Inside the likely format of Kansas basketball’s road exhibition game against Arkansas

Posted by Admin October 24, 2024 Basketball

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KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had something in mind when he scheduled the Jayhawks’ preseason exhibition game on the road against Arkansas, which is set to tip off Friday.

Self, speaking Wednesday during Big 12 Conference media days at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, wanted to see how his players would react in front of a hostile crowd. He anticipates a full Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. For someone like senior guard David Coit, who transferred to Kansas from Northern Illinois, it’s a situation that could be very telling.

But how will the No. 1 Jayhawks’ exhibition against the No. 16 Razorbacks play out? What’s going to be the format that unfolds, after the 8 p.m. (CT)-scheduled tip-off? Self shared his perspective on what he expects.

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“I think we’re going to play quarters, so that way nobody can foul out and we can reset fouls, I think,” Self said. “Because I think Arkansas may be beat up, too, a little bit. But I anticipate us playing most of the situations out of the quarters, but maybe have it be more of a practice-type situation where coaches can actually walk around and show things on the floor, do some things.”

Self added: “So, a real game? I’m not anticipating, even though we’ll keep score. But I’m not anticipating it being something that — we probably both need to look at different combinations and stuff like that. And since I have a lot of guys out, it’ll probably be good for us to see how different guys react in actual meaningful minutes.”

What Self is referring to, injury-wise, is his team isn’t completely healthy at the moment when it comes to the guys expected to play this season. Not only will graduate guard Shakeel Moore be out, and graduate center Hunter Dickinson has been out, but junior guard Rylan Griffen experienced a hip flexor issue Monday that will likely leave him as doubtful. The good news, would be Self noted they could all be practicing again by Sunday.

Self didn’t expound too much on Kansas’ starting lineup for the exhibition, outside of mentioning graduate guard Dajuan Harris Jr., senior forward KJ Adams Jr. and senior guard Zeke Mayo as sure things in that regard. In the end, who starts and who doesn’t in an exhibition for a team that isn’t at full strength isn’t a significant topic. But there should be playing time available for guys like junior guard AJ Storr, freshman forward Flory Bidunga and others.

There’ll be some time before talking about the Jayhawks’ exhibition schedule next year. The current slate has to play out, as well as the regular and postseason slates in general. But Self did leave open the possibility that he could continue to schedule exhibition games on the road in the future.

“Probably depends on what the NCAA rules are, to be real candid with you,” Self said. “Because, can it be an NIL game that goes to (revenue)-share? Can it be different things?”

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.