Kansas hasn't experienced serious March success since winning the national championship in 2022, but Bill Self is hopeful 2026-27 will be different. With No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes in the fold and potential fifth-year players giving the Jayhawks a major boost of eligible, hopes in Lawrence are once again high.
For Pat Kelsey and Louisville, a new-look team is aiming higher than last year's disappointing finish. Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad committed to the Cardinals as a package deal in April and are set to lead the squad, which isn't bringing back much from last season.
Wednesday's exhibition game didn't tell us everything about either team, but it was a potential first look at an NCAA Tournament preview. Louisville freshman Obinna Ekezkie Jr. stole the show with 16 points and five blocks, while Stokes showed efficiency troubles but proved he can get to the free-throw line.
Here are the stats from the exhibition game between Kansas and Louisville.
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Kansas vs. Louisville basketball box score
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Louisville | 36 | 53 | 89 |
| Kansas | 37 | 46 | 83 |
Kansas stats
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG-FGA | 3P-3PA | FT-FTA |
| Taylen Kinney | 21 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2-6 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| Tre White | 27 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8-15 | 4-8 | 5-5 |
| Tyran Stokes | 31 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3-13 | 0-3 | 9-14 |
| Melvin Council Jr. | 35 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8-15 | 3-6 | 1-1 |
| Paul Mbiya | 18 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-3 |
| Luke Barnett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | |||
| Leroy Blyden Jr. | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| Kohl Rosario | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Keanu Dawes | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-6 | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Dennis Parker Jr. | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| Trent Perry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | |||
| Christian Reeves | 14 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Louisville
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG-FGA | 3P-3PA | FT-FTA |
| Jackson Shelstad | 32 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8-15 | 4-8 | 3-4 |
| Seth Trimble | 34 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3-12 | 0-2 | 6-10 |
| Alvaro Folgueiras | 24 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 0-2 |
| Adrian Wooley | 20 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2-7 | 2-5 | 0-0 |
| Flory Bidunga | 28 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 |
| Karter Knox | 12 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 2-2 |
| De'Shayne Montgomery | 22 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-5 | 1-2 | 3-4 |
| Obinna Ekezie Jr. | 19 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5-7 | 4-6 | 2-2 |
| LJ Wells | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
MORE:Full box score as Duke bludgeons Tennessee in exhibition game
