KU Jayhawks announce men’s basketball nonconference games. Mizzou among the highlights
Two trips to New York in a three-week span for games against Big Ten power Michigan State and Big East squad St. John’s, the resumption of the Border War versus Missouri in Allen Fieldhouse and Thanksgiving-week excursion to Florida for three games in the ESPN Events Invitational highlight Kansas’ 2021-22 nonconference men’s basketball schedule, which was announced Tuesday.
“Once again I believe we have put together a nonconference slate that will be great preparation for our league,” KU coach Bill Self said in a release.
The Jayhawks open the season against Tom Izzo’s Spartans in the Champions Classic on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden. It’s back to the Big Apple for a Dec. 2 Big East-Big 12 Battle against former Mizzou coach Mike Anderson’s Red Storm at new UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders’ NHL team.
KU will again head east to play in the ESPN Events Invitational on Nov. 25, 26 and 28 in ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. The field consists of KU, Alabama, Belmont, Dayton, Drake, Iona, Miami and North Texas
The Jayhawks and Tigers will meet in a regular-season game for the first time since 2011-12 on Dec. 11 in Lawrence.
Until 2012, the KU-MU series was known as the longest continuous college basketball rivalry west of the Mississippi River. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 174-95.
KU had refused to play Mizzou after the Tigers left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, though the teams played one charity exhibition game at T-Mobile (then Sprint) Center in 2017.
KU and MU will play in Allen Fieldhouse in 2021-22, at Mizzou Arena in 2022-23. Then it’s back to Allen Fieldhouse in 2023-24 and Mizzou Arena in 2024-25. The series will conclude with games in T-Mobile Center in 2025-26 and 2026-27.
The Jayhawks also will conclude a home-and-home series with former KU guard Tad Boyle’s Colorado Buffaloes on Dec. 21 in Boulder, Colorado. KU, which beat Colorado, 72-58, on Dec. 7, 2019 in Allen was supposed to play at CU last season. The pandemic, however, forced postponement of that game until 2021-22.
“It is certainly a very attractive home schedule with Missouri and our unnamed opponent in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge highlighting our games in Allen Fieldhouse,” Self said. “Then you have the Champions Classic against Michigan State, the Orlando tournament with a great field, going to New York for a second time to play St. John’s and going to Boulder to play Tad Boyle’s Colorado Buffaloes. Those are all big games, but what makes our schedule even harder is UTEP, which almost beat us last year, Stephen F. Austin, which won at No. 1 Duke in 2019, and Harvard, which is always a great team under Tommy (Amaker).
“This is a very competitive schedule that I’m sure if we do well, it will enhance our chances for an excellent NCAA Tournament seed.”
There is still one nonconference game to be announced: KU will play a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
The Jayhawks also will play just one exhibition game this year. Self previously told The Star that KU will join a large number of teams that will play a closed scrimmage against another NCAA foe.
KU basketball 2021-22 non-conference schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 3 — Emporia State (exhibition)
Tuesday, Nov. 9 — Michigan State (Champions Classic, New York)
Friday, Nov. 12 — Tarleton State
Thursday, Nov. 18 — Stony Brook
Nov. 25-28 — ESPN Events Invitational (Orlando, Fla.)
Thursday, Dec. 2 — at St. John’s (Big East-Big 12 Battle)
Tuesday, Dec. 7 — UTEP (Kansas City, Mo.)
Saturday, Dec. 11 — Missouri
Saturday, Dec. 18 — Stephen F. Austin
Tuesday, Dec. 21 — at Colorado
Wednesday, Dec. 29 — Harvard
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 12:44 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks announce men’s basketball nonconference games. Mizzou among the highlights."