Evaluating Kansas Basketball’s Performance in Nonconference Play

The Kansas basketball season has been incredibly confusing at times through the first two months of the 2025-26 campaign.

While the Jayhawks have clear offensive limitations without freshman star Darryn Peterson and have looked inconsistent, they still carry a 10-3 record into Big 12 play as the calendar flips to January.

It has been difficult to fully gauge just how good this KU team is amid an injury-riddled stretch, but fans have learned a lot about the group over the past 13 games. At the beginning of the season, things did not look particularly promising.

Kansas' Lowest Point

Following a season-opening win over Green Bay, KU entered its matchup in Chapel Hill with nearly even odds against North Carolina. A strong first half in which the Jayhawks built a double-digit lead gave fans optimism, but that quickly disappeared.

KU was outscored by 21 points in the second half, and aside from a fluky shooting stretch from Bryson Tiller, the team lacked a clear identity and appeared disjointed on both ends of the floor. The Jayhawks ultimately fell by 13 points, marking their first defeat of the season.

Nov 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) at the free throw line in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Kansas' Highest Point

Over the next three games following the UNC loss, KU went 2-1, earning wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton, while falling to Duke in the Champions Classic. By that point, Peterson had already begun missing games due to ongoing cramping issues, and the shorthanded squad was unable to keep up with the Blue Devils.

The outlook seemed grim heading into the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where KU was set to face three quality opponents on a neutral site. Instead, the Jayhawks played some of their most impressive basketball of the season.

Nov 26, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Elmarko Jackson (13) reacts in the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2025 Players Era Festival third place game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After opening the event with wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse, an unranked KU squad upset No. 17 Tennessee, rallying from a 12-point deficit in a gritty victory highlighted by Elmarko Jackson's outstanding second-half heroics. What looked like a potential multi-loss stretch turned into an undefeated tournament run that revived belief in the season.

Kansas' Best Win

The momentum from Las Vegas was short-lived, as KU dropped its first true home game of the year to UConn in a low-scoring, sloppy affair. Without Peterson, the offensive struggles were evident, as the Jayhawks posted just 56 points.

Peterson briefly returned for the next two games, including a convincing 20-point win over Missouri in the Border Showdown. The following contest, however, may have been the best victory of the season.

On the road against NC State under first-year head coach Will Wade, Peterson exited late once again due to cramping. But it did not matter because Melvin Council Jr. delivered the performance of a lifetime, scoring 36 points, draining nine 3-pointers, and leading the Jayhawks to an improbable overtime win.

The Consensus Heading Into Conference Play

While the first two months have featured both impressive highs and frustrating lows, the nonconference slate has gone about as well as anyone could have reasonably expected given Peterson's injury situation.

The team's performance in the Players Era Festival proved that this team is capable of making a legitimate run in March and challenging for a Big 12 title. Although there are still questions to be answered, the Jayhawks enter conference play positioned for a very successful stretch if they continue at this pace.