hosting this year.”

Self was informed by reporters at that press conference that UConn was hosting Baylor.

“Baylor … preseason top five or six, so I can certainly understand that,” Self said.

After this year, the Big East will be done with the Big 12 Battle, and it’s also no longer involved in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games.

That opens the league up for another challenge of some sort that has yet to materialize.

Big 12-BIG EAST Battle Results & Schedule

December 3

Villanova 68, No. 14 Cincinnati 60

Providence 83, BYU 65

December 4

No. 25 Connecticut 75, No. 15 Baylor 72

Creighton 76, No. 1 Kansas 63

Texas Tech 76, DePaul 62

No. 6 Iowa State 82, No. 5 Marquette 71

TCU 76, Xavier 72

December 6

West Virginia 73, Georgetown 60

December 7

Kansas State at St. John’s

Butler at No. 17 Houston

December 8

Oklahoma State at Seton Hall

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.