Kansas didn’t waste any time making Friday night feel like a mismatch.
The Jayhawks got out in front early against Middle Tennessee State and never let the Blue Raiders breathe, rolling to an 89-45 win at Allen Fieldhouse in just their second regular-season game of the year. It was the kind of lopsided result that had the home crowd entertained by the end of the night, and it moved KU to 2-0 heading into next week’s Champions Classic matchup with Kentucky.
This was also the second meeting between the two athletic departments in the past month. The first came on the football field, where Kansas beat MTSU 55-0. On the hardwood, the gap looked just as wide.
The most encouraging development for Kansas may have come on the defensive end. After preseason losses to Louisville and Duke, the Jayhawks had been allowing 89.5 points per game, which naturally raised some questions. Those concerns looked a lot smaller after Friday’s performance.
Middle Tennessee State shot just 25% from the field, finishing 17-for-68, and Kansas forced 16 turnovers for the second straight game. The Jayhawks also showed how disruptive they can be when they go small. In certain lineups, all five players on the floor can switch and bother opposing offenses.
Kansas still won’t have the rim protection it had with Flory Bidunga last year, but the length of Melvin Council Jr., Keanu Dawes and Tre White helped cover that up here. The real test will come against better competition, but the early signs are hard to ignore.
Offensively, Tyran Stokes didn’t have a bad night, but it wasn’t the kind of stat line people expect from a National Player of the Year candidate. He took only five shots, finished with eight points and five rebounds, and his free-throw issues continued.
Even so, the box score doesn’t tell the whole story with Stokes. His passing and the attention he draws still shape games in plenty of ways. What Kansas hasn’t seen yet are the kind of jaw-dropping moments fans got from Darryn Peterson a year ago, when his talent was obvious right away.
Taylen Kinney is also still working through the adjustment period. The former Overtime Elite standout made just one shot in 21 minutes and barely showed up on the offensive end. Based on what Leroy Blyden Jr. has done so far, it wouldn’t be surprising if the coaching staff starts splitting those minutes.
The biggest individual bright spot belonged to Trey Kaufman-Renn. Friday marked his first start as a Jayhawk, and he made it count, playing 18 minutes and leading the team with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
Kaufman-Renn’s game isn’t built on flash, but Kansas has not had a post player like him in a long time. He has soft touch around the rim, and his post hooks were there all night. There’s no other way to put it than he’s a natural and ethical hooper.
And with less than a month in the program, he’s already picking up the playbook and passing along veteran knowledge to younger teammates. If he stays eligible the rest of the way, TKR looks like he could become a dangerous weapon in KU’s frontcourt.
In Other News...
Kansas May Have A Trey Kaufman-Renn Problem Bill Self Can't Ignore
The eligibility fight around Trey Kaufman-Renn has become one of those offseason wrinkles Kansas cant just brush past. The NCAA is appealing a preliminary injunction from Indiana Special Judge Justin Mills that would give the Purdue transfer an extra year of eligibility, and that uncertainty matters because Bill Self has already included Kaufman-Renn on the Jayhawks roster while the conference continues to sort through its rules on professional athletes.
There is also the NBA angle hanging over the situation. Kaufman-Renn was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he was not signed to a professional contract, which leaves his status in a gray area Kansas has to monitor closely. For a program trying to line up its roster plans, this is exactly the kind of case that cant be ignored, even if the final answer is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces A Troubling QB Question As UCF Gets A Lift
UCF is heading into its matchup with Kansas with a quarterback decision of its own, planning to start Alonza Barnett III even as he works back from a hamstring injury and Keyone Jenkins remains questionable with an aggravated ankle. The Knights will also be without offensive lineman Owen Spell and defensive tackle RJ Jackson Jr. for the rest of the regular season, adding more turnover to a roster already trying to manage injuries at key spots.
Kansas, meanwhile, is sorting through its own uncertainty under center, with Isaiah Marshall, Cole Ballard and Chase Jenkins all listed as questionable before the trip. Lance Leipold has been stressing the need for cleaner execution and better pass protection, and the Jayhawks may need both if they want to keep pace with a UCF group that is suddenly getting a lift at quarterback while still dealing with its own injury questions. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Barnett Just Gave Kansas Fans A New Rotation Debate
Kansas rolled past Middle Tennessee State 89-45, and the blowout gave the Jayhawks a chance to look deeper into the bench. Freshman Luke Barnett made the most of it, scoring nine points in just 7 1/2 minutes and doing it in a hurry with three straight 3-pointers. With Kansas shooting 62.5% from the field and controlling the game from start to finish, there was plenty of room for a young player to make a case.
Barnetts burst is the kind of thing that can linger with a coaching staff even after a lopsided win. Kansas already had the game well in hand while holding Middle Tennessee to 25% shooting, but the freshmans quick scoring outburst added a little extra intrigue to a rotation that figures to keep evolving. For a team with bigger goals ahead, those brief windows can matter more than they seem. [Read more 🡒]