Bill Self Says Louisville Environment Prepared Kansas for Looming Matchup

Last Friday, Kansas basketball took on No. 11 Louisville in an open scrimmage at the KFC Yum! Center in front of thousands of Cardinal fans.

While the outcome ended in the Jayhawks' favor, head coach Bill Self believes his team gained valuable experience from the matchup, particularly in dealing with a rowdy road crowd.

He even mentioned that it could prepare his squad for its first official road matchup of the season, which is expected to come in a much harsher environment.

"I thought the environment was good. I'll be honest, with the way we started off the game, I didn't really think the crowd really ever got into the way they could've," Self said. "But yeah, it was great, 17,000 people anytime you play in front of that type of crowd and respond favorably, I think that's something we can draw from. It's not going to be a [North] Carolina atmosphere — that'll be a different atmosphere and turned up with more people."

Granted, it wasn't the loudest setting in Louisville, considering both sides knew it was nothing more than a scrimmage. However, Jayhawk fans have witnessed the team struggle under pressure in tough road environments against Illinois and Arkansas over the past two years in preseason exhibitions.

Those teams were still learning to play together, but this one stayed composed throughout the night and quickly silenced any momentum the Cardinals tried to build.

Will this environment come close to what we'll see on Nov. 7? Not even close.

Still, it was good for Darryn Peterson and his supporting cast to get a feel for what over 15,000 heckling fans sound like and how they can tune them out.

Kansas, UNC Set to Face Off on Nov. 7

The No. 19 Jayhawks and No. 25 Tar Heels have this meeting circled on their calendars, as they are two of the best programs the sport has to offer.

This matchup marks the second of a home-and-home series that began last year at Allen Fieldhouse. In that contest, Kansas came out on top 92-89 after Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer with seconds remaining.

While the Jayhawks led by as many as 20, there was definitely some Phog magic in the air that night, given how the team nearly collapsed late.

But now, UNC has home-court advantage under fifth-year head coach Hubert Davis, who is looking to avenge the 2022 national title loss and break his winless record against KU.

MORE: Ranking Kansas Basketball's Toughest 2025-26 Nonconference Opponents

The game will take place at the Dean E. Smith Center in front of over 20,000 fans for a game that will undoubtedly be sold out.

The history between Kansas and North Carolina runs deep. Legendary UNC coach Dean Smith graduated from KU and played basketball there before going on to make history in Chapel Hill. His protégé, Roy Williams, coached in Lawrence for 15 years before making the infamous jump to UNC.

There will always be a rich connection between these two blue bloods, and the Nov. 7 contest should be one of the highlights of college basketball's early nonconference slate.