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This Kansas team is built with defense as its backbone. With sophomore center Flory Bidunga anchoring the paint full-time and additional frontcourt size behind him, Kansas has the personnel to protect the rim, deter drives, and clean the glass at a high level. On the perimeter, their guards and wings bring length, quickness, and active hands, the type of athletic profile that allows them to pressure the ball, jump passing lanes, and force opponents into tough contested shots. No matter the lineup or rotations, expect Kansas to lean into a disruptive, aggressive style that turns stops into transition chances, with their overall defensive identity more established and clear than their offense early in the year.
Kansas’ offense is namely still a work-in-progress due to the fact that their superstar freshman Darryn Peterson, who 247Sports ranks as the #1 prospect in this year’s freshman class and Self has called a “generational talent” and “the best player Kansas has recruited during his tenure”, has not played since November 11th due to a hamstring injury. Ostensibly the team’s de facto point guard, the six-foot-six, 205-pound big guard is one of the handful of freshmen vying for the first overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, alongside BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer. Peterson was revaluated on Friday and according to On3 I’ve got the following quote: “I’m hopeful [he’ll return] soon,” Self said. “He’s doing more every day. He’s working out here. He’s running, he’s cutting, he’s doing some things. He’s just got to test out some things, which we’ll test him again when we get back. So week to week, maybe too long. It’s more of every three or four days, we’ll re-evaluate and see where he’s at.”
According to 247Sports’ Adam Finklestein, here’s his report on Peterson:
“Peterson is a big guard with good positional size, length, and strength. He's 6-foot-5, with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, and a cut-up and defined frame. What differentiates him most though is an effortless ability to score and make plays from a variety of spots on the floor, all within the flow of the game.
Peterson is extremely versatile. He's a true combo guard who is equally effective playing on or off the ball. He has natural poise as a handler with now only rare moments when he can be rattled by pressure from smaller guards. He's also a true multi-level scorer who can simultaneously see the floor, make reads, and pass well. He has a very smooth pull-up game, can overpower most opposing guards off the dribble, take smaller defenders into the post, and also thrive in ball-screens. His understanding of how to get to his spots is second to none and that's why he's such an efficient scorer, even in high volume, especially inside the arc (24 points per game in 3SSB play on 50% shooting from the floor and 57% on two-point field goals). He also has good natural instincts and has already developed an NBA caliber intellect when it comes to drawing fouls and getting easy points at the free-throw line.
While he was nearly a 90% shooter at the free-throw line, he was just under 31% from behind the arc. He has a mechanically clean and projectable stroke, but is still working to become a more consistent three-point shooter, particularly off the catch. He's a good athlete, but doesn't necessarily have overwhelming or dynamic pop when attempting to separate or explode at the rim. He plays with a ton of on-ball volume right now, and will inevitably have to learn to play less with the ball in his hands at the next level, even as a primary playmaker.
Peterson is a solid and competitive on-ball defender with very good playmaking metrics off the ball as well (3.4 stocks per game). He is also an elite perimeter rebounder (7.4 per game) with the size, strength, and length to eventually be a multi-positional defender.
Overall, there's just not another guard in the country right now who can match Peterson's combination of size, length, strength, real functional versatility, and effortless ability to get to his spots that can make the game look easy at times.”
Even if Peterson plays, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be at 100% on Tuesday, so for the sake of this preview, I am imagining the team without Peterson at 100% and leaning more on what this team can be like without him.
Sophomore center Flory Bidunga is the bedrock of Kansas’ defense and is arguably one of the best all-around defenders in the nation. Bidunga hit the portal early last offseason and almost committed to Auburn, but Peterson’s commitment was a huge reason why Bidunga decided to stay. Offensively, Bidunga is limited and keeps his game simple, using his athleticism scoring off transition plays, and when Kansas is in the halfcourt, Bidunga’s points mostly offensive boards and lobs inside. Last season, Bidunga was an awful FT shooter, but so far is doing well, making 75% of his FTAs. He’s also shown an ability in improving his post-vision and kick-out looks, dishing ten assists over the last three games.
Bidunga almost never shared the floor last year w/ Hunter Dickinson, but this year he does share the floor with six-eleven freshman Bryson Tiller this year, solidifying Kansas as one of the more dangerous interior defenses in the nation. Like Bidunga, Tiller is an excellent rim protector and defensive rebounder, but also provides a much more versatile offensive profile.
Here’s Adam Finklestein’s report on Bryson Tiller:
“Tiller is long and powerful with a developing inside-out skill set. Recently measured at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, 9-foot-3 standing reach, and 11-inch hands, his physical measurements are off the charts. His frame is just as impressive, sculpted and powerful.
While Tiller’s frame and physical tools have been imposing since he was an underclassman, he hasn’t always been quite as dominant as expected inside the paint or at the rim. He doesn’t always explode through contact or play with the type of sheer force most expect at the rim. Conversely though, he’s shown real growth in the progression of his skill-set. He’s very comfortable in the mid-post, often choosing to face-up, and consistently able to score over top of contesting defenders in that mid-range area. He has shooting touch that is starting to extend out to the arc with more consistency, is a big screener, and a tough match-up in two-man games because of the increasing versatility to roll or pop. He has a good left hand and can also put the ball on the floor comfortably for a couple of bounces, but can get turnover prone (3.4/game in the 2023 UAA) when trying to be too much of a playmaker.
One of his best assets is his ability to rebound the ball, and it’s been a consistent staple at virtually every stop. He averaged 8.1 boards in the 2023 UAA and 9.4 during the OTE regular season last year. He lacks the quick vertical pop to be a prototypical shot blocker, but his length and strong frame make him an interior deterrent who is capable of providing some secondary rim protection (1.2 blocks per game in the 2023 UAA and 1.6 in the OTE regular season). Overall, he’s a fundamentally sound and generally reliable team defender, with adequate lateral mobility for his size.”
In Peterson’s absence, the Bidunga/Tiller combo have averaged 30 mpg+ and since both guys are also the team’s only players who get regular center minutes, I assume their roles will continue to be huge even if Peterson returns.
In addition to adding Peterson, a major focus for Bill Self rebuilding a roster that lost all of last year’s starters, it was important for staff to address a constant bugaboo for the last three to four years – finding a variety of guys who can make shots, especially from three.
Enter senior combo forward Tre White, who starts as the team’s small forward, but also gets looks at the 4 in Kansas’ smaller lineups. A classic modern day portal nomad, White is at his fourth high-major school in four years (USC > Louisville > Illinois > Kansas) who actually first committed to Kansas as a 9th grader, but once he decommitted, Kansas used that vacant scholarship to add Dajuan Harris Jr. (who, IMO, was one of the reasons why Kansas’ title ceiling was limited when he was the starting point guard).
Once Illinois went all-in with their Euro-centric rebuild, White transferred to Kansas as they wanted him to maintain the role that makes him most effective – a high-efficiency, creative, high BBIQ scorer who can score in pretty much any fashion: slashing, catch-and-shoot, off-the-dribble and also dirty buckets off second-chance points. With his size and skill-set, White can play 2 through 4 and can guard 1 through 4. He can be a little selfish and hero-ball happy, but Kansas wants White to play that way since they’ve lacked a guy like that for a while.
Also playing in his fourth school in four years is Melvin Council Jr., a big combo guard who has “leveled up” from the JUCO level to Wagner to St. Bonaventure and now Kansas (IMO, here’s where I don’t mind the portal, kudos to him for working his way up the ladder). Council Jr. is a solid two-way guard who can play all three backcourt positions and led the A-10 in steals last year. Playing the point w/ Peterson out, Council’s clearest weakness is his subpar career 45 2P% and 27 3P%, but he's secure with the ball and limits mistakes.
Loyola-Chicago transfer Jayden Dawson was actually the only Kansas portal addition whom Bill Self was the sole recruiter and he’s best categorized as an “offense-first” player. He’s missed the last two games with a wrist injury, so it’ll be seen whether he will play on Tuesday, but Dawson is one of Self’s first guys off the bench as a combo guard who is strong off the pick-and-roll and is also a solid three point-shooter (career 35.5 3P%).
In the absence of both Peterson and Dawson, returning sophomores Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell have gotten much more run in the backcourt, with both guys bringing more of a blue-collar grittiness to the Jayhawks.
Starting the last two games, McDowell is a big guard who can play all three backcourt positions and while is a low-usage offensive player, his length, athleticism, spark and energy makes him a strong defensive glue-guy piece who is blessed with a full-tilt motor. After struggling as a shooter last season, McDowell this year is strictly a floor spacer, with 90% of his FGAs from 3.
Former top-25 prospect Elmarko Jackson missed last year with a knee injury, but athletically, he’s back to 100% as the combo guard is blessed with elite downhill speed and impressive strength for his size. EvanMiya.com grades Jackson has Kansas’ best backcourt defender and like McDowell, Jackson relishes playing a “team-first” approach, doing the little things that win games. His time away from injury has not affected his defensive play, but he is still learning the ins and outs of the offense and has struggled with his efficiency this year.
‘26 reclass Kohl Rosario started the first six games of the season, but his defensive woes have been clear as the young floor-spacer might lose his role in the rotation once Peterson and Dawson return. Offensively, Rosario has all-around scoring potential, but he’s mostly out in the corners in halfcourt settings.
If everyone is healthy, Kansas’ offense is expected to run through Peterson as he is expected to develop to be their primary creator and late-clock scorer. With Peterson handling much of the playmaking burden, the Jayhawks are looking to utilize their length and athleticism to generate early-offense and transition opportunities. However, Kansas has yet to play a lot in transition, so In the halfcourt, they rely heavily on ball screens and rim-pressure from their guards, with bigs like Flory Bidunga serving as explosive roll and lob targets. Like last year, the main question for Kansas is their shot-making – it’s better than last year since Kansas won’t roll out lineups with two non-shooters (like KJ Adams and Bidunga sharing the floor together), but outside of Tre White, Kansas doesn’t have a ton of reliable floor spacers yet, so the offense has still been more interiorly based (37.8% of FGAs are from 3, which is 214th in the nation, which is an improvement from 34.1% last season and 29.8% the season before).
Defensively, this is a stout group with good size up and down the lineup and even more if Peterson plays. Outside of Rosario and Dawson, all other Jayhawks are at least solid to exceptional defenders.
Kansas’ offense is namely still a work-in-progress due to the fact that their superstar freshman Darryn Peterson, who 247Sports ranks as the #1 prospect in this year’s freshman class and Self has called a “generational talent” and “the best player Kansas has recruited during his tenure”, has not played since November 11th due to a hamstring injury. Ostensibly the team’s de facto point guard, the six-foot-six, 205-pound big guard is one of the handful of freshmen vying for the first overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, alongside BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer. Peterson was revaluated on Friday and according to On3 I’ve got the following quote: “I’m hopeful [he’ll return] soon,” Self said. “He’s doing more every day. He’s working out here. He’s running, he’s cutting, he’s doing some things. He’s just got to test out some things, which we’ll test him again when we get back. So week to week, maybe too long. It’s more of every three or four days, we’ll re-evaluate and see where he’s at.”
According to 247Sports’ Adam Finklestein, here’s his report on Peterson:
“Peterson is a big guard with good positional size, length, and strength. He's 6-foot-5, with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, and a cut-up and defined frame. What differentiates him most though is an effortless ability to score and make plays from a variety of spots on the floor, all within the flow of the game.
Peterson is extremely versatile. He's a true combo guard who is equally effective playing on or off the ball. He has natural poise as a handler with now only rare moments when he can be rattled by pressure from smaller guards. He's also a true multi-level scorer who can simultaneously see the floor, make reads, and pass well. He has a very smooth pull-up game, can overpower most opposing guards off the dribble, take smaller defenders into the post, and also thrive in ball-screens. His understanding of how to get to his spots is second to none and that's why he's such an efficient scorer, even in high volume, especially inside the arc (24 points per game in 3SSB play on 50% shooting from the floor and 57% on two-point field goals). He also has good natural instincts and has already developed an NBA caliber intellect when it comes to drawing fouls and getting easy points at the free-throw line.
While he was nearly a 90% shooter at the free-throw line, he was just under 31% from behind the arc. He has a mechanically clean and projectable stroke, but is still working to become a more consistent three-point shooter, particularly off the catch. He's a good athlete, but doesn't necessarily have overwhelming or dynamic pop when attempting to separate or explode at the rim. He plays with a ton of on-ball volume right now, and will inevitably have to learn to play less with the ball in his hands at the next level, even as a primary playmaker.
Peterson is a solid and competitive on-ball defender with very good playmaking metrics off the ball as well (3.4 stocks per game). He is also an elite perimeter rebounder (7.4 per game) with the size, strength, and length to eventually be a multi-positional defender.
Overall, there's just not another guard in the country right now who can match Peterson's combination of size, length, strength, real functional versatility, and effortless ability to get to his spots that can make the game look easy at times.”
Even if Peterson plays, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be at 100% on Tuesday, so for the sake of this preview, I am imagining the team without Peterson at 100% and leaning more on what this team can be like without him.
Sophomore center Flory Bidunga is the bedrock of Kansas’ defense and is arguably one of the best all-around defenders in the nation. Bidunga hit the portal early last offseason and almost committed to Auburn, but Peterson’s commitment was a huge reason why Bidunga decided to stay. Offensively, Bidunga is limited and keeps his game simple, using his athleticism scoring off transition plays, and when Kansas is in the halfcourt, Bidunga’s points mostly offensive boards and lobs inside. Last season, Bidunga was an awful FT shooter, but so far is doing well, making 75% of his FTAs. He’s also shown an ability in improving his post-vision and kick-out looks, dishing ten assists over the last three games.
Bidunga almost never shared the floor last year w/ Hunter Dickinson, but this year he does share the floor with six-eleven freshman Bryson Tiller this year, solidifying Kansas as one of the more dangerous interior defenses in the nation. Like Bidunga, Tiller is an excellent rim protector and defensive rebounder, but also provides a much more versatile offensive profile.
Here’s Adam Finklestein’s report on Bryson Tiller:
“Tiller is long and powerful with a developing inside-out skill set. Recently measured at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, 9-foot-3 standing reach, and 11-inch hands, his physical measurements are off the charts. His frame is just as impressive, sculpted and powerful.
While Tiller’s frame and physical tools have been imposing since he was an underclassman, he hasn’t always been quite as dominant as expected inside the paint or at the rim. He doesn’t always explode through contact or play with the type of sheer force most expect at the rim. Conversely though, he’s shown real growth in the progression of his skill-set. He’s very comfortable in the mid-post, often choosing to face-up, and consistently able to score over top of contesting defenders in that mid-range area. He has shooting touch that is starting to extend out to the arc with more consistency, is a big screener, and a tough match-up in two-man games because of the increasing versatility to roll or pop. He has a good left hand and can also put the ball on the floor comfortably for a couple of bounces, but can get turnover prone (3.4/game in the 2023 UAA) when trying to be too much of a playmaker.
One of his best assets is his ability to rebound the ball, and it’s been a consistent staple at virtually every stop. He averaged 8.1 boards in the 2023 UAA and 9.4 during the OTE regular season last year. He lacks the quick vertical pop to be a prototypical shot blocker, but his length and strong frame make him an interior deterrent who is capable of providing some secondary rim protection (1.2 blocks per game in the 2023 UAA and 1.6 in the OTE regular season). Overall, he’s a fundamentally sound and generally reliable team defender, with adequate lateral mobility for his size.”
In Peterson’s absence, the Bidunga/Tiller combo have averaged 30 mpg+ and since both guys are also the team’s only players who get regular center minutes, I assume their roles will continue to be huge even if Peterson returns.
In addition to adding Peterson, a major focus for Bill Self rebuilding a roster that lost all of last year’s starters, it was important for staff to address a constant bugaboo for the last three to four years – finding a variety of guys who can make shots, especially from three.
Enter senior combo forward Tre White, who starts as the team’s small forward, but also gets looks at the 4 in Kansas’ smaller lineups. A classic modern day portal nomad, White is at his fourth high-major school in four years (USC > Louisville > Illinois > Kansas) who actually first committed to Kansas as a 9th grader, but once he decommitted, Kansas used that vacant scholarship to add Dajuan Harris Jr. (who, IMO, was one of the reasons why Kansas’ title ceiling was limited when he was the starting point guard).
Once Illinois went all-in with their Euro-centric rebuild, White transferred to Kansas as they wanted him to maintain the role that makes him most effective – a high-efficiency, creative, high BBIQ scorer who can score in pretty much any fashion: slashing, catch-and-shoot, off-the-dribble and also dirty buckets off second-chance points. With his size and skill-set, White can play 2 through 4 and can guard 1 through 4. He can be a little selfish and hero-ball happy, but Kansas wants White to play that way since they’ve lacked a guy like that for a while.
Also playing in his fourth school in four years is Melvin Council Jr., a big combo guard who has “leveled up” from the JUCO level to Wagner to St. Bonaventure and now Kansas (IMO, here’s where I don’t mind the portal, kudos to him for working his way up the ladder). Council Jr. is a solid two-way guard who can play all three backcourt positions and led the A-10 in steals last year. Playing the point w/ Peterson out, Council’s clearest weakness is his subpar career 45 2P% and 27 3P%, but he's secure with the ball and limits mistakes.
Loyola-Chicago transfer Jayden Dawson was actually the only Kansas portal addition whom Bill Self was the sole recruiter and he’s best categorized as an “offense-first” player. He’s missed the last two games with a wrist injury, so it’ll be seen whether he will play on Tuesday, but Dawson is one of Self’s first guys off the bench as a combo guard who is strong off the pick-and-roll and is also a solid three point-shooter (career 35.5 3P%).
In the absence of both Peterson and Dawson, returning sophomores Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell have gotten much more run in the backcourt, with both guys bringing more of a blue-collar grittiness to the Jayhawks.
Starting the last two games, McDowell is a big guard who can play all three backcourt positions and while is a low-usage offensive player, his length, athleticism, spark and energy makes him a strong defensive glue-guy piece who is blessed with a full-tilt motor. After struggling as a shooter last season, McDowell this year is strictly a floor spacer, with 90% of his FGAs from 3.
Former top-25 prospect Elmarko Jackson missed last year with a knee injury, but athletically, he’s back to 100% as the combo guard is blessed with elite downhill speed and impressive strength for his size. EvanMiya.com grades Jackson has Kansas’ best backcourt defender and like McDowell, Jackson relishes playing a “team-first” approach, doing the little things that win games. His time away from injury has not affected his defensive play, but he is still learning the ins and outs of the offense and has struggled with his efficiency this year.
‘26 reclass Kohl Rosario started the first six games of the season, but his defensive woes have been clear as the young floor-spacer might lose his role in the rotation once Peterson and Dawson return. Offensively, Rosario has all-around scoring potential, but he’s mostly out in the corners in halfcourt settings.
If everyone is healthy, Kansas’ offense is expected to run through Peterson as he is expected to develop to be their primary creator and late-clock scorer. With Peterson handling much of the playmaking burden, the Jayhawks are looking to utilize their length and athleticism to generate early-offense and transition opportunities. However, Kansas has yet to play a lot in transition, so In the halfcourt, they rely heavily on ball screens and rim-pressure from their guards, with bigs like Flory Bidunga serving as explosive roll and lob targets. Like last year, the main question for Kansas is their shot-making – it’s better than last year since Kansas won’t roll out lineups with two non-shooters (like KJ Adams and Bidunga sharing the floor together), but outside of Tre White, Kansas doesn’t have a ton of reliable floor spacers yet, so the offense has still been more interiorly based (37.8% of FGAs are from 3, which is 214th in the nation, which is an improvement from 34.1% last season and 29.8% the season before).
Defensively, this is a stout group with good size up and down the lineup and even more if Peterson plays. Outside of Rosario and Dawson, all other Jayhawks are at least solid to exceptional defenders.
