Game Day Live Blog: Kansas vs Cal Baptist | NCAA Tournament First Round

Tonight, Kansas kicks off its NCAA Tournament run against No. 13 seed California Baptist. The Jayhawks are a No. 4 seed in the Big Dance and are hoping to make rattle off a few wins despite a recent rough stretch.

We will be tracking the game live at Kansas On SI throughout the night. Update this page periodically for score updates from the March Madness showdown.

Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kansas vs. Cal Baptist Live Updates: First Half

Pregame - St. John's has advanced to the Round of 32, making the Red Storm the prospective opponent for the winner of this game. Tip off has been pushed back to 9:07 CT.

19:04 - Both teams get off to a slow start offensively. Peterson smoked two fast-break layups, but Bidunga was able to clean one up and go 1-for-2 from the line to get the scoring started. Kansas leads, 1-0.

17:30 - Clearly, each school is shaking off some rust right now. Cal Baptist has committed two turnovers and missed a few shots at point-blank range. Peterson has missed his first three shot attempts, and Tiller connected on the first field goal of the game. Kansas leads, 3-0.

15:52 - A Tre White and-1 basket in transition gives the Jayhawks an early five-point lead. Some strong defense from both teams right now, but CBU has been a bit turnover prone. Kansas leads, 8-3.

13:37 - Daniels finally gets on the board with a crafty layup. Peterson's start is a bit concerning, as he's missed his first five shot attempts. Kansas leads, 8-5.

12:01 - White has been the catalyst of KU's offense amid Peterson's struggles, with a game-high eight points thus far. The Jayhawks have already shot 10 free throws as a team to the Lancers' four. Kansas leads, 13-5.

10:48 - Jackson ignites a bit of a run for Kansas with a tough mid-range jumper and a nice assist to Bidunga for a layup. The Jayhawks are up to 4-for-17 from the field, making two in a row after missing 13 of their first 15 attempts. Kansas leads, 17-6.

9:05 - Kansas is starting to roll offensively. Peterson hit his first two baskets of the game around the paint and KU has now held its opponent to 3-for-16 shooting (18.8%) and five turnovers. True freshman Paul Mbiya is even getting in on the action, throwing down a dunk that forced CBU head coach Rick Croy to use a timeout. Kansas leads, 23-8.

7:32 - Daniels has now taken seven shots and missed six of them. He needs to have a big game if CBU is going to pull off the upset, but he's been pretty abysmal so far. Mbiya has now played six minutes and is making a difference on the defensive glass and down low. He may have been the secret weapon Self was saving for the tournament. Kansas leads, 25-8.

5:31 - Council hits his first shot of the game with a strong finish at the rim. CBU went on a mini 4-0 run, but Kansas responded right back. Kansas leads, 27-12.

3:16 - Peterson just made a nifty spinning jump shot for his prettiest basket of the night. Still, the offense has gone stagnant and the Lancers are making this a tight one before halftime. Kansas leads, 29-16.

1:41 - Mbiya just caught an alley-oop from Peterson for his second dunk of the night. The free-throw disparity is significant so far — both teams have shot 10 from the charity stripe, but CBU has missed six while the Jayhawks have made all but one. Kansas leads, 31-18.

Halftime - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but Kansas is taking a 20-point lead into the final 20 minutes. Peterson leads the game with 15 points, including a three he hit at the first half buzzer. White has eight points and five rebounds. No Cal Baptist player has more than five points, and the Lancers are hitting their field goals at a 21.9% clip. Kansas leads, 38-18.

Second Half

18:26 - Peterson has now hit consecutive threes dating back to the end of the first half. He is up to 18 points and has slowly put together an impressive performance in his inaugural NCAA Tournament game. Kansas leads, 41-20.

17:06 - The referees just stopped play because Peterson took a shot on the nose as a CBU player went up for a layup. He is staying in the game but looks visibly distressed and has a bump around his eye. Kansas leads, 44-20.

15:51 - Kansas has opened the second half on a 10-4 run. The Jayhawks are attempting to put this one out of reach and have looked terrific out the gate. Kansas leads, 48-22.

13:44 - Daniels is trying to get it going, and he finally knocked down his first three of the night. Still, CBU is trailing by over 20 points, so it has to take advantage of these minutes while Peterson is sitting out. Kansas leads, 52-31.

12:14 - Tiller is the first player of the game to record double figures in the rebound department. He just scored his second basket off the game off a Peterson miss. Jayhawks extend their lead back to 23 points as Cal Baptist takes a timeout. Kansas leads, 54-31.

9:52 - It's extraordinary what we're seeing from Mbiya tonight. He just scored an up-and-under layup under the basket for a season-high eight points. For context, he's scored just 14 on the entire season. Kansas leads, 58-37.

8:42 - Both teams are beginning to exchange baskets. Peterson are Daniels are going right at it, hitting two consecutive shots each in the most exciting offensive stretch the fans in the arena have seen tonight. Peterson is up to 26 points despite his slow start. Kansas leads, 64-42.

7:02 - Kansas is starting to enter the danger zone. An and-1 basket from Daniels cuts Cal Baptist's deficit to just 15 points. The Jayhawks need to hit a few more shots to put the game out of reach, or the Lancers could make it unnecessarily uncomfortable down the stretch. Kansas leads, 64-49.

4:52 - There was a moment where the crowd erupted for CBU and things were looking scary, but the momentum has shifted back in KU's favor after a nice response by Peterson. The freshman phenom is up to 28 points today. Kansas leads, 66-52.

How to Watch Kansas vs. Cal Baptist Basketball

Time: 9:07 p.m CT
Channel: CBS
Link: Watch CBS

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