Kansas to Host Green Bay in Season Opener Monday

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Kansas to Host Green Bay in Season Opener Monday

11/2/2025 1:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas No. 19 Kansas opens the 2025-26 regular season when it plays host to Green Bay on Monday, Nov. 3. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse will be at 7 p.m. (Central) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Steven Davis and Nick Bahe calling the action.

Kansas posted a 2-0 record in exhibition play with a 90-82 win at No. 11 Louisville, and a 71-35 win versus Fort Hays State on Oct. 28 in Allen Fieldhouse. Green Bay went 1-1 in exhibition play with an 83-78 loss to Bradley on Oct. 10 and a 75-48 win versus St. Norbert on Oct. 30.

Kansas and Green Bay are meeting for the first time in series history.

KU has won a mind-boggling 52-straight home openers, beginning in 1973-74 under head coach Ted Owens. Owens won his final 10 home openers to start the streak. KU coaches Larry Brown (5-0) and Roy Williams (15-0) never lost a home opener and Bill Self is 22-0.

In the Fort Hays State win, senior Melvin Council Jr. led Kansas with 16 points and six assists in the game. Senior Tre White added 12 points, while redshirt-freshman Bryson Tiller had 10 points. Sophomore Flory Bidunga led KU with nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

In the win at Louisville, KU was led by freshman Darryn Peterson who scored 24 of his game-high 26 points in the first half. Other Jayhawks who scored in double figures included Bidunga and White with 14 apiece, while Tiller had 12 points. Council and redshirt-sophomore Elmarko Jackson had 11 points each.

Kansas is coming off a 21-13 season where it advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 34th time in the last 35 years, a run that started in 1990. Kansas finished sixth in the Big 12 with an 11-9 record.
Kansas returns six letterwinners from the 2024-25 season. Bidunga started six games last season. Jackson was a redshirt in 2024-25. He started 17 games in 2023-24 and returns after a torn patella injury that occurred in June 2024. Sophomore Jamari McDowell took a redshirt in 2024-25. McDowell played in 31 games in 2023-24 and averaged 7.2 minute per contest.

Kansas welcomes eight newcomers to the KU squad, featuring Peterson, the top-rated recruit in the nation. There are four upperclassmen transfers on the newcomers list with Council, senior Jayden Dawson, graduate Nginyu "Gee" Ngala, and White.

Peterson, the third No. 1 ranked national recruit to play for Self at Kansas, joining Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson, is surrounded by a talented freshmen class this year, including Kohl Rosario, Paul Mbiya, Tiller, Samis Calderon and Corbin Allen.

UP NEXT
In a battle of Blue Bloods, Kansas will travel to No. 25 North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 7. Tip from the Smith Center in Chapel Hill is set for 6 p.m. (Central) and the game will be televised on ESPN. Kansas ranks second all-time in NCAA D1 wins at 2,414, while North Carolina is third at 2,395.

In a series that started with the 1957 NCAA title game, a North Carolina 54-53 triple overtime win, Kansas has a 7-6 series edge on UNC after its 92-89 win last season on Nov. 8, 2024, in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas has won the last five meetings with North Carolina. This will be the first meeting between Kansas and North Carolina played in Chapel Hill.