🏀 KuBuckets Archive

KU announced their full non conference schedule today and it's a good one. Every team KU plays in the non conference this season made the postseason including at least 5 NCAA tournament teams and possibly a 6th depending on the Preseason NIT match ups.

Oct. 25 Emporia St. (Exhibition)

Nov. 1 Washburn (Exhibition)

Nov. 6 Michigan St.* (Champions Classic in Indianapolis)

Nov. 12 Vermont (NIT home game)

Nov. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette (NIT home game)

Nov. 21 TBD (NIT in Brooklyn)

Nov. 23 TBD (NIT in Brooklyn)

KU will play 2 of 3 among Louisville, Marquette, and Tennessee* in the NIT in Brooklyn

Dec. 1 Stanford

Dec. 4 Wofford

Dec. 8 New Mexico St.* (Sprint Center)

Dec. 15 Villanova*

Dec. 18 South Dakota

Dec. 22 @Arizona St.*

Dec. 29 Eastern Michigan

Jan 26 @Kentucky*

This team doesn't play a true road game until right before Christmas against Arizona St. in a slot that has historically caused some issues for past Bill Self teams. I know this team is young, but honestly there isn't a reason this team shouldn't win at least 11 of the 13 non conference games this year.

Still excited to see Nova come to the Fieldhouse.

Other notes:

I expect Michigan State to struggle, but they should be a tough game that early in the season. I don't know that they finish in the top 25 though.

Nova will be solid, but losing your 4 best players isn't easy unless you are bringing in 3 new transfers and 4 new 5 star recruits. I think they are probably a team ranked 10-15 at the end of the season. Feel like a lot of people expect Quinerly to be a stud immediately, and I'm just not so sure about that.

Kentucky is still a mystery. They lost their two best defensive players in Vanderbilt and Gabriel, so I expect them to still struggle on defense mightily. Adding Travis really didn't change that, as he was an average defender himself and an absolutely terrible rim protector. Probably a team that struggles early and then switches to a zone and finds success. Despite Cal saying he hates when other teams play zone... Yet he does it quite often.

This schedule is loaded. Love it.

I'm going to the nova game! Expect a victory!

This is one loaded schedule that should prepare KU for the money games in March. If the team performs as we hope it does, it will be fun to watch all these games.

This is a damn good schedule, we will find out how good we are quickly and what all we need to improve on.