KANSAS

Kansas Basketball Schedule: Ranking Jayhawks' Top 6 Toughest Games

With the 2024-25 hoops ready to tip off, we reveal the five toughest opponents on the Jayhawks' schedule.

Rich Cirminiello

Oct 25, 2024; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2024; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
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Kansas will begin the 2024-25 hoops season as the top-ranked team in the country.

A deep roster is crammed with veteran star power. The staff is among the best in the country. Anything less than Bill Self's third national championship will be seen as a disappointment.

As the Jayhawks prepare for the Nov. 4 tip-off with Howard, here are the 5 toughest opponents they'll face in the regular season:

6. at Creighton [Dec. 4]

The Bluejays are the next best thing to defending champ UConn out of the Big East. The matchup between Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner and Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, two of the game's premier centers, will be must-see drama.

5. vs. North Carolina [Nov. 8]

A visit from the No. 9 Tar Heels is Kansas first big test of the season. After scoring more than 20 points per game a year ago, RJ Davis' return for Year 5 in Chapel Hill gives Carolina one of the deepest backcourts in the country.

4. at Baylor [Feb. 1]

Kansas' only game with No. 8 Baylor will take place in Waco at Foster Pavillion. Scott Drew has done another terrific job of building a blended and diverse roster, headlined by seasoned grad transfers and incoming blue-chip Bahamian freshman VJ Edgecombe.

3. at Iowa State [Jan. 15]

It is never easy facing the Cyclones, especially in Ames. Iowa State is the defending Big 12 tournament champ, and head coach T. J. Otzelberger's defensive system is among the nastiest in America. Retaining leading scorer Keshon Gilbert for his senior year was a big win for the 'Clones.

2. vs. Duke [Nov. 26]

Duke and Kansas are the feature attractions at this year's Vegas Showdown. The seventh-ranked Blue Devils have a high ceiling as 17-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg prepares to play his first college season. There's a good mix of youth and veterans as Duke looks for its first national title since 2015.

1. at Houston [March 3]

Kelvin Sampson has transformed Houston into a consistent force over the last six seasons. The Coogs, who also visit Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 25, lost Big 12 Player of the Year Jamal Shead to the NBA, but still have a loaded roster capable of winning the conference crown.

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Rich Cirminiello
RICH CIRMINIELLO

I've been the VP of College Awards for the Maxwell Football Club since 2008. I oversee and manage all aspects of the Maxwell Award (CFB Player of the Year), Bednarik Award (Defensive POY) and Munger Award (CFB Coach of the Year), including creating watch lists, steering the selection committee and choosing players of the week. I appear weekly on SportsGrid TV to discuss college football, both as a guest and a co-host of various live shows. I oversee and manage two additional college awards, outside the purview of the Maxwell Football Club - former Seattle Seahawk RB Shaun Alexander's Freshman of the Year Award & the Buddy Teevens Award, which was created by Peyton Manning, Archie Manning and Omaha Productions in honor of the late Dartmouth coach. I'm contracted out each May by Phil Steele to help edit the magazine and write select articles leading up to the publication of his annual College Football Preview in June.

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