With Bill Self’s retirement imminent, Kansas basketball looks to close his career strong
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.
After recent health issues and a heartbreaking buzzer-beater knocked them out of the tournament, it seemed like the legendary coach was ready to hang it up for good. However, after taking some time, Bill Self did his best Michael Jordan impression, announcing he’ll be back for (at least) another year. Since the national championship, Kansas has failed to make the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, a streak that seems unprecedented for this program.
It seemed like they cleaned house from last year, with the only returners being Kohl Rosario and Paul Mbiya, who combined to play 16 minutes a game last year. However, thanks to the 5-in-5 lawsuits, they know bring back two starters from last year: Tre White and Melvin Council. White brings spacing and experience, while Council brings great on-ball defense and transition offense.
The most prized possession of the offseason was, of course, Tyran Stokes, the #1 overall recruit from this high school class and likely the #1 pick in the upcoming draft. More on him below. His good friend Taylen Kinney is a big reason why he’s a Jayhawk, and Stokes and the top-20 recruit can become a dynamic guard-wing duo in the Big 12.
Leroy Blyden and Dennis Parker are two mid-major guard pickups who will help with depth and shooting. The big question, though, is the center spot.
Keanu Dawes is the best big, but he’s more of a power forward that might have to play small ball with Tre White returning. Christian Reeves has the size and rim protection to take the starting role, but he’s coming off an injury and couldn’t get on the floor during his power 5 stops. Then, there’s Paul Mbiya, who showed some flashes as a freshman at Kansas, but is extremely raw and unproven. They’ll likely mix and match the 5 spot in the non-conference, but it’s the biggest hole in their deep roster.
The non-conference is a gauntlet per usual, and of course conference play won’t be a pushover. If this is Bill Self’s last season, let’s hope he goes out with the bang he deserves after a Hall of Fame career.
Head coach: Bill Self (34th season overall, 24th at Kansas)
2025-26 record: 24-11 (12-6)
2026 postseason finish: Lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Darryn Peterson (20.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.6 APG)
- Flory Bidunga (13.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.5 APG)
- Bryson Tiller (7.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.0 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Kentucky (Nov 10 – Champions Classic)
- vs. UNLV (Nov 17 – Players Era)
- vs. Auburn OR West Virginia (Nov 18 – Players Era)
- TBD (Nov 19 – Players Era)
- vs. Villanova (Nov 27)
- vs. Missouri (Dec 6)
- at UConn (Dec 12)
- vs. Ohio State (Dec 19)
Projected Rotation
PG: Leroy Blyden (6-1, 175, So.)
2025-2026 stats: 16.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 46.1 FG%, 40.7 3P%, 84.6 FT% (Toledo)
SG: Melvin Council Jr. (6-4, 180, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 12.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 39.2 FG%, 77.5 FT%
*Pending Eligibility
SF: Tre White (6-7, 215, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 45.0 FG%, 40.3 3P%, 87.2 FT%
*Pending Eligibilty
PF: Tyran Stokes (6-8, 230, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 1 ranked recruit
C: Keanu Dawes (6-9, 225, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 12.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 54.6 FG%, 72.4 FT% (Utah)
6: Taylen Kinney (6-3, 190, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 20 ranked recruit
7: Christian Reeves (7-2, 260, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 11.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.4 BPG, 65.4 FG%, 60.4 FT% (Charleston)
8: Dennis Parker Jr. (6-7, 220, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 18.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 48.4 FG%, 37.7 3P% (Radford)
9: Kohl Rosario (6-6, 205, So.)
2025-2026 stats: 3.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.4 APG, 42.5 FG%, 75.0 FT%
10: Paul Mbiya (7-0, 255, Jr.)
2025-2026 stats: 1.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 68.8 FG%, 5 minutes per game
Kansas basketball team MVP: Tyran Stokes
Stokes is the full package, and at 6-9, he plays like a guard, being able to score on all three levels, using his athleticism to get to the basket and to thrive in transition. He has elite ball-handling skills and shoots the deep ball at a high clip. He’ll grab boards, and while effort has been a question mark on defense, now that the talent gap has shrunk between himself and his competition, we should see that change.
If Kansas basketball can fully maximize his potential, which is letting him create his own buckets while also sucking in defenses and finding open shooters, then he can be the best player in the country. He has all the talent to do so, and there’s a reason why he’s the projected #1 pick in this draft. There were some off-the-court concerns last year, but since he’s stepped foot in Lawrence, there’s been zero negative whispers, a great sign for the program.
Kansas basketball make-or-break player: Keanu Dawes
Dawes was the first portal commit of the offseason, and a big one. His stats don’t pop out, but he does everything so well on both ends of the floor. When he played Kansas last year as a Utah Ute, he scored 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. That’s exactly what they want him to do for them. Take high-probability shots, grab rebounds, and use his length to disrupt offensive possessions for the opponent.
Before Tre White came back, it looked like Stokes would play the three, Dawes the four, and Reeves or Mbiya play the five spot. With White back, they’re left with two options: have Dawes come off the bench or go small and start him at the center spot. He is a guy they absolutely need in their lineup, so it seems like it might be the latter, but that isn’t his preferred position. Using players right is so important, and this could be not an ideal spot for what he does best.
If they choose for him to come off the bench, he can be a guy who plays 25 minutes and is a positive contributor. We’ll see how he’ll be used, and hopefully they’ll be able to maximize his skill set and win a few games because of it.
Key statistic: Opponent shooting percentage
They say defense wins championships, and Michigan proved that point last year, leading the country in opponent shooting percentage, at 38.2%. Right behind them? Kansas basketball at 38.6%. Now, it helps when you have one of the best defenders in the country in Flory Bidunga swatting anything in his direction, but the rest of the lineup, plus Bill Self’s system, allowed for opponents to struggle on this side of the ball.
They don’t have anyone close to Flory’s talent this year, but White and Council were solid defenders last year, and Stokes and Dawes are also great. Reeves’ sheer size makes him a problem down low, and while Blyden and Kinney aren’t necessarily great defenders, they’ll be good enough to not be liabilities. Expect them to be towards the top in this category once again.
Kansas basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Big 12 Conference
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four