The Kansas Jayhawks’ basketball season will be here before you know it.
In just 24 days, the Jayhawks will be taking on Pittsburgh State in the annual “Late Night In The Phog.” Following their exhibition against Pittsburgh State, the Jayhawks will take on Louisville and Duke in two other exhibitions before Fordham enters Allen Fieldhouse to officially kick off the new campaign.
Earlier this month, the Big 12 released the upcoming schedule for every team, and one Kansas matchup was deemed the third-best conference matchup of the season.
Kansas vs BYU is bound to be a thriller
Last season, when these two met, it was inside AFH, where the Jayhawks jumped out to a dominant 53-33 lead over the Cougars before the Richie Saunders and AJ Dybantsa-led squad fought their way back to make things interesting, before KU eventually ended the night with an 8-point 90-82 victory.
The hype of that game was centered around Dybantsa and Peterson, as the two were tipped as the nation’s top-two prospects heading into the 2026 NBA Draft. Peterson finished with a clinical 18 points on 6/8 from the field; however, his prolonged cramping issues prevented him from making an impact in the second half, while Dybantsa played 34 minutes compared to Peterson’s 20.
“Although this game won't have that level of hype, it may still be another elite prospect matchup,” opens Cameron Salerno for CBS Sports.
“Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes is widely considered the consensus top-ranked prospect in the 2027 NBA Draft, while BYU wing Bruce Branch III has a strong case to be a top 10 pick. Between Branch, Stokes and BYU guard Rob Wright, this game will definitely not lack star power.”
Kansas has bad memories of traveling to the Marriott Center but is it the right choice
In the year prior to the 2025-26 matchup, the Jayhawks made the trip to Provo, Utah, in what turned into one of the most embarrassing losses in Bill Self’s career as Kansas lost 91-57.
While this will be a game that draws the nation’s attention, could you make a case for another KU game that should take center stage? Keeping things in conference, perhaps Kansas’ trip to the McKale Center on February 20th could serve as a more highly anticipated affair, as both teams will likely be looking at that matchup with the belief that it could serve as one of the few tests left in the rigorous Big 12 calendar.
Another potential nomination could have been when Iowa State travels to Allen Fieldhouse on March 1st, as T.J. Otzelberger almost always finds a way to ground out a stellar season after stellar season with the Cyclones.
Both Arizona and Iowa State set up as guarantees for deep runs in the postseason, and while BYU certainly has talent, the Cougars still have to provide that consistency that is going to make this matchup one of the most sought-after of the season.
However, the Big 12 has a way of throwing things in a blender, so who knows who the top dogs will be when the season kicks into gear.
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