LAWRENCE, Kan. – Highlighted by a marquee home matchup with UConn, a trip to North Carolina, and an appearance at Madison Square Garden against Duke, Kansas men’s basketball on Wednesday announced its loaded non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Additionally, KU will also face power conference foes Missouri and NC State and three more top programs in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas.

Kansas will host a total of 16 games inside historic Allen Fieldhouse in 2025-26, including six non-conference matchups (Green Bay, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Princeton, UConn, Towson, and Davidson). Season ticket renewal information for the 2025-26 season is available online by clicking here or by getting in touch with your account representative. Those interested in purchasing new season tickets can fill out a form here to be contacted by a ticket representative.

“Once again, we have a non-conference schedule that should be one of the most challenging non-conference schedules that anyone will play,” KU head coach Bill Self said. “We have a home game against UConn in early December, away matchups at North Carolina and NC State, and neutral games with 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. Our non-conference slate should certainly prepare us for what will be considered another great Big 12 season.”

Kansas will open the season at ACC foe Louisville in an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 24, at the KFC Yum! Center. KU will then host Fort Hays State in an exhibition contest on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks will open regular season play on Monday, Nov. 3, against Green Bay. Four days later, Kansas will play at fellow blue blood North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 7. This will be the third meeting between the two schools since 2022, with KU claiming the last two contests – 72-69 in the 2022 NCAA title game and 92-89 in Allen Fieldhouse last November.

KU then returns home for a pair of contests against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Nov. 11, and Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Kansas and Duke will square off in the Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 18, in New York City at historic Madison Square Garden. Since 2020, KU has won its last five Champions Classic contests. In fact, beginning in 2016, KU has won eight of its last nine Champions Classic battles.

Kansas will make its debut in the Players Era, Nov. 24-27, in Las Vegas. KU will play three games in the event, with details and opponents for the Players Era to be announced later.

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Kansas returns home to host UConn for the second time in the past three seasons. These two powers have won three of the last four NCAA National Championships, with KU in 2022 and UConn in 2023 and 2024.

In the last meeting, then-No. 5 Kansas defeated then-No. 4 UConn, 69-65, on Dec. 1, 2023, in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas will face Border Showdown foe Missouri on Sunday, Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and will then travel to NC State on Saturday, Dec. 13, in a return game from last season where KU defeated NC State, 75-60, on Dec. 14, in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas closes out non-conference play hosting Towson on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and Davidson on Monday, Dec. 22.

Specific dates and times for the Big 12’s 18-game league schedule, along with television details will be announced later. The Big 12 Championship will be March 10-14 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, with NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday set for March 15.

In 2024-25, Kansas ranked 12th in NCAA Division I in strength of schedule, marking the 18th time under head coach Bill Self that the Jayhawks have recorded a top 20 toughest schedule in the nation, with 14 of those in the top 10, and 10 in the top three.

Kansas Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Schedule (Home games in ALL CAPS; Times and TV to be announced later)

Oct. 24 (Fri.) – at Louisville (Exhibition)

Oct. 28 (Tue.) – FORT HAYS STATE (EXHIBITION)

Nov. 3 (Mon.) – GREEN BAY

Nov. 7 (Fri.) – at North Carolina

Nov. 11 (Tue.) – TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI

Nov. 15 (Sat.) – PRINCETON

Nov. 18 (Tue.) – vs. Duke (Champions Classic, New York City)

Nov. 24-27 (Mon.-Thurs.) – at Players Era (Las Vegas)

Dec. 2 (Tue.) – CONNECTICUT

Dec. 7 (Sun.) – vs. Missouri (Kansas City, Mo.)

Dec. 13 (Sat.) – at NC State

Dec. 16 (Tue.) – TOWSON

Dec. 22 (Mon.) – DAVIDSON

The Kansas Jayhawks will hit the road to face Louisville in an exhibition game prior to the start of the 2025-26 college basketball season on Friday, Oct. 24.

The news was announced Tuesday as KU’s schedule for the upcoming year begins to take shape. As part of the agreement, Louisville will travel to Lawrence for a return exhibition matchup prior to the 2026-27 season.

This will be the first time these two teams have faced off since KU traveled to Louisville in January 1993. The first meeting took place in February 1959 when KU lost in Louisville by a score of 82-74. However, KU has won four of the past five matchups and currently owns a 6-5 all-time record against the Cardinals.

Louisville experienced a remarkable turnaround this past season under head coach Pat Kelsey. Prior to his arrival, Louisville had gone a combined 12-52 in two seasons under former head coach and player Kenny Payne.

In Kelsey’s first year at the helm, he guided the Cardinals to an 18-2 ACC record (27-8 overall). The team finished the year ranked No. 10 in the country, according to the Associated Press, and Kelsey was named ACC Coach of the Year.

The exhibition will likely be KU fans’ first chance at getting a glimpse of ballyhooed freshman Darryn Peterson before the Jayhawks host one of their usual in-state Division II opponents for an exhibition inside Allen Fieldhouse prior to facing Green Bay to officially kick off the season on Nov. 4.

It’s unclear if the proceeds from the exhibition versus Louisville will go to any charity or Name, Image, and Likeness funds like some exhibitions have in the past. Tipoff time, television/streaming details, and ticket information are also still to be determined.

In this episode, we discuss three expectations for the Kansas City Chiefs on both offense and defense.

For a partial transcript of head coach Andy Reid’s comments on Josh Simmons, read below!

Q: Andy, when do you see him ready to go? Training Camp? Is that a reasonable timeline?

Reid: “He’ll definitely be ready for training camp,” Reid said. “He’ll be able to do some stuff up until then.”

Q: How important was the visit that he had here, as far as both the medical side, also just getting to know the kid?

Reid: “We had a chance to bring him here. We met with him at the combine, so we had that visit with him. We brought him up here for one of the 30 visits, had a good visit with him there. Had a zoom visit with him a couple of times, as late as yesterday. Again, just to make sure we we’re doing our homework.”

Q: What did you really see lacking in the lineman area that makes you think that Josh Simmons could really close the gap there and be a good fit for the team if he’s able to get healthy?

Reid: What you heard from the guys announcing this is true, he would have been a top five or ten pick. It’s a position we could use some good players at, just in addition of good players. In particular, the left tackle spot, if and when he can jump in there. He’s flexible so he can play any spot, we felt like he was a true left tackle.”

Q: What about his style and traits that fit that you like to do in the offensive line?

Reid: I think he’s good in the run and the pass game. But obviously you’re looking for guys that can anchor down in the pass game. That becomes important, especially on the left side with a right handed quarterback. We have such good players that we go against that play that defensive end spot, so it’s important that you find a guy who can do that.

As we get closer to the 2025 NFL campaign, more transcripts, like this one, will be released. Stay tuned.

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