Nathan Friedman/Particular to the Journal-World
Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. rushes the ball down the ground with teammates Darryn Peterson and Elmarko Jackson in the course of the recreation in opposition to North Carolina State on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C.
As Kansas coach Invoice Self put it on Monday morning, Melvin Council Jr. was so good in opposition to N.C. State in Saturday’s extra time win on the Lenovo Heart that it “coated up quite a lot of issues.”
“Simply being completely truthful, you’re taking Melvin out of the equation and who may you flip to (and) say, ‘They actually had a pleasant recreation the opposite day’?” he stated. “And quite a lot of it’s not particular person, quite a lot of it’s what are we doing to assist the opposite individual and that type of stuff. And it wasn’t superb.”
Certainly, Council’s historic and unpredictable efficiency — the numbers, repeated so regularly since Saturday evening, converse for themselves: 36 factors, 13-for-27 capturing, 9 3-pointers when he beforehand had 5 whole on the season — masked what was in any other case a fairly lackluster offensive day for the Jayhawks.
Flory Bidunga, who Self has stated ought to become KU’s second choice on offense, was hampered by foul hassle and completed with eight factors on seven photographs. Tre White, beforehand 13-for-29 on the yr from deep, went 0-for-6 past the arc and didn’t draw practically as lots of his typical fouls (Self stated he “tried to drive gaps that weren’t there”). The bench supplied two factors. Even Darryn Peterson, who scored 17, “wasn’t transferring on the tempo that he’s obtained to maneuver on the approach individuals are going to protect him,” Self stated.
After which he exited the sport earlier than it concluded because of “quad cramping” — not the hamstring damage he had beforehand contended with, Self stated — and his standing is unknown for Tuesday evening’s residence recreation in opposition to Towson.
Whether or not Peterson makes it again to the ground in opposition to the Tigers or misses his eighth recreation of the yr, Self shall be in search of the Jayhawks to show a extra dynamic offense with renewed ball and physique motion. He stated they’ve been enjoying “ridiculously gradual” on that finish of the ground and haven’t moved the ball effectively since beating Tennessee with out Peterson on Nov. 26.
“We don’t have a group filled with one-on-one guys,” Self stated. “When Darryn’s on the market, he can maintain it and it could actually stick and he can get his personal. Everyone else has obtained to be a ball mover, shooter or a passer instantly, or a greater screener. You possibly can’t be a stander, and we’ve obtained approach an excessive amount of of that occurring.”
The group coming to Allen Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. Tuesday is the favourite within the Coastal Athletic Affiliation. Towson could have had greater than every week to arrange for KU after shedding 86-61 at UCF on Dec. 7, the identical day the Jayhawks confronted Missouri. The Tigers are 6-4 on the yr and haven’t received a street recreation, although they did beat a pair of groups simply exterior KenPom’s high 100 in Rhode Island and Liberty on the ESPN Occasions Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida.
Towson’s scoring originates mainly from three sources (nobody else averages greater than 4.8 factors a recreation): Tyler Tejada, Dylan Williamson and Jack Doumbia Jr.
Tejada is the league’s preseason participant of the yr — he was its rookie of the yr in 2023-24, and participant of the yr in 2024-25. The 6-foot-9 wing averages 18.8 factors and 5.7 rebounds per recreation and is a classy shot creator who can even get sizzling from distance, as he did when he went 6-for-10 from deep in a win over Cornell on Dec. 3.
The guard Williamson is a high-volume shooter who has already taken greater than 20 photographs in a recreation twice this yr and is placing up 15.6 factors with 3.3 assists, whereas Doumbia, a Wright State switch, is a slasher who can even pull up and offers a set off the bench.
“I feel they’re good,” Self stated. “I feel they play actually exhausting and very lively. They will shoot it from 4 spots. I feel they obtained a pleasant group.”
The remainder of Towson’s lineup doesn’t present a lot on the offensive finish. For instance, the Tigers have a beginning ahead, Caleb Embeya, who has tried 13 photographs on the season (and made 5). They rank 314th within the nation in scoring at 70.3 factors per recreation, and their ball motion yields simply 10.5 assists per recreation, which is 353rd of 365 groups.
On the flip aspect, they’re permitting 68.2 factors on protection — a decent 81st.
After rising with the hard-fought win over N.C. State, the Jayhawks are 8-3 and rank No. 17 within the nation with losses to Nos. 3, 5 and 12 — primarily enjoying with out their star guard Peterson. If they’ll beat Towson on Tuesday and Davidson subsequent Monday to emerge at 10-3, “you’d suppose, ‘OK, we survived the preseason,’” Self stated.
“I’m actually trying ahead to tomorrow’s recreation,” he added. “Hopefully we’ll come out and play with the eagerness and the vitality and the tempo that good groups play with.”
No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks (8-3) vs. Towson Tigers (6-4)
• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 8 p.m. Central Time
• Broadcast: ESPN2
• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Community (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9 / KMXN FM 92.9)
Preserve a watch out
Council continuation: Council had not shot 30% or larger from deep in both of his Division I seasons earlier than coming to KU and he was down at 18.5% this fall earlier than going 9-for-15 on Saturday. That single efficiency boosted his season-long mark to 33.3%. He evidently received’t make two out of three 3s in each recreation, however the displaying did exhibit he can rating from the surface “if he performs with out occupied with it,” Self stated. Additionally, as he did on Saturday, he’ll have to proceed along with his bread-and-butter offensive recreation, which consists of utilizing his pace to get to the rim, whereas sometimes mixing within the exterior photographs.
No second probabilities: KU is averaging 9.5 offensive rebounds per recreation, which ties for 317th within the nation. Self talked about that as a possible space for enchancment. That mark is regardless of beginning what’s in some sense a three-forward lineup with an enormous wing in Tre White and put up gamers Bryson Tiller and Flory Bidunga, and it types a stark distinction with their standing because the nation’s No. 11 group, tied with Columbia, when it comes to defensive rebounding. (The Jayhawks are additionally, by the best way, tied for second-worst within the nation when it comes to forcing opponent turnovers. That’s not serving to them get out and run or generate further alternatives for his or her offense.)
Standing pat: KU is now on winter break, and final yr the Jayhawks took benefit of the semester break so as to add Tiller, who was rehabbing an damage suffered whereas enjoying for Additional time Elite. He didn’t contribute to the 2024-25 group on the courtroom however was capable of settle in forward of his early enjoying time as a freshman this fall. This yr, KU isn’t going so as to add anybody for the second semester, Self stated on Monday, until one thing may “fall in your lap or out of the sky.” The Jayhawks, are although, nonetheless engaged on their recruiting class for the autumn of 2026, and junior-college guard Trent Lincoln will go to Lawrence for the Towson recreation.
Off-kilter commentary
When Tejada earned CAA rookie of the yr honors in 2024, he turned Towson’s first main award recipient since Nick Timberlake was the sixth man of the yr in 2020. Timberlake, in fact, performed for KU in the course of the 2023-24 season.
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Written By Henry Greenstein
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