No. 17 Kansas to Host No. 11 Louisville Wednesday at 6 p.m.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 17 Kansas men's basketball continues its exhibition play hosting No. 11 Louisville on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse will be at 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

After its 80-62 win against Pittsburg State on Oct. 16, Kansas is 104-11 in exhibition history. KU has won the last 58 exhibition games in Allen Fieldhouse beginning in 1994.

Kansas is coming off a 24-11 season where it finished third in the Big 12 with a 12-6 league record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Louisville finished 24-11 last season and went 11-7 in the ACC placing sixth. The Cardinals advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Kansas leads the overall series with Louisville, 7-5, including a 1-0 record in exhibition meetings. The series dates back to 1959 and Louisville holds at 3-2 series advantage in games played in Lawrene, with all in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas features returning starters Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, along with returning letterwinners Kohl Rosario, center Paul Mbiya, and guard Will Thengvall. Self welcomes 11 newcomers with five transfers – sophomore guard Leroy Blyden Jr., senior forward Keanu Dawes, senior guard Dennis Parker Jr., and fifth-year center Christian Reeves and fifth-year forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. KU's freshman class is loaded with two McDonald's All-American guards Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney and fellow guards Luke Barnett and Trent Perry, and forwards Davion Adkins, Grant Mordini, and Atticus Richmond.

A 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, entering his 24th season at KU, head coach Bill Self is Kansas' and the Big 12's all-time winningest coach with a 633-167 record. In his time at Kansas, Self has guided the Jayhawks to an unprecedented 16 regular season Big 12 titles, eight Big 12 Tournament championships, four Final Fours and two NCAA National Championships. Self is entering his 34th season overall with a 840-272 record. His 840 wins are third on the NCAA active list and 15th all time entering the 2026-27 season.

Kansas finished third in the 2026-27 Big 12 coaches' preseason poll garnering 186 points. Arizona (220 points) is the coaches' favorite followed by Houston (214), Kansas, Iowa State (181), and Texas Tech (180), rounding out the top five in the 16-team conference. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or student-athletes in the poll.

Kansas freshman standout Tyran Stokes is the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year and preseason all-conference as the league as selected by the conference coaches. Stokes is the 11th Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.

UP NEXT
Kansas plays its third and final exhibition game of the season when it plays host to No. 2 Duke on Sunday, Oct. 25, in the Blue Blood Classic. The contest begins at 12 p.m. Central and will be televised on ESPN.

University of Kansas Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Davion Adkins

Luke Barnett

Leroy Blyden Jr.

Melvin Council Jr.

Keanu Dawes

Trey Kaufman-Renn

Taylen Kinney

Paul Mbiya

Grant Mordini

Dennis Parker Jr.

Trent Perry

Christian Reeves

Atticus Richmond

Kohl Rosario

Tyran Stokes

Will Thengvall

Tre White

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