Despite a thrilling comeback which saw the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks come back from as many as 14 points down in the second half, too many turnovers and inconsistent offensive stretches cost Kansas a trip to the Sweet 16 in a 67-65 loss to the No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm.
On the defensive side, you really could not have asked for much better from Kansas on Sunday night. The Jayhawks held the Red Storm to just 36% from the field, and 31% from beyond the arc. However, 16 turnovers and 11 offensive rebounds allowed Rick Pitino’s squad to finish with a massive 15 more shots than KU.
Kansas left without major contributors to rely on
Towards the end of the season, guards Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White – who had strong cases to be Kansas’ best players during the regular season – each fell into a slump, and Kansas’ offense suffered because of it.
Heading into Sunday, Council had gone 6/25 from the field over the last three games, and White had notched an 8/27 mark, which has played a pivotal role in why the Jayhawks haven’t reached 70 points in two of their previous three games.
Head coach Bill Self deemed that Council was exhausted and even given an extra day off heading into the tournament.
“You guys could probably tell that his body's getting a little run down,” quoted Self prior to the Tournament.
“We're only playing him 39 minutes a game, and asking him to basically do a lot of stuff. So I think, even today, I gave him the day off. So he got Saturday and Sunday, when everybody else practiced.
Meanwhile, despite putting up consistent numbers heading into the Big 12 Tournament, White was just unusually cold, and his confidence was shaken as a result.
Against St. John’s, the pair combined for an 8/21 mark from the field and for 19 points.
It would be in bad faith not to consider the fact that Council’s game is primarily getting downhill and challenging taller defenders.
Yet neither were able to support the efforts of guard Darryn Peterson.
Peterson’s box score doesn’t tell full story
Now, let's be clear, Peterson has by no means been on a hot streak. Like Council and White, the former five-star’s form has tapered, but it rarely comes thanks to a forced shot. Most – if not all of Peterson’s misses from his near-34% field goal rate over the last four games came from a well-tempo’d shot that just rims out.
Over Kansas’ capsized two-game stint in the NCAA Tournament, Peterson totaled a 7/19 mark from beyond the arc and 16/39 overall from the field, which measures out to a 41% field goal rate.
Outside of Peterson, the team managed a 42.6% rate from the field and a 2/14 mark from beyond, throughout the tournament.
Ultimately, as a team, the 2025/26 season saw its share of highs and lows, and while at home, the Jayhawks looked like one of the most formidable teams in the country, but away from Allen Fieldhouse, things stalled and ultimately fell short when it mattered most.
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