Kansas basketball: Jayhawks looking toward first road test of season vs. Indiana

Although the Kansas basketball team has played one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the nation — including four games on a neutral site — they have yet to compete in a game on the opposing team's home court. Bill Self and KU will travel to Bloomington, Indiana to face Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers this weekend.

The 7-2 Hoosiers sit at 78 on KenPom, one spot below Mizzou, who KU defeated in the Border Showdown in its most recent contest. They boast wins over Michigan, Louisville, and Maryland.

After losing by 28 points to Auburn, IU clearly isn't the team we expected them to be in the preseason. However, we have seen Kansas struggle with teams clearly below their level — take the Eastern Illinois, UMKC, or Mizzou games. They play down to their competition and become mistake-prone, which could become a problem against a hostile crowd.

Speaking of the Hoosier crowd, there will be a "stripe out" in Assembly Hall on Saturday. Each section in the arena will alternate between white and red colors. Even against a disappointing Hoosier team, Kansas fans can't deny the deep-rooted history behind Indiana basketball could give them a slight edge, similar to Allen Fieldhouse for the 'Hawks (though not nearly the same).

It will be a battle between two dominant big men. Hunter Dickinson (19.4 points, 12.6 rebounds) and Kel'el Ware (16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds) should be a matchup to remember. The Michigan transfer is making his first return to the Big Ten since his departure, and the despised Jayhawk will definitely hear it from the fans.

KJ Adams will look to continue his dominant stretch of play against Malik Reneau, a forward with a similar skill set to him. Kansas has a massive advantage with Kevin McCullar on the wing. Both teams have a questionable bench and should rely on the starters for more than three-fourths of the contest.

We will get a sneak peek into how the Jayhawks can fend off challenging road environments on Saturday. The team must avoid falling into a deep hole because it will be much harder to dig themselves out of it than it would be at the Fieldhouse.