The Kansas basketball team's schedule has been slowly shaping up, and it will be incredible! Head coach Bill Self's young roster will be tested early and often during the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Self has always welcomed the opportunity to play against the best in November and December. The 2026-27 schedule will be no different. When looking at last season's slate of early games, as well as what has been released so far for the upcoming season, it is easy to surmise that many of these games are being driven by television. Networks are constantly looking for prime matchups that will appeal to the massive college basketball audience.
Of course, the schools are willing to play these games for the additional revenue they
Several games have been announced, but there are still several holes that haven't been released yet. The Jayhawks will get at least one warm-up game against a low-to-mid major early and at least four or five more of those sprinkled in between the prime matchups.
What is known so far about the 2026-27 Kansas basketball schedule?
The KU schedule is already filled with Blue Devils, Wildcats, Tigers, Huskies, and Buckeyes. This is just a sampling of what the schedule will look like in the end, and it doesn't include the brutal Big 12 gauntlet that KU will face when conference play begins.
Here are some of the terrific games Kansas already has on its schedule:
- Nov. 10, 2026: Kentucky, Champions Classic in Chicago
- Nov. 17, 2026: UNLV, Players Era Festival in Las Vegas
- Nov. 18, 2026: Auburn or West Virginia, Players Era Festival in Las Vegas
- Nov. 19, 2026: TBD, Players Era Festival in Las Vegas
- Nov. 27, 2026: Villanova in Allen Fieldhouse
- Dec. 2, 2026: at UConn
- Dec. 19, 2026: Ohio State, CBS Sports Classic in New York
- TBA: Missouri in the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City
This does not include an exhibition game against Louisville at Allen Fieldhouse. It will be interesting to see how Flory Bidunga will be welcomed after leaving KU for a bag full of money to play for the Cardinals.
Bidunga's welcome will be better than what Bryson Tiller's will be when the Jayhawks play the Tigers in Kansas City. Tiller is the first player ever to transfer from one of these bitter rivals to the other in basketball.
It seems odd, but Kansas does not have any games scheduled against Duke this season at this time. It seems like these schools find ways to play each often.
Kansas will have a fairly young team, with only three seniors on the roster in Christian Reeves, Dennis Parker Jr., and Keanu Dawes. Everyone else is a freshman or a sophomore. The Jayhawks do have two of the top prospects in this recruiting class in Tylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes.
This competitive early schedule should test the young Jayhawks and prepare them for what will come with the new year when they start playing rugged Big 12 opponents every game. The hope is that these early matchups against good programs will serve as opportunities to improve against top competition.
It will be interesting to see if there are any more big surprises coming as far as the schedule.
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