Kansas Lands Near Bottom of Big 12 Returning Production Rankings

A recent statistic revealed by a college basketball analyst shows just how much Kansas basketball's roster has changed this offseason.

Nov 12, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts on the bench against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Bill Self essentially hit the reset button on the Kansas Jayhawks roster this offseason, and the statistics show it.

According to CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein, KU ranks ninth in the Big 12 with just 16% of its scoring returning from last season.

Big 12 returning scoring by percentage:

Iowa State 49.6%
Houston 49.4%
BYU 47.2%
Arizona 38.6%
Texas Tech 36.6%
Colorado 34.1%
Cincinnati 33.4%
TCU 28.1%
Kansas 16%
Utah 10.7%
Oklahoma State 9%
Kansas State 5.9%
Arizona State 1.7%
Baylor 0%
West Virginia 0%
UCF 0%

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 14, 2025

The 16% figure places Kansas right in the middle of the conference, but it is still a steep drop compared to more stable rosters like Iowa State, Houston, and BYU.

The landscape of college basketball is obviously changing, as even No. 1 ranked Iowa State has less than half of its scoring production coming back to school.

In KU’s case, the biggest chunk of returning offense comes from big man Flory Bidunga. He accounted for 7.7% of the team's 2,587 total points last season.

Coincidentally, he briefly entered the transfer portal before ultimately deciding to remain in Lawrence.

Rothstein also presumably included the scoring numbers of Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell from 2023-24, though neither appeared in a game this past season. Jackson missed the campaign with a torn patellar tendon, while McDowell redshirted, meaning the Jayhawks' true returning production is under 10%.

The majority of the offensive workload will fall on freshman phenom Darryn Peterson, who is already expected to be the face of Kansas basketball.

Supporting cast members like Jayden Dawson, Tre White, Melvin Council Jr., and a healthy Jackson will look to provide outside shooting and take the pressure off Peterson.

Losing this much scoring is rarely ideal, but the Jayhawks needed to shake things up after a disastrous season and could be in for significantly better results this year.