KU basketball’s offense erupts in win over Davidson. Here are three takeaways
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- KU offense erupted, scored 51 first-half points and shot 58% from the field.
- Tre White emerged as KU's most reliable scorer; Peterson remained out.
- Kohl Rosario hit multiple 3s off the bench, showing promise but concerns remain.
Kansas freshman Kohl Rosario did something Monday night that he hasn’t done since late November.
He hit multiple 3-pointers.
In the second half of a 90-61 blowout win over Davidson, Rosario hit back-to-back 3s, drawing a roar from the packed Allen Fieldhouse crowd that wasn’t matched the rest of the game.
Rosario, considered one of the best shooters on this Jayhawks team, came into Monday shooting just 25% on 3-pointers. So it’s no wonder he looked visibly relieved when the second shot went down.
After spending many late hours shooting in Allen Fieldhouse long after games, it finally seemed to pay off as No. 17 KU rolled to an easy victory Monday night. The Jayhawks improved to 10-3 this season.
Missing again for the Jayhawks was star guard Darryn Peterson, who missed his second straight game (ninth of the season) due to injury. Coach Bill Self said postgame Peterson’s family made the call to hold him out. Jamari McDowell started in his place.
Tre White and Flory Bidunga paced KU with 18 points and eight rebounds apiece.
The Jayhawks led 51-30 at the half and the margin never got any closer.
“We didn’t want to get it out of the way, but we were just ready for another opportunity to play,” McDowell said. “We wanted to finish this first season (nonconference play) off good and end with a win, and let everyone get in, get some good minutes.”
Up next for KU: The Jayhawks travel to Orlando to play UCF to open Big 12 play on January 3.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Monday’s game:
KU’s offensive explosion
When talking about this Jayhawks squad, the focus often goes to the defense. And rightfully so — it’s among the best in the nation.
On Monday, it was KU’s offense that stood out.
The Jayhawks scored 51 points in the first half. It was the most points KU has scored in a first half all season. KU shot a blistering 21-for-36 (58.3%) from the field, including 6-for-11 (54.5%) on 3-pointers, in that time.
“I thought that’s the best we’ve looked — don’t you guys think? — offensively,” Self said postgame. “The ball moved, and we played with pace. I thought we did some good things, guarded fairly well and rebounded well the first half. ... I thought we looked pretty good.”
KU’s offense made it look easy vs. Davidson. A big part of that was thanks to White, who hit a number of difficult 3-pointers. He had 16 points, going 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, in the first half.
Kansas had three different scorers hit double digits in the period: White, Melvin Council and Bidunga.
It continued in the second half.
All five KU starters (McDowell, White, Rosario, Bidunga and Council) hit double-digit points and Rosario scored 13 points off the bench. Kansas shot 57.8% from the field, including 52.4% on 3-pointers.
Tre White continues to shine
Senior Tre White is not only one of the best transfer portal additions KU has had in recent years. He’s also just fun to watch.
When Peterson is healthy, White is the perfect complementary player alongside him. He’s a great second or third option on the Jayhawks’ offense while providing valuable rebounding on a squad that lacks it.
Without Peterson, he’s become KU’s most reliable scorer. Monday was his fourth straight game with double-digit points. He’s been at or above that mark in all but two games.
White also grabbed eight rebounds Monday and entered the day averaging 6.9 for the season.
He scored only two points in the second half, but took just three shots.
When Peterson comes back, KU’s offense will look even better, in part because White will have easier and more open shots.
Kohl Rosario bounces back
Kohl Rosario has had an interesting freshman season. After opening the year as a starter, he was sent to the bench.
Considered one of the best shooters on the team, he’s not lived up to it. He’d not hit multiple 3-pointers since Nov. 26 vs. Tennessee and was shooting 25% on 3-pointers before Monday.
Naturally, he saw his minutes dwindle. But Self challenged his bench to provide more scoring after KU’s game vs. Towson.
Rosario delivered.
He finally hit multiple 3-pointers and provided plenty of bench scoring for the Jayhawks. If Rosario can get his shooting stroke back, it will help improve on KU’s biggest offensive weakness: 3-point shooting.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM.
