Rocky doesn’t even begin to describe the Kansas Jayhawks’ early slate. Much of November and December was murky at best—a period most Kansas fans probably want to forget.
But after back-to-back home wins, including an 80-62 win over Baylor, the team is finally finding its footing.
Kansas Basketball Finding Its Spark With Recent Win Over Baylor
Has Kansas found its rhythm now that Peterson is fully healthy?
The early stretch of the season was defined by one man and the impromptu shots of him on the bench. That would be Darryn Peterson.
And sure, Peterson appeared in just four games during the non-conference slate largely due to a lingering hamstring injury, but he showed promise, scoring 22 points in an 87-74 loss to North Carolina.
As a true freshman, he’s averaging 27 minutes a game in the first five tests of conference play. On Friday night against Baylor, he scored 18 of the Jayhawks’ first 32 points, ended the first half with 20 and finished the game with 26.
It’s not all about Peterson
Flory Bidunga had an equally impressive outing against Baylor, serving as both one of Kansas’ primary scoring threats and its top rebounder in the paint The 6’10” sophomore has totaled nine blocks over the last two contests and leads the Big 12 with 47 on the year. Against Iowa State, his presence kept one of the nation’s top big men, Blake Buchanan, off the rim and limited him to just two points
Following Friday’s game, Kansas head coach Bill Self commented on Bidunga’s improvement.
“Flory has been solid in conference play, but he hasn’t been great.” Self said. “Tonight, he was great.”
Bidunga is maintaining a 60% or better shooting percentage in every conference game this season, a streak that continues to make him a dominant force in the paint.
Home crowds make a difference, Allen Fieldhouse more than any
Only seven away teams in the last five seasons have won inside Allen Fieldhouse, three of them in conference foes last season in West Virginia, Houston and Texas Tech.
Before the 2024-25 season, that number averaged just one team per year. In the modern era, those statistics are hard to come by. What’s even harder to come by is the atmosphere, one that has tested just about every team so far this season.
In Wednesday’s game against then-No. 2 Iowa State, the red-hot Cyclones shot just 37% from the floor. Their leading scorer, Joshua Jefferson, hit only 4 of 14 shots. Milan Momcilovic, who entered the contest coming off a game in which he drilled eight triples, hit just two of six attempts, both on second-chance points.
If the Jayhawks find themselves in a situation where a home win is crucial, they have more than just an edge, one that they’ve relied on for decades: the energy of Allen Fieldhouse.
Up Next
Both of the next two games for the Jayhawks are road tests, and telling ones at that.
The Jayhawks take on Colorado on Tuesday before returning to the Sunflower State for a game against in-state rival Kansas State in Manhattan.
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