While neither Kansas nor Arkansas is taking much away from the preseason exhibition due to various players being unavailable, the Jayhawks should know what to expect from the Razorbacks when they play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Providence on Friday.

Arkansas did give Kansas defensive trouble in October, and it fits the mold of other teams that have succeeded against KenPom’s 11th-rated defense. Athletic and physical backcourts such as Texas Tech, Arizona, and UCF have found ways to make scoring look easy against Kansas.

Johnell Davis, DJ Wagner and the return of Boogie Fland make up a fast, strong backcourt that can give the Jayhawks’ guards trouble. Fland missed two months with a wrist injury, but he looked like a surefire lottery pick against Kansas with 22 points, five assists, and six steals.

“Athletically they were much more physical and faster, especially at the guard spots,” Self said to the media Wednesday. “Boogie was probably the best player in that exhibition game. So getting him back I'm sure will be a bonus for them. They present a lot of challenges because they're athletic and they're shooting the ball more consistently now and they've shown that when they're good, they're as good as anybody.”

Neither team was at full strength during the exhibition game. Kansas played without Hunter Dickinson, Rylan Griffen and Shakeel Moore, while Arkansas didn’t have Jonas Aidoo. However, there are still some things that Kansas is taking away.

“I do know there are some things that they did in that exhibition game we would like to slow down and take away,” Self said. “Hopefully it benefitted us by getting our butts kicked by them in that exhibition game that helped us prepare for this game.”

KJ Adams said that Arkansas “out-physicaled and out-toughed” Kansas during the exhibition game.

Self also said the emergence of Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III has “keyed everything” for Arkansas. Brazile has scored in double figures in his last four games, while Richmond has provided a nice boost off the bench as Arkansas has struggled to put together a consistent rotation with injuries.

While it was just an exhibition game, the Kansas players aren’t taking the loss lightly. There’s also extra fuel to the fire for Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams, who lost to the Razorbacks in the Round of 32 in 2023. The two both said the team is ready for the matchup.

“I'm just excited to play them again,” Harris said. “We lost to them two years ago, and this is basically like a revenge game for me and KJ. We want this game back. It's going to be really exciting to play.”