What to know before Kansas basketball’s exhibition vs Pittsburg State
· Yahoo Sports
LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self shared his excitement Thursday for Friday’s exhibition game at home against Pittsburg State.
It’ll be a chance to see how the Jayhawks perform for the first time against another opponent. It’ll be a chance to see how they handle that matchup, while also going through the activities that come with the Late Night in the Phog event that’ll be held in conjunction with it. Self is preparing for the start of his 24th season at the helm at KU.
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Here are a few things to know ahead of tip-off inside Allen Fieldhouse, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT).
Tre White, Melvin Council Jr. will both play for Kansas
Kansas basketball senior guards Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. are both back with the Jayhawks this season, thanks to separate court cases that — for now — make them eligible for the 2026-27 season. And while they’re not going to start Friday, they are going to play. That gives KU two players who were quality starters for the team last season in the Big 12 Conference.
Self noted both guys learned over the offseason, as they initially pursued NBA professional careers, what they need to do better in order to earn a coveted roster spot. They’ve come back with that knowledge, as opposed to needing to be told something like that. That’s something that seems to have impressed Self.
What Bill Self like about his 3 exhibition games
In addition to facing Pittsburg State, Kansas will also go up against Louisville on Oct. 21 at home and Duke on Oct. 25 at home. Self thinks the opportunities are great for the team, but did caution people from analyzing what happens in them too deeply. Self noted they won’t show everything that they could possibly do this year, allowing that could help earn them some early-season wins because opponents haven’t seen what they’re fully capable of yet.
If anyone won’t participate against Pittsburg State due to injury
Overall, Self thinks the team is pretty healthy. There’s only one player who’s not set to participate against Pittsburg State. That would be freshman forward Grant Mordini as he deals with a knee injury.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What to know before Kansas basketball’s exhibition vs Pittsburg State