Photo courtesy of Kansas AthleticsKansas and Arizona State will play a home and home men’s basketball series in 2017 and 2018, KU officials confirmed to the Journal-World on Wednesday.
The series, which will take place Dec. 10, 2017 in Allen Fieldhouse and Dec. 22, 2018 at Arizona State, was announced by both schools, KU on Twitter and ASU via its web site.
“We are excited about playing Kansas in each of the next two seasons,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said on the site. “This home-and-home is the kind of series we want on our schedule. Getting great programs to visit Wells Fargo Arena is a high priority, and we appreciate Kansas and Coach (Bill) Self agreeing to what will be a very entertaining two-year match-up.”
KU transfer Sam Cunliffe, who joined the Jayhawks at the start of the second semester this season after spending the first part of his freshman season at Arizona State, will not be eligible to play in the first meeting because of transfer rules. Cunliffe will not join the Jayhawks in competition until the end of the first semester next season.
Despite his connection to ASU, a KU administrator told the Journal-World that the scheduling of the series after Cunliffe joined the Jayhawks was merely “a coincidence.”
“We have made it a priority to try and schedule the best programs in the nation,” said ASU’s Ray Anderson, Vice President of Athletics. “Having Kansas come to Tempe in December of 2018 will be an incredible experience for our fans. Kansas and Coach Bill Self have been among the best in college basketball. We look forward to visiting Allen Fieldhouse next year and then welcoming the Jayhawks and their fan base to Tempe in December of 2018.”
Kansas leads the all-time series with Arizona State, 5-4, with the last meeting a 108-76 Kansas win in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City.
Kansas last played at Arizona State in the season opener in 1990, a 70-68 Arizona State victory. That was the lone Sun Devils’ victory in the series in the past six meetings.
