ESPN game analyst Fran Fraschilla hinted at a potential Big Monday contest between BYU and Kansas basketball in January 2024.
The Kansas Jayhawks 2023-24 conference schedule has not yet been released, but Fran Fraschilla might know something we don’t. The color commentator for college basketball Big Mondays implied that KU will head to Provo, Utah, in the early stages of conference play.
Brigham Young is one of four newcomers to the Big 12 this upcoming season. Basketball isn’t necessarily their strong suit, but they should have a packed house with the Jayhawks coming into town. The Cougars are coming off a 19-15 (7-9) season under fourth-year head coach Mark Pope.
The last time the two schools met was in the 2019 Maui Invitational. Led by David McCormack, Kansas won by a score of 71-56. They’ve competed in five games all-time, with the Jayhawks coming out victorious in four of them.
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Based on recent history, the first Big Mondays of the season typically take place on the second, third, or fourth Monday of January. That means that the game will be played on Jan. 8, 15, or 22.
This is the tweet that Fraschilla sent out on Saturday:
Can’t wait for that first @Big12Conference Big Monday game when @KUHoops comes to @byubasketball at the Marriott Center. pic.twitter.com/YloTxynKqn
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 1, 2023
With 14 schools now in the Big 12, squads will play five teams twice and eight teams once. Considering the Jayhawks will see BYU relatively early in the season, there is a good chance that Kansas plays the Cougars twice. That would be in the best interest of KU, too, because they’ll likely be fairly easy victories for Bill Self and company.
Although the report has not been confirmed yet, Fraschilla is a reputable source with plenty of connections within the conference. It’s also not groundbreaking news by any means, so we can expect it to be truthful. The conference schedule in its entirety should be released later this month or in August.
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