The Kansas University men’s basketball team soon will be able to add another event to its list of early-season showcases featuring the Jayhawks.
KU and ESPN announced Friday that Kansas and Indiana will play in the 2016 Armed Forces Classic on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. KU is second all-time in NCAA Div. I victories with 2,126, and Indiana ranks 10th with 1,736.
The Armed Forces Classic is a series of Div. I men’s college basketball games that are played on United States military bases worldwide over a five-year rotation. The 2016 Classic will be at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu.
The 2016 event will be just under a month from the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and will pit Kansas vs. Indiana and Arizona vs. Michigan State. Indiana and Kansas have not matched up since 1995 and the Jayhawks lead the series 7-6.
“We thought playing in the Armed Forces Classic would be a terrific experience for our players, especially to commemorate such an important time in our country,” KU coach Bill Self said in a press release. “We’re excited to be a part of it and having the chance to play a tradition-rich program like Indiana, one of the true blue bloods of the college game.”
The games will be televised on ESPN as part of the network’s America’s Heroes initiative honoring the men and women who are serving and who have served in the United States military, both at home and abroad.
