Why KU coach Bill Self says he’s not discouraged by Jayhawks’ loss to Duke
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas challenged No. 5 Duke without Darryn Peterson, played aggressive defense.
- Tre White led scoring with 22 points, provided clutch baskets to help comeback effort.
- Flory Bidunga added 14 points and six rebounds, showing physicality despite fouls
The Kansas Jayhawks were shorthanded against No. 5 Duke on Tuesday night, but they played with little fear.
From the opening tip at Madison Square Garden, the Jayhawks played at a frantic pace. It was almost like Kansas wanted to prove to the world that this team was not to be underestimated, even without Darryn Peterson.
It’s why the undermanned Jayhawks had the early lead against the Blue Devils. KU’s defense did an excellent job of making Duke’s offense look out of sync. Kansas forced a number of turnovers that turned into points on the other end.
The final result was a 78-66 Duke win, but Kansas was within three with five minutes to play. The Jayhawks were competent without their freshman superstar, and may have even held the edge if he was available.
Senior guard Tre White provided a glimpse into KU’s mindset entering the game without Peterson, who missed his third straight contest nursing a hamstring injury.
“There is a difference. Darryn is a one-on-one scorer, so we’ve definitely got to make up for that,” White said. “The message has been the same: Next man up. Do the little things. Play more aggressive. And that’s what we tried to do tonight.”
White helped fill the scoring void left by Peterson’s absence. He finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting. He hit a number of clutch buckets to keep Kansas competitive as Duke threatened to pull away.
KU big man Flory Bidunga also stepped up. He scored 14 points with six rebounds, despite dealing with foul trouble all night. The sophomore big man welcomed the contact on offense, dunking the ball with authority a number of times around the basket.
He earned the praise of coach Bill Self postgame.
“I think he’s gotten a lot better,” Self said. “The thing about Flo is he can play really well and not score because he’s so active. He can change the game with activity. I think his offensive game has gotten better. I think he played big tonight. I thought he played athletic.
“I still think there’s some things — I think he would agree with me — that he can do to simplify some stuff to make him a more effective player, but our guards have to do a better job of looking for him. We didn’t throw the ball to him. We missed him several times tonight.”
The end result was a loss in the record book, but Self came away pleased with how his team played.
“I told the guys in there, ‘I’m not leaving out of here discouraged. We fought. We just need to tighten some things up,’” Self said. “I think they would agree. There are some things we need tighten up to be a good team, and if we can do that we will be a much better team whenever we have all hands on deck.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 12:15 AM.
