Kansas, perhaps the preseason No. 1 team in college basketball next season, will also have one of the nation’s best non-conference schedules. The Jayhawks officially released the dates for their non-conference games late last week as it includes high-major heavyweights and some talented conference regular-season champions.
The season opens on Nov. 6 with a matchup in Indianapolis against Michigan State in the Champions Classic before the Jayhawks enter the Preseason NIT. The opening home games are against Vermont and Louisiana before Kansas potentially plays Louisville, Marquette or Tennessee in Brooklyn.
Stanford and defending national champion Villanova will also travel to Lawrence while Kansas will host New Mexico State in Kansas City. And a return trip to Arizona State, after the Sun Devils beat Kansas at home last season, will also be on the radar on Dec. 22.
With a lot of talent transfers and a deep freshman class, Kansas becoming an intriguing potential No. 1 team when senior Lagerald Vick surprisingly returned to the team after opting out of the 2018 NBA Draft. Kansas has the depth and overall talent to be a national champion this season. This non-conference schedule will be a good indicator of what this team’s ceiling might be with a lot of early challenges.