Kansas got the kind of exhibition result that lingers a little longer than the final buzzer. In a second-half scrimmage at Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks dropped an 89-83 decision to No. 11 Louisville, with the early lead and halftime cushion slipping away once play resumed.
The game was still there for KU late. The Jayhawks pulled within two points in the closing minutes, but Louisville steadied itself and closed the door with enough defensive stops and timely scoring to survive in front of a stunned home crowd.
Tre White led all scorers with 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting, while Jackson Shelstad paced Louisville with 23 points and four rebounds. Freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr. also delivered for the Cardinals, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds.
The exhibition won’t touch either team’s record, and it’s not the kind of result that should send Kansas into panic mode. But it did offer a blunt reminder that this group still has plenty to sort out before anyone starts talking like the Big 12 is already theirs.
One of the night’s most charged moments came before the basketball even settled in. Flory Bidunga returned to Allen Fieldhouse and was greeted by boos and a few expletive chants from the student section.
Bill Self wasn’t thrilled with the crowd’s reaction and asked them pregame to cool it down. Later, Bidunga and Self embraced, even after the Kansas coach had been visibly irritated by the atmosphere.
Bidunga also got tangled up with Melvin Council Jr. in the second half after a hard foul to Karter Knox, adding another layer to what already felt like a heated night.
For Kansas, the frontcourt picture may already be shifting. Keanu Dawes, who had been viewed by many fans as a likely starter entering the offseason, struggled badly in his 22 minutes.
He scored five points on 2-for-6 shooting and finished with a minus-8. Even more telling, he wasn’t in the starting five when the game began, with Paul Mbiya taking that spot instead.
With Trey Kaufman-Renn set to debut soon, the competition up front looks crowded fast. Dawes could still matter as a reserve, especially with his athleticism and rebounding potential, but Christian Reeves and Mbiya have both been stronger early.
The perimeter numbers were just as ugly. Outside of White, who hit four threes, and Council, who made three, Kansas didn’t get a single outside bucket from the rest of the roster.
The Jayhawks went a combined 0-for-10 from deep beyond those two. Leroy Blyden Jr., brought in from Toledo to help with outside shooting, took just one three in 12 minutes.
Freshman Luke Barnett, who entered the season with a reputation as a strong long-range shooter, played only one minute. If Kansas is going to avoid long offensive droughts, the rotation may need a serious rework.
Council has been a career sub-30% 3-point shooter, and White may not even be eligible when postseason play arrives.
Tyran Stokes also had a rough first run through this kind of stage. The freshman was blocked at the rim multiple times and never really settled into rhythm, finishing 3-for-13 from the field.
His first made field goal came on a goaltend, and he didn’t see the ball go through the basket in live action until midway through the second half. He did get to the line 14 times, though he missed five free throws.
When he operated as a point forward near the top of the key, the offense looked more functional, but late in the game he was part of the collapse. For a player scouts have questions about emotionally, it was the sort of night that showed both his upside and the rough edges still attached to his game.
There’s no need to turn one exhibition loss into a season-long verdict. But Kansas did not look like a finished product, and it certainly did not look like a team ready to roll over elite competition on talent alone. In a game that exposed shooting issues, frontcourt uncertainty and freshman growing pains all at once, the Jayhawks were left with plenty to clean up.
In Other News...
Kansas Fans Have Seen This Freshman Guard Scare Before
Kansas preseason loss to No. 11 Louisville came with a brief scare for the Jayhawks, as freshman guard Taylen Kinney had to leave the game early after dealing with cramps. Head coach Bill Self said Kinney received IV fluids, and the early read from the staff was encouraging enough that the situation did not sound like a major concern.
Kinney is expected to keep playing, which is the part Kansas fans will care about most after watching one of the teams newcomers head to the sideline. Leroy Blyden Jr. is set to start the next game, giving the Jayhawks a chance to keep sorting out their backcourt rotation while they move on from an exhibition loss that still offered a few uneasy moments. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas May Finally Have The Shooting Fix Fans Have Wanted
Kansas spent much of last season searching for more reliable spacing, and this roster looks built to address that problem. Between a reloaded group of newcomers, a few proven transfer shooters and a freshman with a reputation for knocking down shots from the outside, the Jayhawks suddenly have the kind of depth on the perimeter that can change how defenses play them. Coaches and players have pointed to scrimmages and practices as early signs that this group can stretch the floor better and make life easier for everyone else on the court.
What makes the outlook more interesting is that the shooting boost does not seem tied to just one specialist. Kansas has more playmaking and more versatility around the floor, which should create cleaner looks and keep teams from loading up inside. The bigger question now is how quickly all of those pieces settle in once the games start counting, because the promise is there even if the real answer will only show up over time. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Showed A New Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Kansas saw its long exhibition home streak come to an end in a game that offered plenty to digest beyond the final score. Louisville walked out of Allen Fieldhouse with an 89-83 win, handing the Jayhawks a rare exhibition loss on their own floor and snapping a run of 58 straight home exhibition victories. Tre White provided the biggest scoring punch for Kansas with 25 points, but the game also showed how quickly a preseason tune-up can turn when an opponent starts landing shots from the perimeter.
Louisville trailed at halftime before flipping the momentum with a wave of second-half three-pointers, then finished the job in the final minute behind Jackson Shelstads 23 points and timely free throws. For Kansas, the bigger concern is not just the loss itself, but how a lead slipped away once the shooting pressure picked up and the game got tight late. In an exhibition, there is still time to sort through it, but this was the kind of result that gives a staff a clear list of issues to address. [Read more 🡒]