2025–26 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

2025–26 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
APNo. 17
Record10–3 (0–0 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAllen Fieldhouse
2025–26 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Arizona 0 0   12 0   1.000
No. 3 Iowa State 0 0   12 0   1.000
No. 10 BYU 0 0   12 1   .923
No. 8 Houston 0 0   11 1   .917
Oklahoma State 0 0   11 1   .917
UCF 0 0   11 1   .917
Colorado 0 0   10 2   .833
Baylor 0 0   9 2   .818
No. 17 Kansas 0 0   10 3   .769
TCU 0 0   9 3   .750
No. 15 Texas Tech 0 0   9 3   .750
Arizona State 0 0   9 4   .692
West Virginia 0 0   9 4   .692
Kansas State 0 0   8 4   .667
Utah 0 0   8 4   .667
Cincinnati 0 0   7 5   .583
2026 Big 12 tournament winner
As of December 23, 2025
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represents the University of Kansas in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Jayhawks' 128th basketball season. The Jayhawks, members of the Big 12 Conference, play their home games at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. They are led by 23rd year Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self.

Offseason

Coaching staff changes

Norm Roberts announced his retirement May 5, 2025 after 14 seasons with Kansas.[1] Former Kansas guard and NBA player Jacque Vaughn was announced as the replacement, he previously served as head coach in the NBA with the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets.[2]

On August 16, 2025, it was announced that Chase Buford had accepted an assistant coaching post with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.[3] On August 20, 2025, it was announced that Tony Bland had been hired to fill the vacancy. [4]


Graduating players

Players listed below were seniors from the previous season who either have run out of eligibility or seniors with an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic who have not announced a return to the team. Players with an asterisk next to their name still have remaining eligibility and could decide to return to the program but have not declared for their remaining year.

Name Position
Dajuan Harris Jr. G
K. J. Adams Jr. F
Hunter Dickinson G
Zeke Mayo* G
Patrick Cassidy G
David Coit* G
Shakeel Moore G

Returning fifth year seniors

Players below were seniors returning for a fifth year.

Name Position
Justin Cross[5] G

Transfers

Incoming

Source:[6]

Name Position Class Old school
Tre White SG Senior Illinois
Jayden Dawson G Senior Loyola
Melvin Council Jr. SG Senior St. Bonaventure

Outgoing

Name Position Class New school
AJ Storr SF Senior Ole Miss
Rylan Griffen SF Senior Texas A&M
Zach Clemence G RS−Junior Texas A&M
Rakease Passmore SG Sophomore Maryland
David Coit Jr. PG RS−Senior Maryland

Walk-ons

Name Position

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Darryn Peterson
G
Fort Lauderdale, FL Prolific Prep 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Nov 1, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (98)
Kohl Rosario
G
Hickory, NC Moravian Prep 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jun 24, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (83)
Samis Calderon
G
Espirito Santo, Brazil Overtime Elite 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 13, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Corbin Allen
SG
Kansas City, MO Oak Park 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 16, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NA)
Paul Mbiya
C
Paris, France ASVEL Basket 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Jun 25, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NA)
Nginyu Ngala
PG
Alliance Montreal Montreal, Canada 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jul 25, 2025 
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NA)
Overall recruiting rankings:     247 Sports: 9     Rivals: 9      ESPN: 18 

*ESPN has not made 2024 recruiting class rankings yet

Preseason

The Big 12 preseason coaches poll was released on October 16, 2025. All awards were voted on by the league's 16 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players. The Big 12 preseason media poll was released on October 30, 2025.


All-Big 12 Preseason First team

Player School Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School)
AJ Dybantsa BYU F Fr. 6'9", 195 Brockton, MA (Utah Prep)
Richie Saunders G Sr. 6'5", 200 Riverton, UT (Wasatch Academy)
Emanuel Sharp Houston G R-Sr. 6'3", 205 Tampa, FL (Bishop McLaughlin School)
Joseph Tugler F Jr. 6'8", 230 Monroe, LA (Cypress Falls)
Milos Uzan G Sr. 6'4", 195 Las Vegas, NV (Desert Pines)
Tamin Lipsey Iowa State G Sr. 6'1", 200 Ames, IA (Ames)
Darryn Peterson Kansas G Fr. 6'5", 205 Canton, OH (Napa Christian)
P.J. Haggerty Kansas State G Jr. 6'4", 195 Crosby, TX (Memphis)
Christian Anderson Texas Tech G So. 6'9", 195 Atlanta, GA (Oak Hill Academy)
JT Toppin F Jr. 6'9", 230 Dallas, TX (New Mexico)
† denotes unanimous selection
Reference:[7]
  • Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
  • Co-Newcomer of the Year: LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
  • Freshman of the Year: Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Roster

2025–26 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Nginyu Ngala 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Laurentian Montreal, QC
G 1 Jayden Dawson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Loyola Omaha, NE
G 2 Corbin Allen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Oak Park Kansas City, MO
G 3 Tre White 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Illinois Dallas, TX
F 6 Samis Calderon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Espírito Santo, Brazil
G 7 Kohl Rosario 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Miami, FL
G 11 Jamari McDowell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Manvel Houston, TX
G 12 Wilder Evers (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Oak Mountain Birmingham, AL
G 13 Elmarko Jackson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So South Kent Marlton, NJ
G 14 Melvin Council Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr St. Bonaventure Rochester, NY
F 15 Bryson Tiller 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Atlanta, GA
G 21 Will Thengvall (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic Wichita, KS
G 22 Darryn Peterson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Prolific Prep Canton, OH
F 25 Justin Cross 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr Oak Park and River Forest Oak Park, IL
C 34 Paul Mbiya 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr ASVEL Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
F 40 Flory Bidunga 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Kokomo Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 3, 2025

Schedule

Source:[9]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ACCN
No. 19 at No. 11 Louisville W 90–82 
 26  Peterson   7  Tiller   4  Council Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (15,885)
Louisville, KY
October 28, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19 Fort Hays State W 71–35 
 16  Council Jr.   9  Tied   6  Council Jr.  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19 Green Bay W 94–51  1–0
 21  Peterson   6  Bidunga   4  Council  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 7, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 19 at No. 25 North Carolina L 74–87  1–1
 22  Peterson   7  Bidunga   7  Council  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 25 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 77–46  2–1
 16  Rosario   8  Tied   6  Council  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 15, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 25 Princeton W 76–57  3–1
 25  Bidunga   10  Bidunga   6  Council  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 18, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 24 vs. No. 5 Duke
State Farm Champions Classic
L 66–78  3–2
 22  White   9  White   6  Council  Madison Square Garden (19,327)
New York, NY
November 24, 2025*
2:30 p.m., TNT
vs. Notre Dame
Players Era Festival Game 1
W 71–61  4–2
 18  Bidunga   9  Tiller   5  Bidunga  MGM Grand Garden Arena (4,628)
Paradise, NV
November 25, 2025*
2:30 p.m., TNT
vs. Syracuse
Players Era Festival Game 2
W 71–60  5–2
 15  White   13  Bidunga   5  Council  MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2025*
6:00 p.m., TNT
vs. No. 17 Tennessee
Players Era Festival 3rd Place Game
W 81–76  6–2
 17  Council   8  Tiller   4  Council  MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
December 2, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 21 No. 5 UConn L 55–61  6–3
 12  Council   12  Bidunga   3  Council  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
December 7, 2025*
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 21 vs. Missouri
Border War/StorageMart Border Showdown
W 80–60  7–3
 20  White   13  White   8  Council  T-Mobile Center (15,407)
Kansas City, MO
December 13, 2025*
4:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 19 at NC State W 77–76 OT 8–3
 36  Council   11  Bidunga   4  Tied  Lenovo Center (19,119)
Raleigh, NC
December 16, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 17 Towson W 73–49  9–3
 18  Bidunga   10  Bidunga   5  White  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
December 22, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 17 Davidson W 90–61  10–3
 18  Bidunga   8  Tied   9  Council  Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)
Lawrence, KS
Big 12 regular season
January 3, 2026
1:00 p.m., Peacock
at UCF       Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
January 6, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
TCU       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
January 10, 2026
11:00 a.m., FOX/FS1
at West Virginia       WVU Coliseum 
Morgantown, WV
January 13, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
Iowa State       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
January 16, 2026
7:00 p.m., FOX
Baylor       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
January 20, 2026
10:00 p.m., ESPN
at Colorado       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
January 24, 2026
7:00 p.m., FOX
at Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown
      Bramlage Coliseum 
Manhattan, KS
January 31, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN
BYU       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 2, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN
at Texas Tech       United Supermarkets Arena 
Lubbock, TX
February 7, 2026
1:30 p.m., FOX
Utah       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 9, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN
Arizona       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 14, 2026
12:00 p.m., ABC
at Iowa State       Hilton Coliseum 
Ames, IA
February 18, 2026
8:00 p.m., Peacock
at Oklahoma State       Gallagher-Iba Arena 
Stillwater, OK
February 21, 2026
12:00 p.m., CBS
Cincinnati       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 23, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN
Houston       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 28, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN
at Arizona       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
March 3, 2026
8:00 p.m., FS1
at Arizona State       Desert Financial Arena 
Tempe, AZ
March 7, 2026
1:00 p.m., CBS
Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown
      Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
Big 12 tournament
March 10−14, 2026
TBD, TBD
vs. TBD       T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP192524RV21191717
Coaches192423RV21191717

References

  1. ^ "Norm Roberts Retirement". October 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "Kansas Great Jacque Vaughn Named Men's Basketball Assistant Coach". October 24, 2025.
  3. ^ "KU basketball assistant coach Chase Buford accepts job with NBA's Denver Nuggets".
  4. ^ "Tony Bland Joins KU Men's Basketball Staff as Assistant Coach".
  5. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Roster". October 24, 2025.
  6. ^ "Kansas Jayhawks 2025 College Basketball Transfer Portal Position Rankings".
  7. ^ a b "Houston Tabbed As Big 12 Men's Basketball Favorite, TTU's Toppin Named Preseason Player of the Year".
  8. ^ "Big 12 Media Votes Houston As Preseason MBB Conference Favorite".
  9. ^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". October 24, 2025.