Through Kansas basketball’s first pair of games, freshman guard Darryn Peterson was the offensive engine that drove the Jayhawks.
21 points in 22 minutes against Green Bay.
22 in 29 against North Carolina.
Yet, the offense seemed slow without him on the floor in either game. People wondered who Kansas would lean on in the absence of its formidable freshman.
That question was answered on Tuesday.
With Peterson emerging for pre-game warmups in street clothes, the task was placed upon the rest of the supporting cast during Kansas’ 77-46 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In response, the Jayhawks saw four players finish in double figures. Freshman guard Kohl Rosario led the way for Kansas with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while senior guard Melvin Council led the assist totals with six.
The duo of Rosario and Council paced the offense early, combining for 15 of the Jayhawks’ 38 first-half points. Rosario’s 11, enough to lead all scorers, came with a triple and a trifecta of high-flying lobs, while Council poured in four points and three assists, tied for the most of any player on the floor.
“I’ve always had the same confidence,” Rosario said. “I put in the work, I’ve just got to trust the numbers.”
He added that “my confidence hasn’t wavered.”
Six points on a pair of threes from graduate guard Nginyu Ngala elevated the Canadian into the second-most Jayhawk points, capping off Kansas’ 38-18 lead at the half.
University of Kansas men’s basketball guard Nginyu Ngala defends against Texas A&M Corpus Christi during the game at Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 11, 2025.
Andrew Lucas / The Kansan
Out of the break, a clinic of flashy passing from sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, Rosario and senior guard Tre White ended with Bidunga hooking a shot home from the low post, before slamming a lob from Council on the ensuing possession. Playing as the expected centerpiece of the Jayhawk offense in Peterson’s absence, Bidunga struggled with a pair of early fouls but recovered to post 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting along with eight rebounds, two assists and four blocks.
“I thought (Flory) did fine,” Kansas coach Bill Self said postgame. “I thought our big guys played a little bigger tonight, which was just something we’ve been on them about.”
Again searching for some momentum, Kansas went to the services of freshman forward Bryson Tiller, who knocked down a corner triple, his first of the night after converting four in the Friday night loss to North Carolina. Tiller’s three was one of only eight Kansas threes converted in the win, down from 10 against Green Bay and 12 against North Carolina.
The Jayhawks began to wrap things up with nearly eight minutes to go in the game, using a Tiller slam off of a lob from redshirt sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson and a senior guard Jayden Dawson three to double up the Islanders with a 68-34 lead.
University of Kansas men’s basketball guard Elmarko Jackson races down the court during the game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 11, 2025.
Andrew Lucas / The Kansan
With just north of three minutes remaining and Kansas in control, freshman forward Samis Calderon put an emphatic exclamation mark on the victory, hammering home a one-handed slam that electrified the fans remaining at Allen Fieldhouse and capped off what would be a 77-46 victory.
Kansas will look for its first pair of back-to-back regular season wins since February on Saturday, Nov. 15, staying at home for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Princeton Tigers. The game can be seen on ESPN+.