Bill Self previews KU basketball’s 2023-24 schedule, which doesn’t lack high-profile games

LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball’s 2023-24 season is still some ways away from getting started, but the schedule is certainly on coach Bill Self’s mind.

Self, speaking last week at the team’s annual banquet, took a moment to highlight it when he addressed the crowd. He rattled off game after game, referencing the non-conference and Big 12 Conference slates. And in the short time he touched on it, it was clear the Jayhawks’ schedule doesn’t lack high-profile matchups.

“We open up with Kentucky, and then we go to Maui,” said Self, referring to the 2023 Maui Jim Maui Invitational that includes Chaminade and other schools. “The Maui field is us, Tennessee, Syracuse, Gonzaga, UCLA … Marquette, who’s going to be preseason No. 1 in America, and Purdue. That’s our Maui tournament. Then we come home and we play Connecticut. Then we’ve got Missouri at home.

"Then we go to Indiana, OK? And then Houston comes into our league and we play in the best league in the country. So, the schedule’s tough. And I expect us to win it again next year.”

This past season’s schedule didn’t lack high-profile matchups in the non-conference slate. Kansas went up against Duke, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky and more. But as it stands now, the Jayhawks have the potential to have an even more challenging non-conference slate next season.

That leads into a Big 12 slate that will now include Houston, as Self mentioned. Houston, UCF, BYU and Cincinnati are all joining the conference ahead of next season. And Houston is a team that was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament this past season just like Kansas.

Self, though, also reiterated in his speech that while the faces on the roster may change the expectations do not. He spoke directly to the returning players when he brought that up, with it still unclear which talents the Jayhawks are going to add through the transfer portal. As of his speech, the scholarship members of that group included Dajuan Harris Jr., Kyle Cuffe Jr., Zuby Ejiofor, Ernest Udeh Jr. and KJ Adams Jr.

“The roles that the kids had that put up numbers this year, that role is expected for you to fill and be here and perform at that level next year, and you’re all prepared to do it,” said Self, who also noted that he didn’t think Cuffe had decided yet on returning or leaving. “But it takes time, it takes effort, and you guys have got to want it. But when we come back here next year, I expect us to celebrate something even greater than what we did this year.”

Self described his team as trending in a positive direction, just as he feels the athletic department and campus as a whole are as well. He detailed that one thing he’s learned in coaching is that when things are going well, “You’ve got to go for the throat.” And that’s what he intends on doing.

Self is committed to taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him. That much is clear. So, he told the crowd to enjoy the ride.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: KU basketball 2023-24 schedule will come with its share of challenges