The 2026 Kansas Basketball season is shaping up to become one of the most interesting

What makes sports so lovable is the storylines. 

You may not always realize it in the middle of a drawn-out Tuesday night non-conference matchup, but every program has its own set of events that make up each season. 

For the Kansas Jayhawks, they are stocked full of them to delve into.

No. 1: Roster Management

Last season, the Jayhawks’ end-of-season slump started to coincide with two different things. 

The first, the lack of height down low. Yes, Bryson Tiller was only a freshman, so the expectation couldn’t have been out of this world for him, but Kansas struggled up against teams with more than one big man. Sure, Flory Bidunga was one of the best big men in the nation last season; do not get that wrong, but he couldn’t do it by himself, and when asked to, Kansas’ defense started to look a lot more unstable.

The second, when Darryn Peterson finally got back to full fitness, the team had reached a point where they were fully flowing in the transition game and excelling in fast possessions. But with Peterson, the game began to stick to his hands a lot more. And just because Peterson was healthy enough to play does not mean he was fully fit. Those who paid close attention to him saw his jumps off the ground weren’t as high, and his ability for the spectacular wasn’t where it was. 

2026 will hopefully see a team that has built around its star Tyran Stokes, while also not forcing the ball to him every single time up the court. The addition of Leory Blyden Jr. helps showcase a world where Blyden and incoming freshman Taylen Kinney share on-ball responsibilities with Stokes, not allowing teams to hem in on Stokes non-stop. 

No. 2: A Fun Schedule

There won’t be many games next season that feel like shoo-ins for the Jayhawks, and that's not always a bad thing. 

Strictly prior to conference play, KU plays Kentucky, Villanova, Missouri, UConn and Ohio State. 

We aren’t forgetting that Kansas’ first exhibition will be the awkward return of Bidunga, as the junior will be suiting up for the Louisville Cardinals. Or the fact that the matchup against the Tigers will see Bryson Tiller come face to face with his former squad. 

As of publishing, the Jayhawks just announced another exhibition, this one against the Duke Blue Devils, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

No. 3 Last Dance?  

Eventually, Bill Self will have to retire; while no one knows when, the question picks up steam year after year. There seemed to be heavy talk after last season that the 2025 campaign was going to be his last, but, on April 1st, he announced his return. 

Can Bill Self still lead a team to the mountaintop? 

That should be a resounding yes. Listen, everyone knows the 2025-26 season went worse than hoped for. But it still saw KU reel off an eight-game winning streak, where they beat the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 13 teams (twice). That doesn’t mention the win against No. 5 Houston later in the year. 

While this won’t be a team that is placed inside the contenders for a national title (and understandably so), it can still beat almost anyone.

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