Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks Renew High-Stakes Rivalry With Villanova

The Kansas Jayhawks are one of the biggest brands in college basketball, a program built on century-deep tradition and modern dominance under Bill Self.

Since taking over in 2003, Self has turned Kansas into a permanent national title contender, with 17 Big 12 regular-season titles, nine Big 12 tournament titles, three Final Four appearances, and two national championships.

He’s been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year six times, the AP Coach of the Year twice, and the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading the Jayhawks to a 32-7 record and national title game, losing 67-59 to John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats.

Rivalries with programs like Missouri, Kansas State, Wichita State, and Kentucky helped shape modern Kansas basketball through regional tension, recruiting battles, and memorable NCAA Tournament clashes.

Now, Kansas is renewing one of college basketball's most compelling modern rivalries.

On Wednesday, Kansas and Villanova confirmed a two-year home-and-home series beginning in the 2026–27 season, with the first matchup set for November 27, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence and the return game in 2027 in Philadelphia.

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Kansas and Villanova have crossed paths various times in the NCAA Tournament over the last two decades, most famously the 2016 national title run when Jay Wright’s Wildcats stunned Kansas on its way to the program’s first championship in over 30 years.

Kansas answered in later postseason battles, including the 2022 Final Four, where the Jayhawks powered past Villanova en route to Self’s second national title.

The all-time series sits at 5–5, a rare dead-even ledger between two bluebloods.

Fans can expect playoff-level intensity, elite coaching chess matches between Self and Kevin Willard, and two true road environments that should feel closer to March Madness than a typical November showcase.

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A home-and-home between two championship-caliber programs that have repeatedly crossed paths in the race for national titles could help bring college basketball back to the old-school intensity that made fans fall in love with the sport in the first place.

If the series lives up to its history, it could become the blueprint for more blueblood showdowns in an era where the sport badly needs them.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 10:59 AM.