The Kansas basketball season is finally starting with the Fordham Rams visiting Allen Fieldhouse. After three exhibition games, including entertaining matchups against Louisville and Duke, it will be nice to watch a game that counts.
After a comfortable win against Pittsburg State, KU played competitive games against the Cardinals and Blue Devils, though they ultimately lost both contests. Head coach Bill Self experimented with numerous combinations, seeing how all the pieces of this talented roster might fit.
Fordham plays in the Atlantic 10 conference and went 17-15 last season. They were ranked seventh in the preseason rankings, and while the Rams will be a step down in competition from the last two exhibition games, the Jayhawks are still working out the rotation, so the game could be close for a while.
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Kansas vs. Fordham: When and where
The Kansas Jayhawks will host the Fordham Rams in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, November 2, at 7 p.m. CT. It is Fordham's first visit to the venerable old venue since 1977, when the Jayhawks beat the Rams, 99-67.
How to watch Kansas vs. Fordham
The game between the Jayhawks and the Rams will be on ESPN+ and can be streamed on FuboTV or on Disney+ with an ESPN package (subscription required for both services).
Phoggy Notes
It is still challenging at this point to predict the starting five, though three have most likely locked down their spots. Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, and Tyran Stokes are set in stone, but the other two spots could go a couple of different ways. The other two spots will probably come down to Taylen Kinney, Keanu Dawes, and Christian Reeves. White can play the guard spot or the four spot, so his versatility gives Self options. Trey Kaufman-Renn will move into consideration, most likely at the five spot, once he is acclimated to the new system and his teammates.
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This team is a much different one with Council and White than it was before they joined the roster. Self was going to rely on several inexperienced players to see plenty of minutes. Now, he can lean into their experience and knowledge of the system, giving the youngsters more time to get comfortable. The team is better for having the two veterans than without them. Now, it's about everyone learning their roles and how to play together.
Kansas has won 52 consecutive regular-season home openers. This streak includes an impressive list of KU coaches. Self, Roy Williams, and Larry Brown never lost their first home game of the season. Ted Owens, recently inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, was the last coach to lose the first game of the season in the Phog, and that was more than five decades ago. While the first scheduled regular-season home game is almost always against a mid-major school, someone KU should beat, it is still impressive that the Jayhawks haven't ever stumbled.
KU averaged 82.6 points per game over the three exhibition games. They scored at least 80 in all three. That up-tempo style is always fun to watch, and hopefully that will continue into the regular season.
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