It wasn't exactly breaking news, but it was noteworthy all the same.
Most years, Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self finds something about the Late Night scrimmage to be displeased about or nitpick.
After this one, a 27-23 win by the Darry Peterson-led Crimson squad over the Blue team on Friday night, Self said he wasn't overly pleased with any elements of the scrimmage but also wasn't upset about any aspect of it either.
Bing, bang, boom, call it a win for everyone and go home.
"I do love this team," Self told the crowd during his time on the mic. "This team is fun, fast, blend of youthful exuberance and some vets. And, you know something, last year’s team did OK, but OK at the University of Kansas is not good enough. This year’s team has a real chance if we like each other, if we play well together, if we’re unselfish. But, you know something else that we gotta have? We gotta have you."
In front of a mostly full Allen Fieldhouse, the fans on hand were treated to the usual Late Night delights. Skits, hype, videos, music and a little basketball to close the night.
As expected, Peterson was the show during the men's scrimmage, making (6) and taking (12) more shots than any other player on his way to a 12-point night. The scoring after that was mostly balanced with three players scoring 5 points, two more scoring 4 points and the rest filling in with a bucket apiece after that.
The Jayhawks played fast, got up and down the floor and showcased a bevy of new faces in the 15-minute scrimmage that capped the night.
In the 10-minute women’s scrimmage earlier in the night, a crimson team that featured potentially just one starter — maybe two — held off the blue squad that was led by junior guard S’Mya Nichols and freshman Jaliya Davis, 24-22.
Davis, whom the Jayhawks have raved about, certainly looked the part, leading all her team with 10 points, all at the rim, while sharp-shooter Elle Evans, a starter last season and likely starter this year, led all scorers with 11 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 clip from 3-point range.
The blue squad led early and went for the win late, but freshman Libby Fandel’s 3-pointer at the buzzer missed the mark.
Here’s a look back at some of Friday night’s action, scrimmage-related and otherwise at Late Night 2025.
KU Men
• Gee vs. DP – By far my favorite moment of the night came late in the scrimmage, when 26-year-old point guard Gee Ngala attempted and scored on a fade-away shot from the elbow with Peterson guarding him. Before the ball even fell to the floor on its way through the hoop, Peterson was already calling for the ball on the other end, smiling and laughing. Not only did he want the chance to get the ball to go score, he wanted the chance to go score on Ngala. And that's exactly what he got with the small transfer guard digging in to check Peterson, only to see him attempt a similar fadeaway jumper and miss. That's 18 years old vs. 26 and a win for the old guy. Laughs all around and a small glimpse at just how competitive Peterson is.
• Kohl Rosario's got it – We'll do more on this in our player-by-player breakdown of each guy at Late Night later this weekend, but it's hard not to mention Rosario out of the gate. Self and his teammates have gushed about him throughout the preseason and, on Friday, Rosario showed why, using intensity, incredible bounce and a fun-loving spirit to make plays and create opportunities for himself and others. He finished two lobs on Friday night, both from Melvin Council Jr., and finished with 5 points and 2 rebounds in 12:20 of action. He'll play a lot and be a fan favorite with the potential for some big nights and even bigger highlights.
• 'Special group' – KU coach Bill Self made a big deal about the "special group" of former players who were in attendance on Friday night, a group that included some of the all-time greats and some recent favorites. They included: Sherron Collins, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, Thomas Robinson, Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson, Mario Little, KJ Adams, Zeke Mayo and Jeff Hawkins.
• A trip back in time – One of the best skits of the night was a video that featured KU coach Bill Self going back in time in a time portal, to meet some of the best players to ever play Kansas basketball. Flory Bidunga played the role of Wilt Chamberlain in 1955, filmed in black and white for effect. Assistant coach Tony Bland played the role of Paul Pierce. And Darryn Peterson played the role of Danny Manning, who was asked, “Why wouldn’t I stay all four years,” when Self, playing the role of Larry Brown, told him he’d have to. KU assistants Joe Dooley (as Clyde Lovellette), Kurtis Townsend (as James Naismith) and Jeremy Case (as himself on his recruiting visit in 2003) also played a part in the portal video, with first-year assistant Jacque Vaughn playing himself when Self went to tell him that coming to the Midwest would be worth leaving California for because of all the good things that would happen to him as a Jayhawk. By far the line of the skit came from Self, early on, when he kept emphasizing that it was a time portal and not a time machine, saying, “I think I know a little about the portal,” with a wink.
• Loudest ovations – You might’ve expected that Darryn Peterson would get the loudest cheer from the KU crowd on Friday night during the player introductions. And he was close. Even his KU teammates were bouncing and roaring when Peterson was introduced. But the guy who stole the show in that department on Friday night was sophomore big man Flory Bidunga, who was introduced last. Maybe there is still something to fans knowing who these guys are. As for the loudest cheer during the NBA roll call on the video board, that easily went to KU national champions Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun. And, believe it or not, when Hunter Dickinson was introduced with the Pelicans, a loud “booo” could be heard coming from the KU student section.
• 3 for the money – No one hit the half-court shot for $10,000 in the long-standing Late Night tradition to shoot for the money, but two KU students did win $7,500 from KU coach Bill Self. John Riddle, a sophomore from Parker, Colorado, and Savannah Perea, a senior from Parker, Colorado, both cashed in, with Perea winning when former Jayhawk Zeke Mayo hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key for her, and Riddle draining the shot himself. After the make, Riddle was mobbed by members of the current Kansas basketball team.
KU Women
• Miss Automatic – It remains to be seen how she’ll fare against college foes gunning to stop her, but KC-freshman Jaliya Davis looked every bit as good as advertised in this one, finishing with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting, all right at the rim. Her strength, skill and confidence down low was evident from the jump, as the scrimmage started with Davis rolling to the rim and catching a perfectly placed pass over the top of the defense by S’Mya Nichols at the top of the key. Expect to see plenty of that this season, but don’t think that Davis will limit her game to the low block. She has an array of talent and likely will get the chance to showcase it throughout her freshman season.
• Nichols shoots, too – Speaking of S’Mya, KU coach Brandon Schneider shared a story the other day about having to tell Nichols to turn it on as a scorer now that the season’s drawing near instead of just trying to get others in position to score. She laughed when talking about the interaction, which she said she knew was coming, and then went out on Friday night and did a little bit of both, scoring 4 points on 4 shots and dishing a pair of assists, as well.
• Mid-range queens – The Jayhawks have plenty of outside shooting and also should be able to be crafty enough to score in the paint. But don’t overlook the mid-range game of at least a few of Schneider’s players, Nichols included. Indiana transfer Lilly Meister showed off her shooting touch in Friday’s scrimmage, draining a no-doubt mid-range jumper and 2024-25 starter Regan Williams, now a sophomore, also showed confidence in pulling the trigger on her mid-range looks.
• Keeley with a smile – She’s been a little slow to come back from injury, but don’t think for a second that that took any of her joy away. KU freshman Keeley Parks could not stop smiling during Friday’s scrimmage. On offense. On defense. And even when things didn’t go well. On one possession, she was pestered to shoot by Nichols on the wing and could only laugh and smile about her veteran teammate's harassment. Later, as she drove to the rim, she was all smiles on her way to a layup and even could be seen smiling on a step-back 3-pointer that missed. Parks finished with 5 points and 2 assists in her unofficial KU debut.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
