The Kansas men’s basketball team on Tuesday morning announced its full nonconference schedule for the 2026-27 season.
KU’s slate is headlined by previously announced matchups against the likes of Kentucky and Ohio State and on the road at UConn, as well as a set of three games at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas in mid-November.
The Jayhawks open the year at Allen Fieldhouse with games against Fordham (Nov. 2) and previously reported foe Middle Tennessee State (Nov. 6) before facing off against Kentucky at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 10. KU trails the all-time series with the Wildcats 24-12 but won the last matchup, also in Chicago, in November 2023.
A week later comes the Players Era Eight, a bracket format that begins with KU taking on UNLV at Michelob Ultra Arena on Nov. 17. The Jayhawks will face either Auburn or West Virginia the following day, depending on results, and then either Florida, Notre Dame, Houston or Rutgers on Nov. 19.
KU does not have a traditional multi-team event during Thanksgiving week specifically. The Jayhawks will host Denver in a rare Monday matchup on Nov. 23 before welcoming Villanova on Black Friday for the first half of a home-and-home series. KU and Villanova have beaten each other five times apiece, a series that includes matchups in the 2008, 2016, 2018 and 2022 editions of the NCAA Tournament.
KU will again play at Allen Fieldhouse against Northern Iowa on Dec. 1 before renewing its rivalry with Missouri at the T-Mobile Center in a neutral-site matchup on Dec. 6.
Perhaps the most anticipated game of the Jayhawks’ nonconference slate will be at UConn on Dec. 12. It is their lone true road game prior to Big 12 play. The Huskies beat KU for the first time ever in a hard-fought matchup at Allen Fieldhouse last season. The Jayhawks haven’t traveled to Connecticut since winning in Hartford in 1997 and have never played in Storrs; it hasn’t been announced yet where this year’s game will take place.
After UConn, KU returns to the Northeast for the CBS Sports Classic against Ohio State at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 19 before wrapping up its nonconference slate at Allen Fieldhouse against Indiana State on Dec. 22 and New Orleans on Dec. 29 (in a departure from the past two years, when the Jayhawks went straight into Big 12 play after returning from their holiday break).
Big 12 dates have not yet been announced, but KU would likely open league play on or around Jan. 2. The Jayhawks also have yet to formally reveal their exhibition slate, which is supposed to include a home date with Louisville prior to the start of the official season.
This year’s KU team features highly rated freshmen Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes with a host of eclectic transfers and fellow first-year players, as well as returners Paul Mbiya and Kohl Rosario. It will be the 24th year at the helm for head coach Bill Self.
NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 2: vs. Fordham
Friday, Nov. 6: vs. Middle Tennessee State
Tuesday, Nov. 10: vs. Kentucky in Chicago
Tuesday, Nov. 17: vs. UNLV in Las Vegas
Wednesday, Nov. 18: vs. Auburn or West Virginia in Las Vegas
Thursday, Nov. 19: vs. Florida, Notre Dame, Houston or Rutgers in Las Vegas
Monday, Nov. 23: vs. Denver
Friday, Nov. 27: vs. Villanova
Tuesday, Dec. 1: vs. Northern Iowa
Sunday, Dec. 6: vs. Missouri at the T-Mobile Center
Saturday, Dec. 12: at UConn
Saturday, Dec. 19: vs. Ohio State in New York City
Tuesday, Dec. 22: vs. Indiana State
Tuesday, Dec. 29: vs. New Orleans
