Report: UConn to Schedule Home-and-Home Series with Kansas
Jon Rothstein on Wednesday revealed that UConn has scheduled a home-and-home series against Kansas. An official announcement is expected soon. UConn will play Kansas on December 2nd at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence this year, with a return game at one of UConn’s home courts next season in ‘26-27.
This will be UConn’s second trip to Kansas in three years, with the Huskies losing a narrow game 69-65 in November 2023 at the Phog. That was UConn’s only non-conference loss of the season, and it snapped UConn’s 24-game non-conference double digit win streak. Steph Castle did not play in that game and Cam Spencer was battling toe injuries. Tristen Newton was remarkable, scoring a UConn-career high 31 points in the loss.
UConn is 0-4 all-time vs. Kansas, one of the few teams that UConn has never beaten. Along with the 2023 defeat, the Huskies lost by 29 points in 1995 in Kansas as the #2 team in the country. In the return game 2 years later, UConn lost to #1 Kansas in Hartford after 2 of the Huskies’ best players were suspended for receiving improper benefits. Kevin Ollie, Daniel Hamilton and company also lost in the NCAA tournament as a 9-seed to Kansas’ 1-seed in 2016.
Kansas is losing many of their core players from the last couple of seasons to graduation this summer, including Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams, and Hunter Dickinson. They also lose a few players that arrived last season, including Zeke Mayo (graduation), Rylan Griffen (transferred out), AJ Storr (transferred out), David Coit (transferred out), Rakease Passmore (transferred out), and Shakeel Moore (graduation). In total, 8 of their top 9 scorers are gone, including the top 6.
The lone productive returnee is Flory Bidunga. The former 5* and Indiana Mr. Basketball (who will face off with the current honoree Braylon Mullins) flashed in limited minutes last year and will anchor the paint for the Jayhawks. He’ll be joined by 3 talented younger players who were on Kansas’ roster last season, but did not play. 2025 recruit Bryson Tiller was an early reclass enrollee in January for Kansas, but did not practice with the team due to an ankle injury. Former McDonald’s All-American Elmarko Jackson missed the 2024-2025 season with a torn patellar tendon. Jamari McDowell, who played against UConn in 2023, redshirted due to a perceived lack of potential playing time in 2024.
The big new addition for Kansas is Darryn Peterson, rated by 247 Sports as the top ranked freshman in the country. He’s a big guard with an all-around game and scoring ability. Samis Calderon (#84 in 247 composite) is the only other non-redshirt freshman of note. They also bring in a trio of transfers, guards Melvin Council Jr from St. Bonaventure and Jayden Dawson from Loyola Chicago, and wing Tre White from Illinois.
When the series is officially announced, it will wrap up UConn’s high-major scheduling for the 2025-2026 season. It’s an impressive slate: