Kansas basketball will play Kansas State twice. What about KU’s other Big 12 opponents?

LAWRENCE — There’s a lot of optimism right now, surrounding the Kansas basketball program.

Among the returners from last season are Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams Jr., forming a formidable trio. The transfer portal haul coach Bill Self has brought in includes high-profile talents such as Rylan Griffen, AJ Storr and Zeke Mayo. Flory Bidunga and Rakease Passmore are also two intriguing freshmen who could earn roles early in their college careers.

But while it’s too soon to say exactly how the rotation and roles will look when the season begins, one thing has become clear for the Jayhawks. For that matter, something has become clear for the entire Big 12 Conference. Because the Big 12 announced Thursday the opponents each conference team will play this season and where those matchups in a 20-game league slate will take place.

Kansas basketball’s Big 12 home and away opponents

KU will face Kansas State, Houston, Iowa State, Colorado and UCF both home and away.

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That means Kansas will have the opportunity to face rival Kansas State twice this season. It’ll also have two chances against two other national title contenders in Houston and Iowa State. New Big 12 member Colorado joins this list, as does a UCF team that upset the Jayhawks last season in Orlando.

Kansas basketball’s Big 12 home opponents

KU will face Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Arizona and Arizona State at home only.

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That means Kansas won’t have to travel to see how Oklahoma State and West Virginia look with their new head coaches. The Jayhawks also won’t have to head to a challenging environment at Texas Tech, where they lost last season. New Big 12 members Arizona and Arizona State will get a chance to experience Allen Fieldhouse in their first year in the league.

Kansas basketball’s Big 12 away opponents

KU will face Baylor, Utah, BYU, TCU and Cincinnati on the road only.

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That means if Kansas is going to beat Baylor next season, it’s going to have to be away from home. The same goes for BYU, TCU and Cincinnati teams that gave the Jayhawks trouble last season, although BYU does have a new head coach. In the first year of Utah’s stay in the Big 12, Kansas will get a chance to see what that environment is like.

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: Kansas basketball Big 12 Conference schedule home and away opponenets