No. 1 Kansas to Host No. 9 North Carolina in Battle of the Blue Bloods on Friday

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 1 Kansas (1-0) will host No. 9 North Carolina (1-0) on Friday, Nov. 8 in a top 10 matchup in Allen Fieldhouse. The blue blood battle will tip at 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN2. Kansas ranks No. 2 in all-time victories with 2,394 wins, while North Carolina is No. 3 at 2,373.

Kansas opened the season with an 87-57 win against Howard on Nov. 4 in the second McLendon Classic honoring KU graduate and two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee John McLendon. For KU, it marked its 52^nd-consecutive home season-opening victory, a streak that started in 1973-74. North Carolina is also 1-0 after its 90-76 win against Elon on Nov. 4.

The Kansas-North Carolina series is tied at 6-6 and KU has won the last four meetings, all being in the NCAA Tournament. The last matchup was the 2022 NCAA title game, a Kansas 72-69 win in New Orleans.

In the win against Howard, the Jayhawks were led by senior guard Zeke Mayo who scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-for-8 from three-point range. Preseason All-America center Hunter Dickinson added 16 points and six rebounds and tied his career high with three steals. Freshman forward Flory Bidunga added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while graduate guard Dajuan Harris Jr. had a team-high five assists. KU led 46-19 at halftime.

Harris Jr. is vying to move into third all-time on the Kansas career assist list, entering Friday with 681 assists and three short of Cedric Hunter (684, 1984-87).

Head Coach Bill Self enters Friday night with a 51-30 (.630) record against Associated Press (AP) Top 10 opponents while at KU. Additionally, Self boasts a 24-4 (.857) record against AP Top 10 opponents at Allen Fieldhouse. Self has guided Kansas to wins in 18 of the last 20 contests at AFH, including a current stretch of eight straight.

Kansas has won its last 15 games in Allen Fieldhouse against non-Big 12 foes and is 154-6 (.963) versus non-conference opponents in Allen Fieldhouse in the Self era (since 2003-04).

Self is at 796 career wins as a head coach and has 589 at Kansas, one shy of tying Phog Allen (590) for the most wins as head coach while at KU. Allen amassed his 590th win on March 2, 1956, after 36 seasons on the Kansas sidelines.

Kansas is No. 1 in the AP poll for the fifth time in poll history with all five in the Bill Self era - 2004-05, 2009-10, 2018-19, 2023-24 and 2024-25. Like the preseason AP poll, Kansas is No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. This is the second-straight season and the fifth time in the coaches' poll that Kansas is No. 1 in the preseason poll with four in the Self era - 1996-97, 2004-05, 2009-10, 2018-19, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

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Kansas will play Michigan State in the 2025 Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Kansas leads the series with Michigan State 8-7, and the Jayhawks have won the last three and four of the last five meetings with the Spartans. The teams are tied 2-2 in Champions Classic matchups.

Kansas is 8-5 in the Champions Classic and the Jayhawks have won seven of their last eight appearances in the event after last year's 89-84 win against Kentucky in Chicago. Duke is 8-5 in the Champions Classic, while Kentucky is 5-8 and Michigan State 5-8.

University of Kansas Athletics

No. 1 Kansas to Host No. 9 North Carolina in Battle of the Blue Bloods on Friday

Players Mentioned

Flory Bidunga

Hunter Dickinson

Dajuan Harris Jr.

Zeke Mayo

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