Recently back in the AP Top 25 at No. 21 overall, the Kansas men's basketball team suffered another loss as a ranked team this season, this time falling to No. 5 UConn, 61-56 at home.
The Jayhawks (6-3) had plenty of good moments in this one and played some gritty basketball at times. But their effort, which came and went, was not enough to overcome a brutal lull in the second half that really exposed how limited KU can be without star freshman Darryn Peterson.
KU coach Bill Self said the decision to rule Peterson out for Tuesday's game was largely his, adding that Peterson had a good day today and is somewhere in that 90-95% range. But Self reminded everyone after the loss that he's not going to play Peterson until he's 100% and the combination of the athletic testing and how Peterson looked in terms of really being able to let it rip was reason enough to keep him out another game.
The hope, Self said, is for Peterson to enjoy his off day on Wednesday and, if there are no setbacks, to be back out there practicing full-speed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, leading up to Sunday's game against Mizzou in Kansas City.
There's still a lot of time between then and now, so who knows what can and will happen.
This much is known, though: Even without Peterson — UConn was also down one of its top players — the Jayhawks gave themselves a chance to win and fell short.
KU led by four at halftime (33-29) and fought to the finish despite shooting just 25% from the floor in the second half and getting out-rebounded 25-10 during that same time frame.
With UConn up 3 and with possession in the final minute, the Jayhawks got the stop they needed to give themselves a chance to tie the game. But the set KU ran out of the timeout with 26 seconds left yielded a drive to the basket by Jamari McDowell, who struggled to even get a shot off.
UConn then hit a pair of free throws to ice the game.
KU's losses have now come to No. 4 Duke, No. 5 UConn and No. 16 North Carolina. Certainly nothing to hang your head about, especially when you had your best player for just one of them.
But as we get deeper into December and Big 12 play draws near, the Jayhawks are going to have to start answering their biggest questions with their production rather than the almosts and what-ifs that have been a big part of this non-conference schedule so far.
Here's a look back and some of Tuesday's action from Allen Fieldhouse.
LIKES
• Flory played big – Sure, the lob dunks and tough finishes are good highlights. But one of the things that really stood out to me about Flory Bidunga's double-double night was how aggressively he went after the ball on missed shots. Especially late in the game, with the Jayhawks fighting with every breath to keep UConn from scoring and maintaining its lead. Self called Bidunga's two big rebounds late, "man's rebounds," but also added that he'd like to see more of that. Still, the KU big man finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds while playing a whopping 38 minutes against a big UConn front line.
Oh my... pic.twitter.com/q8rRzsKjZw
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) December 3, 2025
• Elmarko's encore – After a breakout showing against Tennessee in Las Vegas, redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson got right back to work in this one, knocking in a pair of 3-pointers and finishing a hard drive to the rim during his first stint in the game, midway through the first half. Jackson not only put 8 points on the board in the first half (of 11 for the game) but also brought all kinds of fire with it. He celebrated his makes with passion and yelled to the crowd during timeouts, trying to make sure that the people in their seats were as fired up as he was. He might've taken it a step too far with a forced fade-away jumper at the elbow as his fourth shot of the night. But Kansas can live with that when he's bringing production and tenacity everywhere else.
• Great start by KU's starters – Kansas coach Bill Self didn't go to his bench until the 12:02 mark of the first half. And he did so with his team leading 16-13 en route to a 17-13 lead after Tre White hit the second free throw of the possession. KU's first five — White, Melvin Council Jr., Jamari McDowell, Bryson Tiller and Flory Bidunga — hit 55% of its shots, held UConn to 42% shooting, knocked in a pair of 3-pointers and out-rebounded the Huskies 8-4. It wasn't just those numbers that stood out, though. Kansas also played hard, with great energy and urgency and battled for every ball and possession throughout the 8-minute stretch that set the tone for the first half and the rest of the game.
• Allen Fieldhouse was ready – There's been criticism in recent years about the atmosphere and energy level inside Allen Fieldhouse. In many ways, that criticism has seemed more than fair. But there was no dogging the venue or environment on Tuesday night. The KU crowd was fired up and ready for this one, and they showed it with full-throat roars and great energy that started well before tipoff and carried over into the game. At its best, Allen Fieldhouse is still one of the toughest environments in all of sports. And it was darn close to its best for Tuesday's battle with the Huskies.
DISLIKES
• The whole 2nd half – KU made just five shots all half, got clobbered on the glass and failed to execute at game point on both ends of the floor. While those things killed KU in a bunch of different ways, Kansas coach Bill Self said the fact that the Jayhawks could not build a bigger lead by halftime was what cost them this game as much as anything. It was littered with errors but also had good moments. It was another game where the absence of freshman star Darryn Peterson was huge and very noticeable. But that was also offset at least some by UConn being without its leading scorer, as well. All in all, the game was there for the taking even with a rough 2nd half, and Kansas couldn't make the plays that UConn did to wrestle away the victory.
• Early turnovers – The first 10 or so minutes of this game was very much a feeling-out process by both teams. And on both ends of the floor. KU ended up leading for 16+ minutes of the first half and had a 4-point lead at halftime (33-29) but it's possible that could've been bigger and KU may have taken control earlier had it not been for KU's carelessness with the ball. Kansas coughed it up five times in the game's first 7 minutes and also was not forcing any either (2). The saving grace was that UConn only scored 2 points off of those first five KU turnovers, allowing KU to play from in front for most of that time and much of the first half.
• 3-point happy – The Jayhawks hit their first two 3-pointers of the night — both by Jamari McDowell — and then made just two of their next 11. It wasn't so much the misses that was the problem as it was their willingness to settle for them or take forced 3-pointers that should've never gone up. At one point in the second half, KU went ice cold, being held without a field goal for 5+ minutes and making just 1 of 15 in that same general stretch. Three-point shooting has been a question/concern/topic all season for the Jayhawks. And there are enough issues with that part of their offense without having to add to it by getting shot happy when you don't need to. KU finished the night 5-for-18 from 3-point range, meaning they made just 3 of their last 16. Neither percentage is very good and in a 5-point game it really cost KU in this one.
WHAT THE?
• "Fuck Dan Hurley" ??? – On at least four or five occasions during Tuesday's battle between No. 21 Kansas and 5th-ranked UConn, the KU student section broke into brief but booming chants of "Fuck Dan Hurley!" It started on the north end but eventually included both ends. I get that Hurley's a lot to take. And I get that his antics are more than a little tough to watch. But I don't get where this chant came from. Unless I'm totally missing something. I suppose it's just the world we live in now. But it didn't seem like it was necessary nor was it very original or creative. From what I recall, Hurley has been nothing but complimentary of Kansas basketball and KU coach Bill Self while also being more than proud and boisterous about the run his program has been on in recent years. Can you blame him? Boo him. Dislike him and the way he works. But vicious F bombs? No thanks. Hurley was asked about the chants after the game and said, "I wasn't expecting that. Everyone was so nice to me the last time. I don't really have anything. If that's how people want to carry themselves in the game, it's sports. We're all fuckin' gladiators." For his part, Self was asked about the chants, as well, and he said simply, "I, verbally, said, 'Knock it off,' because we don't need that."
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