The Jayhawks open a season defining stretch Saturday when No. 13 BYU visits Allen Fieldhouse for a 3:30 p.m. tip on ESPN. It is only the beginning of a demanding run that will test Kansas men's basketball across two weeks of Big 12 play.
After hosting BYU on Jan. 31, Kansas travels to face No. 11 Texas Tech on Feb. 2 in Lubbock before returning home to meet Utah on Feb. 7. Two days later, the Jayhawks host No. 1 Arizona, then close the stretch with a road trip to No. 8 Iowa State on Feb. 14.
ESPNFour ranked teams in five games leaves little room to breathe, something coach Bill Self acknowledged this week.
“Everybody is going to go through a hard phase of their schedule,” Self said. “This is certainly the toughest phase of ours.”
Kansas enters the matchup playing some of its best basketball of the season on a four game win streak, though Self said the break came at an unusual time.
“We are actually playing pretty well, so sometimes when you are playing well you do not want time off,” he said. “But from a rest standpoint, I cannot see it being remotely negative at all.”
BYU brings one of the league’s most balanced attacks, led by star freshman AJ Dybantsa and multiple scorers who can erupt on any night. Self said Kansas cannot afford to lock in on one player.
“We have to guard their team,” Self said. “The emphasis cannot be stopping one guy. We have to slow BYU as a group and keep them out of rhythm.”
Flory Bidunga echoed that focus, pointing to transition defense as a key.
“They are a great team,” Bidunga said. “We need a team effort to stop them, especially in transition.”
Kansas is also monitoring the status of star freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who Self said he expects to be available.
“I anticipate him being ready to go,” Self said.
With a sellout crowd expected, ESPN College Gameday and students already camping at Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks know the environment will match the moment.
“That really shows how committed they are to support us,” Bidunga said. “We need to put on a show.”
For Kansas, the message remains simple. The Jayhawks are not looking ahead to what comes after BYU. In a stretch like this, Self said, survival begins with the next game.
“You want to win the next one,” he said. “That is all that matters.”