Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball 2025-26 Storylines: No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats are back in action on the hardwood this Saturday during a road matchup against the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks inside Allen Fieldhouse at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

Cincinnati enters the game with a 15.4% chance to win the game on ESPN's Matchup Predictor, needing at least seven wins the rest of the season to make a strong case for the NCAA Tournament. UC is ranked 50th nationally on KenPom, while Kansas is 14th.

The Bearcats are hoping their current three-game win streak and a multi-day rest advantage help them take a lead in the all-time series. The Bearcats and Jayhawks have split 10 all-time meetings, with Kansas winning two of three meetings in Lawrence and two of three matchups as Big 12 opponents.

"We kept our poise no matter what was going on and made some plays. I thought that was the difference. Again, a big step for us tonight,” UC head coach Wes Miller said after last week's win over Utah.

All statistics are from Big 12 play unless noted otherwise.

Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) slaps his chest after a play against Arizona Wildcats during the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 9, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fastbreak Storyline: Balance...Everywhere

The Jayhawks are eighth in the country for some very good reasons. Led by No. 1 NBA Draft pick candidate Darryn Peterson (20 points, 3.7 rebounds), Kansas does not have many major weaknesses for Cincinnati to exploit, save for maybe some cracks of light from deep and forcing turnovers.

On the season, Kansas ranks 42nd in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency and ninth in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Bill Self's team gives up the most three-point attempts per game (27.9), and teams are hitting 34.2% (ninth), but UC's never been consistent from deep in Big 12 play (32.9%, 13th). Kansas has some towering defenders who have stifled teams around the rim all season.

Flory Bidunga (14.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, Big-12 best 74 blocks) is one of the best frontcourt players in the country and is a big reason why Kansas leads the Big 12 in blocks per game (6.1). He's also leading the conference in field goal percentage (65.3%) and will be a massive problem to handle for Moustapha Thiam.

Baba Miller won't have it easy either, going up against the complement forward in 6-10 Byson Tiller (nine points, 6.2 rebounds). Both power the defense with Kansas's only rotational defensive ratings under 100 points per 100 possessions.

Cincinnati has to find a way to get those two in foul trouble and put all of the pressure on Peterson, who may not even come close to 30 minutes in this game. The polarizing prospect has been heavily criticized for his commitment to the program after playing under 30 minutes in three of the past five games, all on his own accord. Peterson is not injured.

It's an odd situation that will benefit Cincinnati if the clear best player on the floor decides to limit himself again. It won't be easy to focus the pressure on him through that foul trouble. Kansas commits just 14.5 fouls per game (best in the Big 12), with Tiller and Bidunga combining for just 4.4 fouls per game (2.2 each). They are very fundamentally sound and have used those teachings to help Kansas allow just a 40.1% field goal mark in Big 12 play (second best).

Wes Miller noted on his 700 WLW radio show this week that Shon Abaev is working his way back, but it doesn't sound like he'll be ready for Saturday, so Cincinnati will still be a little shorthanded at the wing position.

The other place Cincinnati can find success is possession control. Both of these teams are in the middle of the country in tempo, so Cincinnati won't have to adjust its play style at all, and the Jayhawks do not create a lot of easy turnover baskets (8.4 TOs forced per game, last in Big 12).

UC has a 9-3 record this season when turning the ball over 10 times or less. Unfortunately, all of those losses came on the road, but two of them featured sub-38% field goal marks from the Bearcats.

If they can keep hold of the ball, as most teams have against Kansas, take the two towers out of the game down the stretch, and get limited minutes from Peterson, an upset is possible.

Catch the contest on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

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