After a questionable 3–2 start to the season, Bill Self’s team buckled down and got the job done in gritty fashion in Las Vegas during the 2025 Players Era Festival. Kansas won all three of its games against quality opponents: Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Tennessee.
We will provide a breakdown and highlight the key reasons the Jayhawks managed to pull out each of their victories over Thanksgiving week, as well as how things are looking heading into KU’s matchup against UConn this upcoming Tuesday.
Kansas 71 – Notre Dame 61
The Fighting Irish got off to a hot start in this one, opening their largest lead (13–9) with 14:06 remaining in the first half. Notre Dame looked poised and determined to pull off the upset and drop the Jayhawks to a 3–3 record.
However, momentum began to shift after a pivotal play with 11:19 remaining in the first half. Flory Bidunga picked off a pass from Notre Dame star point guard Markus Burton and took it the length of the floor on his own, finishing over Burton for the basket plus the foul. That sequence took us into the under-12 timeout, where officials ruled the play a clear-path technical foul on Burton, resulting in two free throws and an additional possession for KU. Bidunga knocked down both free throws and then hit a jumper on the ensuing play, giving him six points on the single possession. He became just the second documented player in NCAA history to score six points on one possession.
Kansas eclipsed its largest lead of the game with 58 seconds remaining in the first half, when Elmarko Jackson buried a three to make it 39–26.
Notre Dame fought back in the second half and cut the deficit to four (55–51) with 8:11 remaining, but the Jayhawks ultimately pulled away in the final three minutes.
Kansas really outworked the Fighting Irish on the defensive glass, finishing with a ten-rebound advantage in that category (34–24). The Jayhawks also put on an impressive display of ball movement, recording sixteen assists compared to Notre Dame’s six.
The KU frontcourt dominated this game, with Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller each shooting 8-for-15 from the field and combining for thirty-five points, eighteen rebounds, seven assists, and six blocks. Tre White delivered another outstanding performance, dropping sixteen points and adding nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Finally, Melvin Council Jr. had the best shooting game of his young Kansas career, scoring twelve points (including two threes) and contributing five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in a strong winning effort for the Jayhawks.
Even if the Fighting Irish don’t make the Big Dance this season, it was undeniably a quality win for KU in a (not-so) neutral environment.
Kansas 71 – Syracuse 60
Both teams were coming off encouraging performances the day prior, with Kansas earning a double-digit win over Notre Dame and Syracuse taking No. 3 Houston to overtime before narrowly falling.
After Syracuse guard Nate Kingz hit a three-pointer for the game’s first points, the Jayhawks quickly took over less than three minutes in. While the game tightened at times, KU never relinquished the lead.
With 5:03 remaining in the first half, Bryson Tiller made a layup to extend the Kansas lead to thirteen points (30–17). The Jayhawks carried that advantage into halftime, leading Syracuse 34–25.
Syracuse came out fighting in the second half, going on a few strong runs but never reclaiming the lead. The closest they got was when forward Tyler Betsey drained a three-pointer with 6:01 remaining to cut the KU lead to just two points (52–50).
Kansas immediately responded with an 11–0 run over the next three minutes, pushing the score to 63–50. They continued to pull away and ultimately defeated the Orange by double digits.
The Jayhawks dominated Syracuse in two key areas: rebounding and free-throw shooting. KU outrebounded the Orange 49–29, including 36–18 on the defensive glass. Kansas also shot 18–20 (90%) from the foul line, while Syracuse managed just 13–23 (56.5%). Interestingly, despite losing by eleven points, Syracuse committed only two turnovers compared to the Jayhawks' fifteen.
Tre White led the way in this one, recording a double-double with fifteen points and ten rebounds, while also contributing three assists.
KU was visibly gaining confidence and looked more comfortable without Darryn Peterson in the lineup for the fifth consecutive game.
Kansas 81 – Tennessee 76
The Jayhawks entered the final game in Las Vegas as heavy underdogs against Rick Barnes’ Volunteers, who were coming off a huge win over No. 3 Houston. Bill Self had to rely on a thin lineup, missing Darryn Peterson once again, as well as Jayden Dawson, who was sidelined due to an injury he suffered during the event.
The contest remained competitive throughout the first half, with neither team able to establish a substantial lead. Tennessee then built its largest lead of the half with 0:44 remaining, when Jaylen Carey stole the ball and took it down the floor for a layup, giving the Volunteers a nine-point advantage. At halftime, Tennessee led Kansas 41–34.
Tennessee came out of the gates hot in the second half, extending its lead to twelve points with 15:49 remaining. The Vols held that advantage until Elmarko Jackson hit just his third three-pointer of the season with 13:48 left, cutting the Tennessee lead to 55–46. On the very next possession, Jackson made two free throws to trim the Jayhawk deficit to seven. After a couple of missed shots on both ends, he drained another three-pointer to bring KU closer at 55–51. Tennessee stopped the KU run with a three from Ja'Kobi Gillespie, but Jackson responded by driving the lane for a bucket and the foul. He closed out his personal 11–3 run by knocking down the free throw.
With 8:24 remaining, Tre White fouled out, making the already thin rotation even thinner. Paul Mbiya was forced into action and scored on his only shot attempt.
Inspired by Jackson, Melvin Council Jr. went on a remarkable 10–5 run of his own to tie the game at 64 with 6:08 remaining. In just over seven minutes, Jackson and Council Jr. outscored the entire Tennessee lineup 21–8, producing one of the most outrageous stats you’ll see all season.
Bill Self closed the game with a lineup of Jamari McDowell, Elmarko Jackson, Melvin Council Jr., Bryson Tiller, and Flory Bidunga, who executed the final minutes nearly flawlessly, finishing on a 17–12 run to secure a well-deserved victory for the Jayhawks.
No single area on the stat sheet stood out for either team in this game. Elmarko Jackson and Melvin Council Jr. each scored seventeen points, combining for ten rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Tre White still contributed fourteen points and six rebounds in just twenty minutes of action, while Flory Bidunga added thirteen points, seven rebounds, and three key blocks.
While he hasn’t done anything flashy, Jamari McDowell had the best week of his Kansas career, hitting five timely three-pointers during the Players Era Festival and logging significant minutes as a floor general in the backcourt. Meanwhile, Tre White has averaged 17.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over the past five games, emerging as a reliable and consistent veteran for the squad moving forward.
Bill Self’s team grinded it out, pulling off a gutsy win in a big spot to improve their record to 6–2. Now, all eyes turn to a heavyweight showdown with UConn on Tuesday night in the Phog.
Is the Jayhawks’ most recent win over the Volunteers the best team victory since the 2022 National Championship?
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