The Kansas basketball nonconference schedule got a little more challenging this week as the Jayhawks announced a new home-and-home series with the Villanova Wildcats. The two schools will first meet later this year on Nov. 27 inside Allen Fieldhouse. The subsequent matchup will take place at Villanova in November 2027 (exact date to be determined). These are two programs who have become very familiar with one another over the years, as the Jayhawks and Wildcats have faced off nine times during the Bill Self era – four of which came in the NCAA Tournament. The two teams have split the four postseason matchups, and each time the winning team has gone on to win the national championship that year (KU in 2008 and 2022; Villanova in 2016 and 2018). The two programs have met a total of 10 times dating back to their first meeting on March 18, 1968, in New York City. The Jayhawks won that game 55-49 and would go on to win three of the first four meetings between the two schools until Villanova evened things up with a three-game win streak stretching from November 2013 to March 2018. KU won the most recent meeting during the 2022 NCAA Tournament when the Jayhawks defeated Villanova 81-65 in the Final Four. It was seen as a sort of revenge game for many KU fans after the Wildcats ended the Jayhawks’ tournament hopes in 2016 and 2018. "We've had a lot of great games against Villanova, including some on the biggest stage," Kansas head coach Bill Self said. "These games will be great to prepare our guys for Big 12 play, and they will be exciting for our fans."KU’s nonconference slate will likely be one of the toughest in the country this year, as it often is. In addition to Villanova, the Jayhawks are set to play Missouri, UConn, Kentucky, and Ohio State – plus a field of competitive schools in the 2026 Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas. Full nonconference schedule details for the 2026-27 season are expected to be released in June. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow