KU basketball adds Stephen F. Austin to 2020-21 schedule

By Benton Smith Aug 3, 2020

Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Bill Self yells across the court at an official after a foul called against the Jayhawks during the first half, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

In need of a new nonconference opponent for the 2020-21 season, Bill Self and the Kansas basketball team found one with the help of a former Self assistant.

Stephen F. Austin, coached by one-time KU staffer Kyle Keller, will replace Harvard as the Jayhawks’ Dec. 29 opponent at Allen Fieldhouse, KU announced Monday.

The Ivy League decided in early July it would not participate in athletics competitions until the spring 2021 semester at the earliest.

“When we lost the Harvard game, we wanted to fill the opening with a quality opponent, and Kyle’s team clearly fits that description,” Self stated in a KU release. “Kyle has done a fabulous job, highlighted by the 2018 NCAA Tournament berth and the win at Duke last year. He’s a great coach and a great friend and I look forward to having him back at Allen Fieldhouse. This will be a game that will benefit us and hopefully help us get better.”

The defending Southland Conference champion, SFA finished the pandemic shortened 2019-20 season 28-3 overall.

Keller worked on Self’s staff at KU from 2008 to 2011. He took over at SFA in 2016, and the Lumberjacks are 88-41 since Keller was hired, with an NCAA Tournament berth in 2018. (SFA was a lock to qualify for the tournament in 2020, too, before the postseason was canceled.)

Kansas has never faced Stephen F. Austin before.

Since the 2013-14 season, KU has won its last 30 games against nonconference opponents in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 119-4 against such foes at the fieldhouse in Self’s tenure.