Kansas Center Flory Bidunga Puts Concerns to Bed With Strong Performance

Kansas center Flory Bidunga was not encouraging at all during the Jayhawks' exhibition slate. He had a decent 14-point outing against Louisville but struggled significantly against Division II opponent Fort Hays State.

In that contest, he shot 3-for-9 from the field, missed all five of his free-throw attempts, and finished with six points and nine rebounds. The performance was so troubling that many fans even began calling for Bryson Tiller to start in his place.

Well, it turns out that was quite an overreaction, because Bidunga put those concerns to bed on Monday during the season opener against Green Bay in a 94-51 victory.

In the opener, Bidunga led the team with a career-high 23 points, adding six rebounds and three blocks on 9-for-11 shooting in a dominant showing. And in the first half alone, he totaled 16 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting.

Flory Bidunga Bounces Back With Monster Performance vs. Green Bay

The one area Bidunga knew he needed to improve in during the offseason was his scoring, as his offensive game was quite limited as a freshman. Tonight, the Phoenix had no answers to stop him in the paint.

While he still doesn't have much of a post game, Bidunga knocked down several post hooks with his left hand and used his size to his advantage over smaller, less physical Green Bay players.

He ran several pick-and-roll actions with teammate Darryn Peterson and executed many of them to perfection, including one at the end of the first half where he caught a pass under the rim and threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk. That duo has the potential to be lethal down the stretch once they gain more chemistry.

Bidunga already serves as an alley-oop threat and someone who can clean up misses on the offensive glass, but adding a reliable low-post presence would be a massive boost to his skill set.

Of course, there is still a lot for Bidunga to prove, and one performance won't define his entire season. He and the rest of the team have a crucial test against North Carolina this weekend and will have to stay composed in a hostile road environment.

However, Bidunga proved that the rash opinions formed after last week's scrimmage were blown out of proportion. He is still capable of being an excellent player this season and one of the best big men in the Big 12 Conference, especially if he can continue being a defensive stalwart.