Kansas will travel to Omaha to face Creighton in this year’s edition of the Big 12-Big East Battle men’s basketball game.
The Jayhawks will face the Bluejays on Dec. 4, according to a Big 12 Conference press release distributed Thursday morning.
KU is 11-6 in its history against Creighton and has not lost in the series since 1949; this is also the first time the two teams will play in Omaha since 1951. Their most recent matchup was in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, as the Jayhawks survived a close Round of 32 game in Fort Worth, Texas, 79-72, on their way to the national title.
This time around, KU will be coming off a Round of 32 loss in March’s NCAA Tournament, while Creighton made it to the Sweet 16 by taking down Oregon in double overtime, only to fall to Tennessee in Detroit.
This spring, KU has added transfers Riley Kugel (Florida), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and AJ Storr (Wisconsin), and Creighton on Wednesday earned its first transfer commitment in Jamiya Neal (Arizona State).
In last year’s Big 12-Big East Battle, Creighton beat Oklahoma State 79-65 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, while KU defeated reigning 2023 and eventual 2024 national champion UConn 69-65 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The conferences did not choose to pair the Jayhawks and Huskies again for a rematch in Storrs, Connecticut, however, instead sending Baylor there on Dec. 4.
The remaining matchups include Cincinnati at Villanova and BYU at Providence on Dec. 3; DePaul at Texas Tech and Marquette at Iowa State on Dec. 4; Georgetown at West Virginia and Xavier at TCU on Dec. 6; Kansas State at St. John’s and Butler at Houston on Dec. 7; and Oklahoma State at Seton Hall on Dec. 8.
As for the rest of KU’s conference schedule, the Jayhawks already know they will host North Carolina on Nov. 8, face Michigan State in the Champions Classic in Atlanta on Nov. 12 and travel to Missouri. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports has also reported that KU and Duke are working on playing a neutral-site game in Las Vegas in November.