Kansas forward KJ Adams (24) delivers a dunk before West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell (3) during the first half on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at T Mobile Center in Kansas City. Photo by Nick Krug

A new-look Kansas men’s basketball team expected — as usual — to rank among the best in the country will have the chance to prove its Big 12 Conference bona fides beginning in January. Its league schedule for the upcoming year was announced Tuesday morning.

The Jayhawks’ campaign through the newly expanded 14-team conference — which added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF and doesn’t lose Oklahoma and Texas until after the season — opens at Allen Fieldhouse for a Saturday afternoon matchup with TCU on Jan. 6. That kicks off an 18-game conference slate ahead of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City beginning March 12.

The schedule is highlighted by a trio of games on ESPN’s Big Monday, including versus Cincinnati on Jan. 22, at Kansas State on Feb. 5 and at Texas Tech on Feb. 12.

The Jayhawks will later host their rivals from Manhattan in the penultimate conference game on March 5 before closing out the regular-season slate with a tough test at newcomer Houston, a reigning No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The challenging conclusion to the season also includes home games against Texas (the final league matchup between the two schools) on Feb. 24 and BYU on Feb. 27, then a road date at Baylor on March 2.

Other games against the new members of the league include a road game at UCF early in the schedule (Jan. 10) and a home date with Houston (Feb. 3). Houston is the only newcomer that KU plays twice.

The rest of the league slate consists of a home matchup with Oklahoma (Jan. 13), a road trip to face Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma (Jan. 16), and then West Virginia in Morgantown, West Virginia (Jan. 20), a Jan. 27 date at Iowa State and then a rematch with the Cowboys to close out January (Jan. 30). Remaining February dates include games versus Baylor (Feb. 10) and at Oklahoma (Feb. 17).

The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament take place from March 21-24. KU will be looking to surpass last year’s Round of 32 exit and get back to the championship-winning form of the previous season, aided by new additions like transfers Parker Braun (Santa Clara), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan) and Nick Timberlake (Towson), plus impact freshmen Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell. Starters KJ Adams Jr., Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. return from last year’s campaign, as does reserve forward Zach Clemence.

The Jayhawks played a string of exhibition games in Puerto Rico in August and recently completed their fall conditioning boot camp. They will make their public debut on Oct. 6 for Late Night in the Phog, then play a charity exhibition at Illinois on Oct. 29, ahead of their home exhibition against Fort Hays State on Nov. 1 and home opener against North Carolina Central four days later.

Oct. 29: at Illinois (exh.), 5 p.m., Big Ten Network

Nov. 1: vs. Fort Hays State (exh.), 7 p.m., ESPN+

Nov. 6: vs. North Carolina Central, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Nov. 10: vs. Manhattan, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Nov. 14: vs. Kentucky (Champions Classic in Chicago), to be announced, ESPN

Nov. 20: vs. Chaminade (Maui Invitational in Honolulu), 8 p.m., ESPNU

Nov. 21: Maui Invitational in Honolulu, to be announced

Nov. 22: Maui Invitational in Honolulu, to be announced

Nov. 28: vs. Eastern Illinois, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 1: vs. UConn, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Dec. 5: vs. Kansas City, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 9: vs. Missouri, 4:15 p.m., ESPN

Dec. 16: at Indiana, to be announced

Dec. 22: vs. Yale, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 30: vs. Wichita State (in Kansas City), 3 p.m., ESPN2

Jan. 6: vs. TCU, 1 p.m., CBS

Jan. 10: at UCF, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 13: vs. Oklahoma, 1 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 16: at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Jan. 20: at West Virginia, 3 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 22: vs. Cincinnati, 8 p.m., ESPN

Jan. 27: at Iowa State, 12:30 p.m., CBS

Jan. 30: vs. Oklahoma State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 3: vs. Houston, 3 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 5: at Kansas State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 10: vs. Baylor, 5 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 12: at Texas Tech, 8 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 17: at Oklahoma, 3 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 24: vs. Texas, 5 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 27: vs. BYU, 7 p.m., ESPN+

March 2: at Baylor, 11 a.m., ESPN

March 5: vs. Kansas State, 8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

March 9: at Houston, 3 p.m., ESPN

March 12-16: Big 12 Championship (in Kansas City), to be announced