Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016-17 nonconference schedule has been revealed by Kansas basketball. The Jayhawks will face a Big Ten team at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time in several years and have some extremely difficult matchups early in the year. These nonconference games to kick off the season will give us a first look at how well this talented team compares to the rest of college basketball.

After some exhibition games against Washburn and Emporia State, Kansas jumps right into the thick of the college basketball season with a marquee matchup against Indiana in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Then, KU will face Duke in New York City for the Champions Classic.

These will be tough games, as Indiana and Duke are poised to be two of the best teams in college basketball next season. Duke was rated No. 1 on ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 and Indiana is returning a few players in the midst of the departure of guard Yogi Ferrell. Last year, Kansas picked up a loss to Michigan State in the Champions Classic which was one of very few black marks on the record of a team that was clearly the best in the nation by the end of the regular season.

Late in the season, Kansas will again face Kentucky, Jan. 28. This will be the fourth season in a row that these two teams face off, and the matchup is always epic. This time, Kansas travels to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. Last year, Kansas defeated Kentucky in overtime at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas faces a few other notable nonconference opponents. One of these is Nebraska’s trip to Allen Fieldhouse Dec. 10. Nebraska hasn’t had a good team in basketball for quite a while but former Jayhawk Andrew White III, who transferred from Kansas to Nebraska in 2013, will play in Allen Fieldhouse once again– this time on the away team.

Kansas’ Sprint Center matchup will be Dec. 17 against Davidson, the mid-major school that KU narrowly defeated in 2008 to make the Final Four.

Winning yet another Big 12 title is always the biggest point of emphasis for Kansas in the regular season, but these matchups in nonconference play will make the Jayhawks prove where they belong on the national stage in college basketball. A talented mix of young players like Josh Jackson and experienced veterans like Frank Mason comes together in this Kansas team and it will be interesting to see how they hold up to Duke and Indiana right from the get-go.

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