KU announces a few non-conference match-ups for 2017-18 season

By Matt Tait     Mar 29, 2017

Nick Krug
The Jayhawks come together during a timeout in the second half, Thursday, March 9, 2017 at Sprint Center.

Although they won’t fly to Hawaii or the Bahamas for any competitions next season, the Kansas men’s basketball team still will get an opportunity to play one game in the shadows of palm trees and the beach.

Kansas and Syracuse will square off on Dec. 2 in Miami, in the showcase game of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Hoophall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena.

The official announcement of that game highlighted a handful of non-conference contests scheduled for next season.

“We are looking forward to playing in the Hoophall Invitational and taking our team to Miami next season,” KU coach Bill Self said in a news release. “Year-in and year-out, Syracuse has been one of the best programs in the nation. Playing Syracuse in an NBA arena will be great exposure for our program.”

ESPN has partnered to televise the event, which also will include a game between Miami, Fla., and Princeton, with game times and tune-in information to be released at later date.

The game between Syracuse and Kansas will be the culmination of a multi-team event in which both teams will each host Oakland, Toledo and Texas Southern on their campuses. The Jayhawks will host Texas Southern on Nov. 21, Oakland on Nov. 24 and Toledo on Nov. 28 inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The Toledo game will mark a homecoming of former Lawrence High standout Justin Roberts, the son of Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts.

Tickets are now available for the 2017 Hoophall Miami Invitational via Ticketmaster.com or by contacting the American Airlines Arena box office.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.