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The Kansas Jayhawks will tip off their men's basketball season against Fordham at 7 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse. The matchup, available on ESPN+ and radio via WHB (810) in Kansas City and ESPN Wichita (92.3 FM), is the season opener for both squads.
Possible Starters
Fordham's projected lineup includes forwards Rikus Schulte (6-9, Sr.), Akira Jacobs (6-10, Sr.), and Abass Bodija (6-10, Soph.), along with guards Hassan Koureissi (6-3, Fr.) and Amir Lindsey (5-11, Jr.). Kansas is expected to start center Christian Reeves (7-2, Sr.), guards Melvin Council Jr. (6-4, Sr.), Tre White (6-7, Sr.), Taylen Kinney (6-3, Fr.), and Tyran Stokes (6-8, Fr.).
Scouting Fordham
Fordham, located in New York City, was picked to finish seventh in the 14-team Atlantic 10 preseason poll. The Rams return five players who saw significant minutes last season: senior forwards Akira Jacobs and Rikus Schulte, junior center Jack Whitbourn, sophomore forward Roor Akhuar, and redshirt sophomore forward Abass Bodija. Those five combined for 1,010 points (42.5% of the team's scoring) and 761 rebounds (62.0% of the team's rebounding) a year ago. Schulte earned second-team preseason all-league and all-defense honors. Seven Fordham forwards or centers average 6 feet 9.5 inches, with Whitbourn and Omar Essam both standing 6-11. The 15-man roster averages 6-foot-5. In preseason play, the Rams defeated UMBC 87-67 and Fairfield 79-62; Lateef Patrick scored 20 points and Amir Lindsey added 18 against Fairfield, while Whitbourn grabbed 15 rebounds as Fordham outrebounded Fairfield 51-29. Head coach Mike Magpayo is in his second year at Fordham after five years at Cal-Riverside; the Rams went 17-15 overall and 8-10 in the league last season. Lindsey, a transfer from Albany, led the America East Conference in scoring (17.9 ppg) a year ago, and Jacobs is a member of the Japan National Team. Fordham is 79-38 (.675) in season openers since 1908 and has won five of its past eight openers, including a 68-64 overtime win over Wagner in 2023-24. The Rams are 3-16 all-time against current Big 12 teams, most recently losing 89-69 at West Virginia in 2017.
Scouting Kansas
No. 17 Kansas holds a 4-1 all-time series lead over Fordham, which began in the 1940-41 season. The Jayhawks won the last meeting 99-67 on Nov. 30, 1977, in Lawrence, while Fordham took the first matchup 53-42 on Dec. 28, 1940, at New York's Madison Square Garden. KU is 49-13 against Atlantic 10 schools, with its last game against the conference being a 90-61 win over Davidson on Dec. 22, 2025. The Jayhawks have won 53 consecutive home openers, a streak that started in 1973-74 under head coach Ted Owens, who won his final 10 home openers to begin the run. Larry Brown (5-0) and Roy Williams (15-0) never lost a home opener, and Bill Self is 23-0. Kansas has won five straight season openers, against Green Bay (2025-26), Howard (2024-25), North Carolina Central (2023-24), Omaha (2022-23), and Michigan State (2021-22); the last season-opening loss came against Gonzaga in 2020-21 in Fort Myers, Florida. KU has appeared in the AP preseason poll for 35 consecutive seasons. In three exhibition contests (a win over Pittsburg State and losses to Duke and Louisville), the Jayhawks averaged 82.3 points with a plus-2.0 scoring margin and 43.3 rebounds with a plus-1.6 rebound margin, along with 14.7 assists, 7.0 steals, and 4.7 blocked shots per game. Tyran Stokes led KU in scoring (18.7 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg), and assists (13) during exhibition play.
Originally reported by kansas.