Stephen F. Austin replaces Harvard as foe on KU men’s basketball schedule this season
Kansas has filled a Dec. 29 opening on its men’s basketball schedule with Stephen F. Austin, Jayhawk coach Bill Self announced Monday.
The Jayhawks were initially slated to play Harvard on Dec. 29 at Allen Fieldhouse. However, on July 8, the Ivy League announced it would have no athletic competition for the fall semester, which precludes a typical start to training and the winter seasons for its basketball teams.
Stephen F. Austin, which went 28-3 a year ago and won the Southland Conference title with a 19-1 record, is coached by Kyle Keller, who worked on Self’s coaching staff at KU for three seasons (2008-09 to 2010-11).
Keller’s Lumberjacks had one of the biggest wins of the non-conference season a year ago, defeating Duke in Durham, North Carolina.
“When we lost the Harvard game, we wanted to fill the opening with a quality opponent, and Kyle’s team clearly fits that description,” Self said Monday. “Kyle has done a fabulous job highlighted by the 2018 NCAA Tournament berth and the win at Duke last year. He’s a great coach and a great friend and I look forward to having him back at Allen Fieldhouse. This will be a game that will benefit us and hopefully help us get better.”
Keller is thrilled to bring his Lumberjacks to Lawrence.
“I am so grateful to coach Self for giving us the opportunity to play in Allen Fieldhouse,” he said. “It is truly the most iconic venue in all of college basketball and we’re very pleased to schedule yet another milestone game for our program. I was blessed and fortunate to be able to watch and learn from coach Self for three great years of my life. He has always been a mentor to me and is a true Hall of Famer both on and off the court. I had always hoped that when we were able to first compete, that it would be in an NCAA tournament game, but I am excited for our teams to meet each other this coming December.”
After working for Self at KU, Keller spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Texas A&M before taking over at Stephen F. Austin in 2016. It marked his first head coaching position. Keller is 88-41 in four seasons at SFA. The Lumberjacks advanced to the 2017 CIT in his first season in Nacogdoches, Texas, and the 2018 NCAA Tournament the following year.
Kansas and Stephen F. Austin will be meeting for the first time in men’s basketball. Dating back to the 2013-14 season, KU has won its last 30 games against non-conference opponents in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 119-4 versus non-league foes in Alen under Self, who is entering his 18th season at Kansas.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Stephen F. Austin replaces Harvard as foe on KU men’s basketball schedule this season."
