Kansas City Roos

The Kansas City Roos play Division I basketball at Swinney Recreation Center, representing the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the heart of the city. As members of the Summit League, the Roos compete in a conference known for its mid-major parity and tournament-day drama. UMKC's basketball identity is tied closely to its urban Kansas City home and its long history under both NAIA and NCAA banners.

The program dates to 1954, when it competed as the Kansas City Kangaroos in the NAIA, and moved up to NCAA Division I as an independent in 1987. The Roos have spent most of their Division I life in the Mid-Continent Conference and its successor, the Summit League, from 1994 to 2013, with a run in the WAC before returning to the Summit League in 2020. The university itself began holding classes in 1933 as the University of Kansas City before joining the University of Missouri System in 1963.