Kansas basketball: Stephen F. Austin a good replacement for Harvard
Kansas basketball’s basketball game with Harvard has been replaced by a game against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
Kansas basketball’s game against the Harvard Crimson was put in jeopardy when the Ivy League announced that they would not be playing any sports during the Fall semester. Thankfully, the Jayhawks were able to find a new opponent: Stephen F. Austin.
The game is scheduled for December 29 in Allen Fieldhouse, which was the same as it would have been for the game against Harvard. Ultimately, scheduling Stephen F. Austin is a good move by Kansas Athletics.
Last season, the Lumberjacks finished their year with a 28-3 record and a regular-season title in the Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin’s season-defining moment came on November 26 though when they defeated the Duke Blue Devils on the road.
Despite the great season, Stephen F. Austin got some bad news last May. The school was slapped with a lack of institutional control charge by the NCAA, and they won’t be playing the 2020 postseason. Still, Stephen F. Austin will be returning two out of their top three scorers from last season. They’ll likely be a favorite to win their conference, along with Abilene Christian.
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Another wrinkle that this game provides is a meeting between Kyle Keller and the Jayhawks. Keller, the head coach of the Lumberjacks, coached under Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self for three years.
Self had this to say about the scheduling of SFA, and his reunion with Keller:
"“When we lost the Harvard game, we wanted to fill the opening with a quality opponent, and Kyle’s team clearly fits that description. Kyle has done a fabulous job highlighted by the 2018 NCAA Tournament berth and the win at Duke last year. He’s a great coach and a great friend and I look forward to having him back at Allen Fieldhouse. This will be a game that will benefit us and hopefully help us get better.” via KU Athletics"
Playing conference winners and tournament bound teams is important for Kansas basketball. The Jayhawks play one of the toughest schedules in the country basically every year, and it’s one of the reasons that they’re able to obtain high seeds in March Madness.