KANSAS to open basketball season in Hawaii

<br>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas opens the basketball season in Hawaii as part of a field of eight teams in the Maui Invitational Nov. 1921. <br><br>The Jayhawks will be making their third appearance in

Thursday, July 26th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas opens the basketball season in Hawaii as part of a field of eight teams in the Maui Invitational Nov. 1921.

The Jayhawks will be making their third appearance in the Hawaiian tournament, which they won in 1996. Pairings haven't been announced but the other teams in the field are Duke, UCLA, Ball State, South Carolina, Houston, Seton Hall and Chaminade.

Kansas warms up for the tournament with exhibition games at home against the EA Sports California All-Stars on Nov. 7 and Fort Hays State on Nov. 13.

The regular season home schedule begins Nov. 28 against another Division II school from Kansas, Pittsburg State. The Jayhawks then play Arizona, runner-up for the national championship last season, at Tucson Dec. 1, returning home to meet Wake Forest Dec. 4 and Missouri-Kansas City Dec. 8.

After meeting Princeton on the road Dec. 12, Kansas is back home Dec. 15 against South Carolina State. The Jayhawks then travel to North Dakota on Dec. 22 and play Tulsa in Kansas City on Dec. 29, winding up the pre-conference schedule at home against Valparaiso Jan. 2.

Kansas opens Big 12 play at Colorado on Jan 5, then plays Nebraska at home Jan. 9. After a game with UCLA in Los Angeles on Jan. 12, they resume conference action at Oklahoma State Jan. 16 and at home against Oklahoma on Jan 19.

The Jayhawks finish out January by playing at Iowa State on Jan. 23 and Texas A&M Jan. 26 and at home against Missouri on Jan. 28.

February's schedule includes home games with Colorado on Feb. 2, Texas Tech Feb. 9, Baylor Feb. 16, Iowa State Feb. 18 and Kansas State Feb. 27. Road games that month take the Jayhawks to Kansas State Feb. 4, Texas Feb. 11 and Nebraska Feb. 24. They close out the regular season at Missouri on March 3, with the Big 12 Tournament starting March 7 in Kansas City.

The Jayhawks will play on national television at least 13 times, seven on ESPN, three on CBS, one on ABC and two on ESPN2.