Photo Courtesy of Chad Cushing/The Kansan
The 2024-25 Kansas men’s basketball season has been one for fans to forget. The Jayhawks just recorded their ninth loss of the season, a 34-point loss to BYU on Tuesday.
Fans have begun to voice their disappoint on the team and the state of the program.
“This was supposed to be a great year, but instead, it’s just what we’ve seen the past two years, [which is] overhyped and underperforming,” KU sophomore Blair Brose said.
Many had high expectations for the season, with Allen Fieldhouse being renovated and a roster full of talent. Much of that has been an afterthought with the struggles the team has shown out on the court.
After a rocky 2023-2024 season, fan anticipation grew around the star-studded lineup of transfers and returning players as the team began the season ranked as the preseason No. 1 team. Now, the team is likely to be dropped out of the rankings and is already out of the race for the Big 12 regular season title.
Kansas has lost by 34 points only one other time under head coach Bill Self, an NCAA tournament loss to Southern California in 2021. While it didn’t set a new record, many Jayhawk basketball fans are finding themselves left in uncharted territory after the most recent loss.
“Being a lifelong KU fan, I have never seen a team play with such little effort and lack of urgency in close games,” freshman Philip Givens said.
Fans across the country are in the same boat, and are left distraught by the product they have seen out on the court. Many take to social media to air out their grievances of the current state of the team.
Most recently, the Ain't No Seats Podcast held a live stream on X titled “Meltdown Time - Kansas Basketball is BAD.”
As of now, the team has five remaining games with three of those being home games at Allen Fieldhouse. Some students wonder what the fieldhouse may look like if the season continues to trend the way it currently is.
"I feel like the fanbase is pretty worn out at this point, and I’m interested to see what the student section and fan support looks like for the final three home games,” freshman Jacob Webb said.
It’s clear that Jayhawk fans are not quite sure how to deal with the current basketball situation at KU. When looking at the post-game reactions, and the responses to press conferences, obviously many of them are not happy. While that may be, there are still many Jayhawk fans looking to give their all to the team.
“The environment we build as fans manifests in the team, and if we’re only spreading negativity, the players will feel it and they won’t want to play their best," junior Miles Currence said.
Photo Courtesy of Val Montanez/The Kansan
KU Athletics has released the student combo pass for the 2025-26 school year, and they will cost students $225 dollars, a $50 increase from last year.
The increase in price was deemed fit after KU Athletics evaluated the student fan experience and the factors contributing to it, deputy athletics director Jason Booker said.
Factors considered in the price were upgrades to Allen Fieldhouse, as well as the amenities students will have access to when the first phase of construction of the new football stadium is completed.
With rising operating costs and the future completion of the football stadium, KU Athletics will continue to evaluate the value of the student combo price in the future, Booker said. It also noted that name, image, likeness deals and the need to fundraise for deals for student athletes did not play a role in the increase of the price.
Previously, students paid $175 for the student combo pass and the roughly 29% increase is the first since 2018.
When creating the price for the pass, KU Athletics creates a set price according to the value it determines, while also taking a look at surrounding schools to determine if it is an overall fair price.
Students at K-State will pay $250 for their upcoming student athletic pass, and Missouri students paid $200 for their Zou Pass this past year, putting KU directly in the middle of its two biggest rivals.
Students who purchase the combo pass will have first dibs on the seven home football games such as Kansas State and Oklahoma State, as well as home basketball games which have yet to be released.
Football tickets will be uploaded directly to a student ticket account, and basketball tickets will still see students needing to take extra steps to redeem them. Athletics states they will send more information regarding this in late summer.
Purchasing the student combo pass does not guarantee admission to every game. Seating for students is first come first serve, and students who do not make it into an event will continue to receive a $10 credit in return.
The combo pass can be added directly to your student account through the KU Enroll and Pay portal, and visual instructions can be found on the KU Athletics website.
According to the release by KU Athletics, students have until Aug. 6, 2025 to purchase a pass with this method. If a student looks to purchase a combo pass after this date, they must be purchased in full from either the KU ticket office or online through the KU Athletics ticketing portal.
Students not looking to buy the student combo pass will still be able to purchase single game tickets when made available by KU Athletics and only to games with ticket availability.
