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Kansas basketball is coming off the worst season of the Bill Self era, putting together a 21-13 (11-9 Big 12) record and a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
In what will be a pivotal year, the Jayhawks aren’t easing into the 2025-26 season—they’re diving headfirst into the fire.
KU unveiled a stacked non-conference schedule on Wednesday featuring high-stakes matchups against blue bloods like UConn, Duke, and North Carolina, plus appearances in the new Players Era tournament in Las Vegas. It’s the kind of slate that sets the tone for a national title push—and tests every inch of KU’s depth before Big 12 play even begins.
Our Non-Con schedule is HERE ️
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) June 4, 2025
More Information → https://t.co/AWvB4oRRFK#RockChalk x @fnbo pic.twitter.com/n4XujBMQ9v
Self’s squad opens the regular season at home on Nov. 3 against Green Bay, but things ramp up quickly. Just four days later, Kansas heads to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina in a heavyweight clash between two of college basketball’s biggest brands. The Jayhawks have taken the last two meetings, including the 2022 national title game.
The spotlight intensifies Nov. 18 when KU meets Duke in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. Kansas has won five straight in the annual tipoff showcase and eight of the last nine. A week later, they’ll hit Las Vegas for three games in the Players Era tournament, with opponents still to be announced.
On December 2, UConn comes to Allen Fieldhouse in a collision of recent national champs. Kansas won it all in 2022, while the Huskies went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. KU won the last matchup 69-65 in Lawrence.
Other notable contests include the renewal of the Border Showdown against Missouri on Dec. 7 in Kansas City, and a trip to NC State on Dec. 13.
It’s exactly the kind of gauntlet Self wants before another bruising Big 12 season.
“Once again, we have one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the country,” Self said. “It’s going to prepare us for what should be another great Big 12 season.”
Kansas will host six non-conference games and play 16 total at Allen Fieldhouse this season. Big 12 dates and times are still to be announced.
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Browns play cruel joke on Shedeur Sanders before preseason opener
The Cleveland Browns aren't setting fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders up for success before he makes his debut against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Amid hamstring injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, the Browns are giving the start to Sanders, hoping to keep QB1 Joe Flacco healthy before the regular season. However, the Browns aren't making Sanders' life easy before Friday's game. Per Zack Jackson of The Athletic, Sanders has yet to receive reps with the first-team offense in practice and has mostly worked with the third team in training camp. "Through 10 days of camp, Sanders is the only one of the four Browns quarterbacks not to take snaps with the No. 1 offense," Jackson wrote. "He piloted the No. 2 offense in one drill last week against the Browns’ No. 1 defense, but the majority of his snaps in camp have come with and against the No. 3 units... "Wednesday’s joint practice should provide some clarity on the Browns’ exact thinking and availability for Friday. Sanders likely won’t take No. 1 reps in the joint session, but he’ll have that practice and a Thursday walk-through to prepare further — and potentially get the chance to play the full game in the preseason opener." Per Fred Greetham of 247 Sports, Sanders did not receive reps with the first-team offense during the joint practice on Wednesday, but did take part in four plays during an 11-on-11 period against the Panthers following Flacco's reps. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski thinks Sanders has received enough reps from the second and third team units to be ready for Friday night, arguing that the only thing different about the players on the first team is the "batteries" they're built with. "That's part of, I think it's just preseason ball, where you may have some ones going against twos," Stefanski said. "Two's going against one's. You could have, there's different guys in there at different times, but I think both sides, particularly in that first game, it's all about playing fast. "So you typically don't see a ton of looks that are unusual per se. So if you stick to your rules and you stick to what you've been taught over the last few weeks, you should be able to operate and function well." Sanders is going into his first NFL game flying blind after the Browns played a cruel joke on him this week. Frankly, there is a considerable difference in throwing to the equipment staff and players signed as undrafted free agents versus the speed that a first-team offense in the league has. The Browns aren't giving Sanders a fair fight by allowing him to practice a few reps with the first team. It's now up to Sanders to quickly respond to the differences if he wants a chance to move up the depth chart.
Jerry Jones takes another jab at Micah Parsons over contract stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys have a big problem on their hands right now. Micah Parsons has formally requested to be traded, and he took to social media to vent his concerns and frustration with his contract extension situation. However, team owner Jerry Jones isn't ready to budge. If anything, the controversial business mogul doesn't sound too worried about that. Talking to the media, he implied that he had already shaken hands on an extension with Parsons, so he just has to wait now: "I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake," Jones said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, the details we worked out later." Jones, one of the most successful businessmen of his generation, pretty much stated that he wouldn't change the way he does business. "Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with. Let's leave it at that," Jones continued. "There's is no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing. All parties do. We have a contract in writing, yet we're still talking about renegotiating, so so much for that." Parsons has every right to feel frustrated. He's one of the best pass-rushers in the game, and he's the youngest in the short list of superstars at the position. The Cowboys have a long history of dragging out negotiations for as long as they can, and that's usually rubbed their players the wrong way. Parsons is still under contract, and the Cowboys can technically wait to give him an extension because the market isn't likely to go any higher after T.J. Watt already got a deal done. But sometimes, it's not just about money, and these power struggles are terrible for team morale.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Jordan Love’s Insane 55-Yard TD Bomb to Romeo Doubs Goes Viral
Much has been said about the Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver room in the offseason, but there is also still a lot to discover about the group. For one, rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden, for all the hype he’s been getting, has yet to show what he can do downfield in an official NFL game. He will get his chances soon, though, with the NFL preseason coming up for the Packers and the 2025 NFL regular season just around the corner. Meanwhile, other wide receivers like Romeo Doubs are a known factor for the Packers, as he enters his fourth season in the NFL. Still, he must be motivated to have a big season ahead, considering that he has no contract beyond the 2025 campaign. Selected in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft by the Packers, the former Nevada football star is hard at work in the offseason, improving his chemistry with his teammates, most importantly with star quarterback Jordan Love. Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs connect for spectacular touchdown at Green Bay Packers training camp During a recent training camp session, Doubs beat defensive backs Javon Bullard and Evan Williams downfield and caught a pass from Love for a huge 55-yard touchdown. A slo-mo video of that play was posted by the Packers on social media, particularly on X, leaving Green Bay and football fans buzzing. Last season, Doubs finished fourth on the team with 601 receiving yards to go along with four touchdowns on 46 receptions and 72 targets. He only played in 13 games, as he missed four games due to a concussion he suffered in a Week 12 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination
Kevin Love is eyeing a return to his roots. The five-time NBA All-Star big man Love has a preferred destination on the buyout market, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Love would like to end up in Los Angeles. Now 36 years old, Love spent the last two-and-a-half seasons with the Miami Heat. He averaged just 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds over 10.9 minutes per game in 2024-25 but still managed to shoot 35.8 percent from three on the year. Earlier this summer however, the Heat traded Love to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team blockbuster deal. Now Love, a 17-year NBA veteran, is pursuing a contract buyout from the rebuilding Jazz. Though he is a native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Love played his college ball in Los Angeles at UCLA. He also has ties to both L.A. teams — he won an NBA championship with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and was also coached on that team by Tyronn Lue, who is now head coach of the L.A. Clippers. Both the Lakers and Clippers are currently sitting at 14 guaranteed contracts each. While they still have spots for two-way and Exhibit 10 players, that means the Lakers and Clippers are both down to their final open roster spot. The ex-rebounding leader Love still has some value, though probably more so as a jokester than as a contributing rotation piece. While Love clearly wants a homecoming to Los Angeles, he may have some convincing to do for either the Lakers or the Clippers to give him that final open roster spot.
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