Kansas didn’t just beat Middle Tennessee on Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse. It squeezed the life out of the game.
The Jayhawks rolled to an 89-45 win, and the most telling number wasn’t the final margin. It was the 14 points Middle Tennessee had at halftime. A team that had opened its season by scoring 117 and shooting 45% from 3-point range ran straight into Kansas’ defense and spent most of the night looking stuck in place.
“I thought it was good,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “I actually thought our effort was great, and I think we guarded their actions pretty well.”
Middle Tennessee needed more than 16 minutes to get past 10 points, and Kansas kept forcing the Blue Raiders into ugly possessions, including multiple shot clock and near out-of-bounds violations. The pressure got so constant that Middle Tennessee’s coaching staff burned through timeouts only three minutes into the second half.
That kind of defensive control mattered even more because Kansas wasn’t exactly lighting it up offensively. The Jayhawks shot 63% from the field, 37% from 3 and just 55% at the free-throw line. On a night when the offense was solid but not sharp, the defense carried the load.
Trey Kaufman-Renn led Kansas with 17 points, even though he has the shortest tenure on the roster. Tre White added 9 points and hit 50% of his 3s, while Tyran Stokes finished with 8 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The free-throw line remains a problem, though, and Friday only added to the evidence. Kansas shot 64% on free throws during its three exhibition games, then made just 53% in its regular-season opener against Fordham. Against Middle Tennessee, the Jayhawks started 3-for-9 and went into halftime 6-for-13 before finishing 12-for-22.
“I think it’s on us as players to make them, and work on them in our free time,” Kaufman-Renn said. “But also, it’s great news that we are able to do that. Continuing, even if we are missing free throws, getting to the line, getting to the bonus, getting to the double bonus.”
Self didn’t exactly hide his frustration, but he did it with a grin.
“I’ll put it on my assistants; they've done a crap job coaching free throws,” Self joked. “We’ll shoot free throws in practice, but the reality of it is that these guys should be shooting them on their own too. Tomorrow will be a great day to shoot a lot of free throws.”
The bench gave Kansas another strong lift in a game that never felt close. Ten reserves saw the floor, and several made the most of the opportunity. Self said the second unit held its ground.
“I thought we did good,” Self said about the bench production. “I didn’t think we took a step back when we went to our bench.”
Christian Reeves was perfect from the field, going 5-for-5 for 10 points and five rebounds. Keanu Dawes finished with 8 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Dennis Parker Jr. added 6 points and seven rebounds, and Luke Barnett scored 9 points while knocking down 3 of 4 from deep.
“I think it’s just a testament to what we’ve been saying all year about the depth that we have,” Dawes said. “Obviously, the starters do a really good job starting the game off, but it's up to the people who come off the bench to keep up that same intensity.”
Kansas now turns to a trip to Chicago for the State Farm Champions Classic against Kentucky on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.
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 🡒]