Led by a once-in-a-generation player in Darryn Peterson, Kansas basketball looks to erase the last two seasons and get back to its championship level ways.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Kansas basketball.
In Bill Self’s first 15 seasons at Kansas, Kansas finished second in conference play just twice. Then, in 2018, they finished 3rd in the conference, truly unheard of. Things looked like they were back to normal after that, finishing first in two of the next three yearss, and second in the other. Then, the last two years happened. In 2024, Kansas went 10-8 in conference play, 5th best.
Last year was the disaster of all disasters for this Kansas team. They finished 6th in the conference, first time they’ve ever done that. They were a 7 seed in the tournament, the first time they’ve ever not been a top four seed under Bill Self. Finally, they lost in the first round, something they had not done in nearly 20 years.
Now, it’s a new era for this Kansas team. Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams are both gone. Hunter Dickinson leaves Kansas with plenty of mixed emotions concerning him from the fans. Finally, a large chunk of the coaching staff is gone as well, hoping that the newer staff, which includes former Kansas legend Jacque Vaughn, can bring new energy to this team.
Bill Self is still in charge, with his timeline unknown, especially with repeated medical issues in the past few years. If he’s coaching, though, Kansas basketball is in its best position to win. He’ll get to coach what looks to be a once-in-a-generation player in Darryn Peterson, the #1 overall freshman and arguably the best player in college basketball this upcoming season.
Kansas basketball brings back a few returners, including Flory Bidunga, the former five-star who Kansas fans are very optimistic can be a star with extended minutes this year. They also bring back Elmarko Jackson, a former high recruit who struggled his freshman year, then missed all of last year with an injury. He’s a guy that the staff says works harder than anyone else, and that can be reflected on the court this year. Jamari McDowell, his good friend also returns after redshirting last season to provide depth for Kansas basketball.
Next, there are the transfers. Melvin Council comes in after great seasons at Wagner and Saint Bonaventure. He’ll bring the intensity on both ends of the floor. Jayden Dawson also joins the team after a great season at Loyola Chicago, leading his team in scoring. The third transfer addition is Tre White from Illinois. Tre White actually committed to Kansas in June of 2019, but would decommit and spend time at USC, Louisville, and Illinois. He brings experience and spacing on offense.
Finally, the freshmen. Kohl Rosario is the one to watch besides Peterson. He was a late addition, reclassifying, but he has impressive athletic ability while also being able to shoot the three. It might take him some time, but he will be a huge piece for this team. Bryson Tiller was an early enrollee last year, and that time he spent with the team showed in the Louisville exhibition, going for 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 stocks (steals + blocks).
They also add Paul Mbiya to provide size and Samis Calderon as a versatile wing. This Kansas basketball team doesn’t have the talent that most of the previous teams had, but the fit seems a lot better. We saw Kansas aim for talent over fit the last two seasons, and it backfired, so we’ll see if that helps.
The expectations are different after the last two years, but maybe that’s a good thing. No matter what, you can’t count out a team with Bill Self and Darryn Peterson.
Head coach: Bill Self (23rd season at Kansas, 33rd season overall)
2024-25 record: 21-13 (11-9)
2025 postseason finish: Lost to Arkansas (79-72) in first round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Hunter Dickinson (17.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.1 APG)
- Zeke Mayo (14.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.9 APG)
- KJ Adams Jr. (9.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 APG)
- Dajuan Harris Jr. (9.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 5.7 APG)
- Rylan Griffen (6.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.4 APG)
- AJ Storr (6.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- at UNC (Nov. 7)
- vs. Princeton (Nov. 15)
- vs. Duke (Nov. 18) – Champions Classic at MSG
- vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 24) – Players Era Festival
- vs. Syracuse (Nov. 25) – Players Era Festival
- Players Era Festival (Nov. 26-27)
- vs. UConn (Dec. 2)
- vs. Missouri (Dec. 7) – Kansas City, MO
- at NC State (Dec. 13)
Projected Rotation
PG: Darryn Peterson (6-6, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #2-ranked recruit
SG: Melvin Council Jr. (6-4, 180, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 43.5 FG%, 29.9 3P%, 81.9 FT% (St. Bonaventure)
SF: Kohl Rosario (6-6, 200, Fr.)
PF: Tre White (6-7, 215, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 10.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 50.7 FG%, 32.9 3P%, 82.4 FT% (Illinois)
C: Flory Bidunga (6-10, 235, So.)
2024-25 stats: 5.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 1.6 BPG, 0.6 SPG, 69.8 FG%, 53.3 FT%
6: Jayden Dawson (6-5, 205, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 13.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 41.0 FG%, 36.3 3P%, 73.8 FT% (Loyola Chicago)
7: Elmarko Jackson (6-3, 195, So.)
2023-24 stats: 4.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 40.6 FG%, 76.9 FT%
* Missed last season with injury
8: Bryson Tiller (6-11, 240, Fr.)
247Sports #42-ranked recruit (2024)
9: Paul Mbiya (7-0, 245, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #182-ranked recruit
10: Samis Calderon (6-8, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #89-ranked recruit
11: Jamari McDowell (6-5, 200, So.)
2023-24 stats: 1.8 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 7.2 MPG
*Redshirted 2024-25 season
Kansas Basketball team MVP: Darryn Peterson
Darryn Peterson is the real deal. He was a McDonald’s All-American, the Naismith High School Player of the Year, and averaged 30-7-7 in his senior season at high school. By the time he graduated, he was the #1-ranked recruit on 247Sports. We’ve seen the Kobe and TMAC comparisons, but he hasn’t suited up for a college basketball game, so maybe we should pump the brakes right?
It was just an exhibition game, but we got to see Darryn Peterson in action, going on the road to play #11 Louisville. In just the first half, Peterson scored 24 points and hit 6 threes. He also had 3 steals. He ended the game with 26 points, four rebounds, two assists, five steals, and 60% from the field. Again, just an exhibition, but if he’s doing that in his first-ever game in that environment, the sky is the limit.
He plays at his own pace and never feels pressured. He can score on all three levels and can hit tough shots as well. With Flory Bidunga, he can run the pick and roll to perfection, as we saw several times during the exhibition game. He is the best player in college basketball; it will just be up to his supporting cast whether the team is good enough for him to win the award.
Darryn Peterson is must-watch TV. When NBA fans are talking about how special he is, you can brag about how you got to watch him in college.
Kansas Basketball make-or-break player: Flory Bidunga
Flory Bidunga was a big-time recruit for them. The 5-star was ranked 14th overall, and a big reason why was his athleticism and his defensive ability. In his freshman year, he sat behind KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson, but there was a window where he cracked the starting lineup due to an injury to KJ Adams.
He would get four games where he averaged 25 or more minutes, and in those games, he averaged 11.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 2 BPG. He also shot 74% during that stretch. Unfortunately, KJ Adams came back, and instead of riding that momentum Flory was providing, he was demoted back to his limited minutes, and you could tell it impacted him mentally the rest of the season.
Flory entered the portal this offseason and seemed like a lock to go to Auburn, but a last-second persuasion brought him back to Lawrence for his sophomore year. Now, the frontcourt is his. He’ll be getting those minutes he desires, and with Tre White sharing the frontcourt, who will space the floor, that will allow Flory to operate down low, and we know how much Bill Self loves a big man who can get position down low and score in the post (Udoka Azubuike, David McCormack).
There’s always the what if, though. While the talent is there, and that sample size is promising, it was a very small sample size. They have a lot of confidence in him, and while they added a few pieces late to add depth down low, Kansas’ peak will be very reliant on Bidunga’s success for the team’s success.
Key analytic: Free throws attempted per game
I think it’s fair to say that teams want to get to the free-throw line as much as possible. Kansas did not do that, averaging 15 a game, 347th in the country. Mississippi Valley State, which went 3-28 last year, got to the line more than them. Hunter Dickinson was the only player on the team who shot over 100 free throws last year, and as a team, they shot 71.6%, 210th in the country.
Now, they don’t need to get the most free throws in the country, but you’d definitely like to see them get to the line more often. In the exhibition game against Louisville, they shot 33 free throws, making 25. Melvin Council and Elmarko both made 9. Kansas basketball will need to be more aggressive next year and get to the line, and that looks like it could be the case this year.
Kansas Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 6th in the Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four Exit