KU basketball upsets No. 2 Iowa State in a blowout: Instant reaction & takeaways
Before facing No. 2 Iowa State on Tuesday, the Kansas men’s basketball team held a players-only meeting.
The Jayhawks had lost badly to a middling West Virginia squad on Saturday and were starting Big 12 play 1-2 for the first time since 2005-06.
KU’s once elite defense resembled nothing of the sort. And coach Bill Self had flat-out said, “We suck right now.”
Well, not anymore.
From tipoff Tuesday night, the Jayhawks were the aggressors. They played with a level of energy that hadn’t been seen for some time. They dove for loose balls and made Iowa State, the road favorites in this game, appear shellshocked.
“I was in a better mood coaching tonight,” Self said, “because I thought the guys tried so hard.”
The end result was total domination by the Jayhawks against one of the best teams in the country. Kansas won 84-63 at Allen Fieldhouse, with the margin stretching as high as 26 at one point.
KU led by double-digits for the entirety of the second half.
The Jayhawks (12-5, 2-2 Big 12) have won eight straight games against Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse. And now the Cyclones (16-1) have finally lost a game this season.
Tre White led the Jayhawks with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Star freshman Darryn Peterson added 16 points and five rebounds.
Peterson, who’s continuing to manage his cramping issues, played 27 minutes, including 12 in the second half. He checked out of the game with 5:45 left and the Jayhawks leading by 23 points.
“I was out for a while, but every game I feel like I’m getting better,” Peterson said. “Tonight was a great win.”
The Jayhawks dominated the first half, taking a 21-point margin into the break. The Cyclones pulled within 11 at 53-42 and 55-44, but the Jayhawks immediately answered to give themselves some cushion.
It was smooth sailing from there.
Up next for KU: The Jayhawks face Baylor on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game:
KU’s defense is ... back?
After ranking as one of the best defenses in the nation in nonconference play, the Jayhawks had fallen off a cliff in Big 12 play.
KU entered Tuesday ranked No. 14 in the conference in adjusted defensive efficiency. That’s out of 16 teams.
Self had noted multiple times that Kansas had to improve its defense. And the Jayhawks have changed some of the ways they’re switching and defending against opposing teams.
Things are starting to get back on track.
The Jayhawks’ defense was suffocating vs. the Cyclones. The Jayhawks forced 10 first-half turnovers — Iowa State averages 10.7 turnovers a game — and held the Cyclones to 24.2% shooting during that time.
“Our defense was well above what it has been, even though we still didn’t rebound it great,” Self said Tuesday night. ”I thought our intensity level was at a different level than it’s been any time this year.”
The Cyclones, a top-15 offense nationally by KenPom, finished the night shooting 36.9%, including 33% on 3-pointers. The Jayhawks simply shut them down.
Better balance with Darryn Peterson
Since Peterson has returned to the lineup, his KU teammates haven’t quite figured out how to play alongside him.
Sometimes, the other KU players are too passive, watching Peterson fire up shots that can disrupt their rhythm when he sits. Other times, he has deferred a bit too much, while the Jayhawks certainly want the projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick leading the charge.
Tuesday provided a glimpse of what it can look like when there’s a balance. Peterson took over when needed, but he wasn’t ball-dominant. The offense flowed, and the ball moved.
In fact, Peterson wasn’t even KU’s leading scorer in the first half (or game). White had 12 first-half points, while Peterson had six.
When KU’s offense needed him in the second half, Peterson stepped up. He didn’t have the most efficient game but hit a number of buckets that kept Iowa State from building momentum.
His teammates did the rest.
This was a balanced effort
Unlike some recent games, the Jayhawks did an excellent job of sharing the scoring load.
This game was certainly not the Peterson show. KU had four different players score double-digit points: Peterson, White, Melvin Council and Flory Bidunga. On top of that, Bryson Tiller, Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell had eight points each.
As a whole, KU’s offense was cooking. Kansas finished the game shooting 50.8% from the field, including a blistering 50% on 3-pointers.
To do that against an excellent Iowa State defense is no easy feat.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 10:31 PM.
