LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. No. 17 Kansas (10-3) opens Big 12 play at UCF (11-1) on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tip from Addition Financial Arena will be at 1 p.m. (Central)  and the game will be televised on Peacock and NBCSN.
 
Kansas is coming off a 90-61 win against Davidson on Dec. 22, its fourth-straight victory. UCF has won 10 straight games after its 85-80 win versus Florida Atlantic on Dec. 23.
 
Kansas leads the all-time series with UCF, 3-1, and the Jayhawks have won the last three meetings. The series is tied at 1-1 in games played in Orlando. In the last meeting, KU won 98-94 in overtime on March 12, 2025, in the second round of the 2025 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
Through 13 games, KU is averaging 75.8 points per game and has a plus-12.5 scoring margin. Kansas pulls down 40.2 rebounds per contest with a plus-5.2 rebound margin.
 
KU averages 15.8 assists, 5.4 steals, and 6.2 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage defense at 25.2%, which is fourth nationally. KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (6.2), which is eighth nationally, and in field goal percentage defense (36.6%), which is sixth nationally.
 
Freshman guard Darryn Peterson leads Kansas with a 19.3 ppg. He has made 11 threes in four games played this season. Sophomore center Flory Bidunga has four double-doubles in his last six games. He scores 14.7 points per contest and leads KU with 9.2 rebounds per outing. Bidunga is second in the Big 12 with 29 blocked shots, which is 23rd nationally, and his 2.2 blocks per game are second in the league and 24th nationally. Bidunga’s 62.3 field goal percentage is third in the Big 12 and 25th nationally.

Senior guard Tre White is averaging 14.5 points per game and his 7.0 rebounds per game are second on the team. White is averaging 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in his last four contests.

 

Senior Melvin Council Jr. was named the Big 12 and national player of the week after his career-high 36 points at NC State (12/3), which included nine threes made, which are the second most in KU history. Council averages 12.9 points per game and leads KU with 67 assists. His 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio is fourth in the Big 12 and 21st nationally. Council has 14 assists and two turnovers in his last three games.

 

Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller (9.0 ppg) has scored 11 points in each of his last two contests. Tiller pulls down 5.8 rebounds per game and he has 51 boards in his last eight outings. Tiller has started the last 10 games for Kansas.

 

Freshman Kohl Rasario (5.5 ppg, 13 threes) has started six games this season. Redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (4.3 ppg) has started five games and has made 14 threes. Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (3.8 ppg, one start) has made six threes this season.

 

UP NEXT

Kansas continues Big 12 play when it hosts TCU on Tuesday, Jan. 6. The contest will start at 8 p.m. (Central) and will be televised on ESPN.

 

Kansas leads the overall series with TCU, 27-4, including a 12-1 record in games played in Lawrence, 11-1 in Allen Fieldhouse. KU has won the last three and five of the last six meetings with TCU. KU leads the series 23-4 in Big 12 history.