Through the thick and thin of the 2025/26 season, there has really been one consistent piece for the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks. Forward Flory Bidunga.
Bidunga’s once foul-ridden game has seen a massive downturn since Kansas’ Big 12 opening loss to UCF. And with his newfound sense of avoiding fouls, a winning streak of eight games has ensued, including an 82-78 win over No. 1 Arizona Monday night.
“He's big time. I mean he's as good as any defender in America,” quoted Kansas head coach Bill Self about Bidunga following the melodramatic victory.
“And his offense has improved so much, and he was great.”
Monday’s 23-point outing could not have come at a better time, especially with star guard Darryn Peterson being ruled out minutes before tipoff with “flu-like” symptoms.
Bidunga finished the thriller with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, all while performing at 72.7% rate from the field. It doens’t hurt that his final block came with the game on the line, as Wildcat Brayden Burries was driving to the rim, looking as if he had a wide-open two points to trim the KU lead to one point, before at the last season, Bidunga’s monster length and quick reflexes swatted Burries’ shot away securing Kansas’ first win over an AP No. 1 under Bill Self at Allen Fieldhouse.
As of writing, Bidunga’s 2.83 blocks per game currently rank second in all of Division I basketball. Over the course of the last nine games for the Jayhawks, Bidunga has totaled a monstrous 34 blocks.
Bidunga’s also played a massive role in Kansas’ 67.8 points per game allowed, which sits 31st in the nation, and KU’s 38.3% field goal rate allowed that sits third.
Of course, the sophomore’s points scoring should never go underappreciated as the win over Arizona marked his fifth game of the season, where he has totaled 20+ points, and his ninth double-double on the season.
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