Looking Back at Kansas Basketball’s Rollercoaster Ride January

The Kansas basketball team extended its win streak to a season-high five games on Saturday evening, defeating No. 13 BYU for its fifth consecutive victory. The Jayhawks are playing their best basketball of the season and have strung together multiple big wins in a row.

A lot has changed since conference play began at the start of January. What once appeared to be a lost season has now turned into a potential contender year for the Jayhawks.

Ugly Start to Big 12 Action

After capping off nonconference play with a win over Davidson and a 10-3 record, expectations were tempered for KU, which failed to pick up marquee wins against North Carolina, Duke, and UConn. However, the start of Big 12 action brought this group to an all-time low.

It fell by six points to UCF to open league play, marking just the second time since 1991 that KU had lost its conference opener. The Jayhawks nearly fell to a mediocre TCU squad at home before pulling off an improbable overtime comeback. It was a thrilling victory, but not a particularly convincing one for a team expected to compete among the conference's best.

Then, the sky truly began to fall in Lawrence. KU lost to West Virginia, one of the worst teams in the league, on the road in an embarrassing defensive performance. That game ultimately served as the wake-up call Bill Self and Co. needed to recalibrate and reach their ceiling.

Rock Bottom to Highest Point

Since that 1-2 start to conference play, the Jayhawks have yet to lose a game. Two of those victories have come on the road, an encouraging sign given their early struggles away from home.

Regardless, the most impressive wins have come inside Allen Fieldhouse. To kick off the streak, KU defeated previously No. 2-ranked Iowa State, handing the Cyclones their first loss of the season.

It was a dominant effort, as they won by 21 points against an ISU team that had looked invincible. A home win over Baylor was another positive sign, but more adversity soon followed when Coach Self was hospitalized for the third time in as many years.

In his place, Jacque Vaughn served as acting head coach for the first time at the collegiate level. Vaughn led the Jayhawks to a road win over Colorado, an unimpressive Buffalo squad, but a road victory nonetheless.

Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) dunks the ball against BYU Cougars during the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 31, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Self then returned to the sidelines and guided KU to its first win in Manhattan in three years, defeating in-state rival Kansas State. From that point on, it was clear something had clicked.

A team that once looked lost on the road tightened up defensively and surged offensively as Darryn Peterson continues to approach full health. Saturday's win over BYU in an ESPN College GameDay environment at the Phog further proved that this team has turned a corner.

There is still plenty of basketball left to be played, but the Jayhawks have undoubtedly established themselves as one of the top contenders in the Big 12. They may even find themselves competing for the conference's top spot if they can pull off statement wins against teams like Arizona and Texas Tech. January brought plenty of highs and lows, but the program is now in a far better position than it was at the beginning of the year.