Kansas head coach Bill Self and several players huddle up while Kansas forward Keanu Dawes (8) shoots two free throws after a flagrant foul by Fordham during the first half on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. Nick Krug/Special to the Journal-World

With one early-season mid-major matchup under its belt — a 95-65 win over Fordham on Monday — and another approaching on Friday, Kansas head coach Bill Self is looking for signs of ongoing improvement from his newly assembled squad.

“I’d just like to see us play well against a team that obviously can score the ball, and maybe defend and rebound, and not let people get quite as comfortable as we have so far,” Self said on Thursday. “But just to keep building on the things that we’re gaining on — and you don’t do it overnight, you do it incrementally and hopefully just get a little bit better.”

The Jayhawks will welcome Middle Tennessee to Allen Fieldhouse on Friday night at 8 p.m. It will be the fourth-ever meeting between the two schools — with KU having won the previous three, two in Lawrence and one in Murfreesboro, Tennessee — and the first with Self as KU’s head coach.

Middle Tennessee was picked to finish fifth of 10 teams in Conference USA’s preseason poll. Among the Blue Raiders’ top seven players in minutes per game last season, when they went 17-15 overall and 11-9 in league play, the only one still on the roster is guard Jahvin Carter, a preseason all-league pick who averaged 10.8 points per game last year and scored 16 with seven assists in MTSU’s season opener against Fisk University.

The Blue Raiders had no issues on Monday with their NAIA foe as they won 117-73 and had the opportunity to show off a variety of options in their backcourt. Marcus Whitlock Jr. made four 3s. Quintero Barnett, a transfer from Division II Walsh University, led all scorers with 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Eli Rice, a 6-foot-7 wing with experience at two Big Ten schools, added 18 off the bench.

MTSU doesn’t have as much size in its lineup as KU’s previous buy-game opponent Fordham, but does have two centers on its roster: 6-foot-11 Serbian sophomore Luka Jovanovic and 6-foot-10 JUCO transfer Kaleb Siler, who got the start against Fisk.

Head coach Nick McDevitt is in his ninth year leading the Blue Raiders. MTSU hasn’t made the tournament since its pair of first-round upset wins under Kermit Davis in 2016 and 2017.

NO. 17 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (1-0) VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS (1-0)

• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 8 p.m.

• Broadcast: ESPNU

• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9 / KMXN FM 92.9)

KEEP AN EYE OUT

Figure eight: KU has numerous possible options in its rotation this season, and Self has discussed wanting to deploy around 10 players. However, he also said on Thursday that seven or eight tend to separate themselves. In the Jayhawks’ opener against Fordham, they relied on a clear top eight: Guards Melvin Council Jr. and Taylen Kinney and wings Tyran Stokes and Tre White started with center Christian Reeves, with forward Trey Kaufman-Renn taking Reeves’ place in the second half. Off the bench came guard Leroy Blyden Jr. and forward Keanu Dawes. This could give an early indication of who might figure prominently into KU’s higher-level games, especially if Self keeps it consistent against MTSU. Of course, Kohl Rosario hasn’t been able to practice of late due to a concussion, and he and fellow wings Dennis Parker Jr., Trent Perry and Luke Barnett will all get opportunities to prove themselves worthy of spot minutes lower in the rotation. Parker and Perry got six each and Barnett garnered four in mop-up duty.

Sweet charity: Self called KU’s free-throw shooting a “major concern,” and indeed the Jayhawks struggled from the line against Fordham at 16-for-30 (53.3%) on the night after an uninspiring 64.5% across their three exhibitions. This team, and especially Stokes, should get to the line quite a bit and will need to take full advantage of those opportunities, especially as it is still trying to find its rhythm in the halfcourt. A better performance against MTSU would provide more confidence in the Jayhawks’ competence in this regard.

Out of favor: Paul Mbiya had his shot at a potential starting spot at center this offseason while Christian Reeves was recovering from shoulder surgery, but ever since Reeves came back and Kaufman-Renn joined the fold, Mbiya has been largely consigned to the bench, outside of some solid early minutes against former teammate Flory Bidunga in the Louisville exhibition. Against Fordham, Mbiya didn’t play until very late and racked up six rebounds and two blocks in his four minutes, but also missed an awkward shot at the right block and came up empty on three free throws. Mbiya might be KU’s best rim protector, but the rest of his game could need to improve to get him on the court consistently.

OFF-KILTER OBSERVATION

MTSU forward Ofri Naveh was a member of West Virginia teams that beat KU during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Originally from Israel, last year he started all 32 games at Oral Roberts before transferring again.