KU basketball’s struggles, a potential Flory Bidunga return + more: Kansas Jayhawks Q&A
The Kansas men’s basketball team is searching for answers.
The Jayhawks have lost two in a row and four straight road games in Big 12 play.
BYU blew out No. 23 Kansas 91-57 on Tuesday night. The game tied for the largest margin of defeat of the Self era (34 points) at KU.
Naturally, the frustration has mounted.
“I thought we were awful and I thought they were great,” Self told reporters after the loss in Provo. “I think BYU could have beaten anybody tonight. They were great, and then we didn’t do anything to make them play less than great.”
KU looks to get back on track vs. Oklahoma State Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. Until then, it’s time for another Kansas mailbag.
Thanks, as always, for the questions!
Will Flory be back? @guppyfresh
I believe so. Bidunga isn’t a first-round prospect in most mock NBA Drafts. A lot can change between now and the end of the season, but Bidunga isn’t gathering the buzz garnered last year by freshman Johnny Furphy, for instance, or Gradey Dick the season before that.
An NBA Draft evaluator told The Star he doesn’t see Bidunga as a first-round prospect. He isn’t sure the Jayhawks have a player who will get drafted this year — especially if Bidunga doesn’t declare.
From talking to Bidunga, his goal was always to develop this season and then reevaluate. While he’s made progress, another year in Lawrence — as the Jayhawks’ starting center — would do him well. A good season as a starting center (and working on that jump shot) could thrust Bidunga into next year’s draft lottery.
If this team loses 4 of the last five and gets bounced in the 1st or 2nd round of the Big 12 Tourney, are they in danger of missing the NCAA Tourney? @jfos4
Nope. The Jayhawks had too many wins (and too many quality wins) to miss the NCAA Tournament. That said, the Jayhawks won’t be a top-four seed for the first time in the Bill Self era.
Explain. Any of it @Judge_Leben
I’ll try my best. First, the big three of Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams do not fit well together. Individually, these are all good players, but each has his flaws.
Dickinson’s problem is his defense and inability to create his own shot. Harris is a good defensive guard, but he doesn’t look to score or shoot the ball enough.
Adams is a tremendous defender and high-energy guy, but he seldom scores from farther than 7 feet out and his inconsistent rebounding is an issue for this team.
Remember, Adams and Harris helped lead KU to win a national championship in 2022. And the following year, they helped the Jayhawks capture the Big 12 title and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, at that time Adams and Harris were playing alongside Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and Kevin McCullar. Two of those three can create their own shot; all are legit NBA players.
This Jayhawks squad lacks the right pieces around Harris and Adams — players who could amplify their strengths while covering for some of their weaknesses. KU’s roster construction is a mess and new transfers not named Zeke Mayo or David Coit have fallen short of expectations.
Nobody expected AJ Storr to struggle this much, or Rylan Griffen to be as inconsistent as he has been. Self seems to have immense trust in his core three, but most of the transfers have yet to earn that trust from the longtime coach. That’s why they have short leashes compared to the returnees.
And KU just isn’t very good offensively. The Jayhawks don’t take (or make) enough 3-pointers) and rank No. 359 nationally in free-throw rate.
I wrote about this in December, but no previous title team has ranked below 300th in free-throw rate since the 2014-15 season; multiple title teams have ranked outside the top 200, though.
The common factor for those teams is that they shot well from 3-point range. The exception was 2016-17 North Carolina, an elite rebounding team. That year, UNC led the nation in total rebounds and offensive rebounds.
These Jayhawks aren’t great rebounders: KU ranks No. 193 in offensive rebounding percentage.
Add it all up — roster-construction issues, underwhelming players and bad offense — and you get a KU squad that’s struggling.
Why does the team look like they’ve never played together before…every single game? Even their wins are hideous. @BrandonBohning
This statement has a bit of truth mixed in with recency bias.
Nobody said this team had trouble playing together when the Jayhawks beat Duke or Michigan State. I thought Kansas had flaws but didn’t expect anything like this.
The Jayhawks’ wins are “ugly” because their offense is not great. That’s led to close games — even against inferior teams — that come off as “hideous wins.”
Who deserves the blame for this season? Last year it was injuries and depth. What is it this year? @staggles14
The most fair answer: everyone.
The roster wasn’t built well and this season’s new transfers haven’t exactly lived up to their billing. On top of that, the big three of Adams, Dickinson and Harris seems to have regressed since last season.
Worse, the rest of the Big 12 seems to have caught up with the Jayhawks thanks to the transfer portal and NIL.
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 10:29 AM.
