Freshman center Flory Bidunga has taken over the Kansas Jayhawks. The fans love him, he's an elite player, and became a starter for the blue-blood program at just 19 years old.
Yet, Kansas head coach Bill Self opted to start his veteran center KJ Adams when the Jayhawks played a Big 12 matchup agains the Iowa State Cyclones––a game that the team and the coach needed to win to right a sinking ship.
While Kansas pulled off the win, defeating the Cyclones 69-52, fans were disappointed that they didn't get to see much of Bidunga as he only logged 15 minutes. They even started chants, shouting "Flo-ry" chant and "We want Flory" as the Jayhawks battled it out on the court. Self addressed the chants during the post-game press conference.
Bill Self’s response to the student section chanting “We want Flory.”
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) February 4, 2025
Via @KUHoops. pic.twitter.com/Ko3aHeKwvU
"They have a chance to chant whatever they want,” Self said. “I love Flory too and I want Flory to play too, but there was no doubt that KJ Adams was a guy that had to be on the floor tonight because he relieved all pressure from a ball-handling standpoint too.”
Bidunga finished the game with just 4 points and 4 rebounds. However, the defensive presence of the young star contributed 4 blocks and 1 steal to the Jayhawks' stat line.
Meanwhile, Adams, who had been out with an injury, didn't hesitate to assert his dominance as a veteran player for the Jayhawks. He played in 32 of the 40 minutes for Kansas and while he only scored 6 points, he contributed 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal for his team.
“He can just do so many different things because he’s so athletic and strong, and he can hold people off and guard 1 through 5,” Self said about Adams after the game.
The Jayhawks next matchup is against the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, Feb. 8. Earlier this season, Kansas defeated their in-state rivals 84-74.