Danny Manning’s name is synonymous with basketball glory at Kansas’ historic Allen Fieldhouse.

Manning capped a storybook collegiate career with All-American honors and the Most Outstanding Player award at the 1988 Final Four, when he led the Jayhawks to the national championship.

After a 15-year NBA career, Manning returned to his alma mater to begin his coaching career.

Manning was an assistant on Kansas’ 2008 national championship team, and again when the Jayhawks reached the title game in 2012.

However, Manning’s latest visit to the gym where his No. 25 jersey is retired will mark a career first.

Although Manning returned to Allen Fieldhouse plenty of times after he was done coaching at KU while his son, Evan, played for the Jayhawks, Tuesday night will be the first time Manning, a Colorado assistant, will return as part of the opposition.

He and the Buffs will try to end a 12-game losing streak against the 17th-ranked Jayhawks.“A lot of warm, great memories there,” Manning said. “And not just as a player or a coach, but as a professional that was always my offseason home and that’s where I spent a lot of time working out. I’d take my kids and they’d run around the bowels and the stairs at Allen Fieldhouse while I was working out. And then we’d leave when I was done.

“I’m looking forward to going back in that regard. There’s a lot of family and friends that are still there. Obviously the staff is still there. I know those guys and they’re really good friends. It will be a different experience, without question.”

Manning and CU head coach Tad Boyle were teammates for one season at Kansas before Boyle’s college career ended and Manning’s took off. Allen Fieldhouse has always been one of the more difficult venues for opposing teams in the Big 12, but it’s also an arena typically full of knowledgeable and appreciative fans.

Boyle hasn’t been able to enjoy too many cheers this season, as CU’s 12-game slide has tied the second-longest losing streak within a single season in team history. But when the Buffs last visited Kansas for a nonconference date on Dec. 7, 2019, Boyle received a respectful ovation from the KU faithful despite leading the opposing team.

“They love basketball,” Boyle said. “They know the game. They know the history. I played a long time ago now. I’m sure I’ll get a nice ovation but it will pale in comparison to the game, I can tell you that.”

Of course, of far more importance to Boyle than a warm welcome is finding a way to finally get the Buffs into the win column in the Big 12. CU has lost 30 consecutive games in Lawrence, Kan., dating back to Feb. 10, 1983. Barring a monumental upset, the Buffs will be in the unenviable position of possibly tying the program’s longest losing streak when Central Florida visits on Saturday.

“It’s a special place for college basketball,” Boyle said. “Whether you play there, I’ve been there with the white jersey on as the home team. And I’ve been there with the road jersey on. I’ve experienced both ends of it. It’s a little bit more difficult with that dark colored jersey on, there’s no doubt about that. But it’s a knowledgeable, passionate fan base that shows up every game.”