Kansas Eyes Redemption Against Utah After Last Season’s Stumble Out West
The Kansas Jayhawks don’t forget - not completely, anyway. A year ago, a mid-February road trip to Utah turned into a nightmare.
Two games in four days. Two chances to build momentum.
Instead, Kansas walked away with two gut-punch losses and more questions than answers.
First came a stumble in Salt Lake City against a Utah squad that, on paper, looked beatable. Then came the blowout in Provo, where BYU ran Kansas out of the gym. The Jayhawks left Utah with bruised pride and a 17-9 record that didn’t reflect the expectations in Lawrence.
Fast forward to this season, and the script looks a whole lot different.
Kansas, now ranked No. 11 in the country and sitting at 17-5 overall (7-2 in Big 12 play), welcomes Utah to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
CT on FOX. It’s not about revenge, at least not officially - but this one means something.
“Only one guy who played in that game is still on our team,” head coach Bill Self said. “I’ll show them video of how they attacked us and what we tried to do last year, but this team is so different.
Their team is so different. Everybody’s so different year to year now that we won’t talk about revenge.
But we will talk about how they handled us last year - and we can’t let that happen again.”
That “one guy” is sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, who logged eight points and four boards in 20 minutes during last year’s loss to the Utes. Utah, meanwhile, returns just one player from that matchup - junior forward Keanu Dawes, who had two points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes.
So yes, the rosters have changed. But the opportunity for redemption remains.
Utah’s Backcourt Brings Firepower
Don’t let Utah’s 9-13 record (1-8 in Big 12) fool you - this team can still be dangerous, especially in the backcourt. Guards Terrence Brown and Don McHenry have been lighting it up all season.
Brown, a 6-foot-3 junior transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson, is putting up 21.4 points per game on 45.5% shooting. He’s also hitting 35.8% from deep and has dished out 87 assists to 52 turnovers.
McHenry, a 6-2 senior transfer from Western Kentucky, is right behind him with 18.1 points per game and a 40.6% clip from three.
“We get a chance to play against two guys this weekend that combine for nearly 40 a game from the perimeter,” Self said. “Brown’s a natural scorer.
He can score off the catch, he’s got range, but he still drives the ball and has a good in-between game. You’ve got to guard him.
And you’ve got to guard ball screens in certain ways with both of those guys, because they can definitely score behind them.”
That duo will test a Kansas defense that’s been trending in the right direction. Since a rocky start to Big 12 play, the Jayhawks have rattled off six straight wins, including a gritty road victory over Texas Tech on Monday.
They’ve found rhythm on both ends of the floor - and they’re going to need it with No. 1 Arizona coming to town on Monday night.
Managing Minutes Before Arizona Looms
With the nation’s top-ranked team waiting in the wings, it’s fair to wonder how Kansas will manage its rotation against a struggling Utah team. The Utes have lost four straight and nine of their last ten.
Their lone Big 12 win came at home against TCU back on Jan. 17.
That opens the door for more bench minutes - and possibly more run for freshman guard Kohl Rosario. Rosario saw eight minutes of action in the win over Texas Tech, after logging just one minute total in five of the previous six games. He didn’t score, but he grabbed a rebound and dished out an assist, showing flashes of the energy and effort that have impressed Self in practice.
“It’s really important for anybody who hasn’t had the opportunities they probably hoped for,” Self said. “We went through a stretch where we played Jayden (Dawson) and didn’t play Kohl. But Kohl’s attitude and the way he plays in games - from an effort standpoint - is the exact same way he plays in practice.”
Self believes Rosario’s time is coming. The freshman has been shooting the ball well in practice over the last week or so, and it’s only a matter of time before that confidence starts to show up in games.
“In high school, you can take five or seven shots to find a rhythm. In college, you don’t have that opportunity if you’ve got other guys on your team who can actually do it,” Self said.
“It’s a different situation. Maybe instead of getting 12 looks a game, you’re getting two - and you’ve got to make one or two.
That’s different pressure, but he’s handling it well. Kohl is very important to us getting production off the bench.”
What’s at Stake
The Jayhawks have a chance to keep their win streak alive, stay near the top of the Big 12 standings, and build momentum heading into a massive Monday night showdown with undefeated Arizona. But first, they’ve got to take care of business against a Utah team still searching for answers.
Kansas knows what happened last year. They haven’t forgotten. And while this year’s team looks different - deeper, more balanced, and more battle-tested - the message from Self is clear: don’t let history repeat itself.
Handle the Utes. Protect Allen Fieldhouse. And keep the train rolling into Monday night.