KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas men's and women's basketball teams are heading to Mexico City in 2024.
The school announced Thursday that both basketball programs will head south of the border in December 2024. Both teams are set to play the Houston Cougars as part Big 12 Conference Mexico initiative.
Mexico City 2024 👀 pic.twitter.com/lpfqT8ldoo
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) June 8, 2023
A matchup between Houston and Kansas in men's hoops is very intriguing. Houston, which is set to join the Big 12 after spending the previous 10 seasons in the AAC, has become a perennial national championship contender under head coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars have reached the Sweet 16 in the last four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, with the team reaching the Final Four in 2021 and have finished in the top-15 of the AP rankings for four of the last five seasons.
Kansas and Houston playing basketball games in Mexico City is part of new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's strategy to expand the conference's influence into the country.
Alongside the matchup between both Kansas and Houston's hoop programs, the Big 12 will also send teams in baseball and women's soccer to play games in Mexico.
The Big 12 conference is also set to explore establishing a bowl game for football in Monterrey, which would begin in 2026.
