Kansas Senior Day: Whose Final Game at Allen Fieldhouse Could It Be?

This Saturday, Kansas will host Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown for the Jayhawks' final home game of the 2025-26 campaign. It will serve as Senior Day for Bill Self's squad and the last time Allen Fieldhouse is used as a home court until next season.

As always, KU will have several players deliver a senior speech in front of the crowd. It will not feel the same as past seasons, considering none of the scholarship players were with the program even a year ago, but it should still be a meaningful event nonetheless.

Although only a few players will speak, that does not mean they are the only ones who will not be on next year's roster. This could be the final game inside the Phog for several members of the team.

Kansas Has Four Graduating Seniors — With One Caveat

Aside from walk-ons Justin Cross and Wilder Evers, the scholarship players participating in Senior Day are Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, Nginyu "Gee" Ngala, and Jayden Dawson. All four transferred to KU in the offseason and spent just one season in Lawrence.

Council has been a revelation for the Jayhawks, turning into a fan favorite faster than anyone could have imagined. The St. Bonaventure transfer is averaging 13.3 points and 5.0 assists this year and has become renowned for his "dog mentality."

White has also been terrific in his lone season at KU, averaging 14.0 points and 6.8 rebounds while ranking as the second-leading scorer on the roster. Dawson and Ngala have served primarily as reserves and have not produced at the level many expected, especially Dawson.

White and Dawson completed traditional four-year college careers and will exhaust their eligibility after this season. The expectation is that Council will do the same. However, that is not set in stone, as there is still a sliver of hope he could work something out with a judge to gain another year at the NCAA level.

Since Council played his first two seasons at the JUCO level, he could contend that his time spent at non-NCAA schools should not count against his eligibility clock. Several college football players, such as quarterbacks Diego Pavia and Joey Aguilar, have made similar arguments.

Council has previously been asked whether he would return to KU if granted the opportunity, and he answered with a resounding yes. The current plan is for him to pursue professional options after this year, but a return cannot be 100% ruled out, so Saturday is not guaranteed to be his final game in Allen Fieldhouse.

NBA Draft Entries or Future Transfers?

Beyond the seniors, there is another Jayhawk who will certainly not play another game in Allen Fieldhouse. That is freshman phenom Darryn Peterson, a projected top-three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft who many scouts view as a generational scorer.

It was widely understood that Peterson would spend only one season at the university when he committed. But after him, the situations of several others become murky.

In today's college basketball landscape, nearly every player has to be monitored for potential transfer movement in the offseason, regardless of their role or situation. There are NIL factors involved that most fans are not aware of.

That is why the status of all players, including Flory Bidunga, remains uncertain. There have been unverified and speculative reports circulating on social media that suggest Bidunga could explore opportunities at other blue-blood programs next season — that is, if he does not enter the NBA Draft, where he could land in the early second round as a flier. Other standouts such as Bryson Tiller, who may command a significant NIL dollar figure, are also question marks depending on their open market value.

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. (14), forward Bryson Tiller (15), forward Flory Bidunga (40), guard Elmarko Jackson (13) and guard Tre White (3) walk back onto the court after a timeout against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

As many have learned over the past few years, the transfer portal is volatile and unpredictable. There is no way to know what decisions will be made once the season ends, and there have even been cases of players like Bidunga entering the portal and then returning after testing the waters.

What is certain right now is that with several key rotation pieces leaving due to graduation or the draft, along with a talented freshman class arriving, Self and Co. may have to complete another roster overhaul once the season is complete.