Kansas freshman forward Bryson Tiller faced a challenging night in the Big 12 tournament semifinals against Houston. Despite being healthy, the 6-foot-11 Atlanta native started the game but was limited to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and two rebounds in 14 minutes, all in the first half. Coach Bill Self made the call to keep Tiller on the bench during the second half as Houston pulled away to a 69-47 victory.
Coach Self's message to Tiller was clear: “Rebound and play competitive. Be physical, rebound and play competitive.
That’s been the message for a long time.” Tiller, who tied a season low in minutes, understood his performance needed improvement.
“Obviously I could have played harder, got more rebounds,” he reflected, acknowledging the difficulty of watching from the sidelines as his team struggled.
The Jayhawks, who had previously defeated the No. 5-ranked Cougars in the regular season, faced widespread challenges on the court. Fellow big man Flory Bidunga managed five points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes, while Melvin Council Jr. scored four points on a tough 1-of-14 shooting night.
Freshman standout Darryn Peterson contributed 14 points but missed eight of his 11 attempts. The bench offered some relief with 17 points, including eight from Kohl Rosario.
Kansas shot a season-low 24.6% from the field, a factor that contributed to their third-lowest point total in the Bill Self era. Despite the setback, Tiller remains optimistic.
“We definitely struggled offensively,” he admitted. “Fortunately it wasn’t our last game.
We have at least one more. We can show improvement.”
Tiller has shown flashes of brilliance this season with several standout performances, including a 21-point game against BYU and 11 rebounds at Oklahoma State. He remains focused on the future: “Keep my head high and onto the next game. I feel this was definitely a test to our competitiveness.”
Sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson expressed confidence in Tiller’s ability to bounce back, stating, “He’s going to be playing the best basketball in the tournament.” Council echoed this sentiment, encouraging Tiller to look forward to the next game.
As Kansas awaits their NCAA Tournament seeding, the team is determined to regroup and rest up. Jackson noted, “Houston played very well… We obviously didn’t expect that to happen, so it stinks, but this is the postseason. We can’t hold onto these too long and we’ve got to understand we’re playing for something bigger.”
The Jayhawks are ready to turn the page, eager to showcase their resilience and competitive spirit in the tournament ahead.