One Key Area That Kansas Basketball Has Immensely Struggled In

The Kansas basketball team has put together several gritty victories throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Bill Self's Jayhawks are far from a complete squad, but they do boast the 8th-best defense in the country and a group of players who have developed significant chemistry.

However, the team has struggled immensely in one critical area. KU has not been effective on the offensive glass or on the boards as a whole.

A recent metric from CBB Analytics on X shows that the Jayhawks rank in the bottom five in offensive rebounding percentage among all Power Four schools in the country.

WHO'S DOMINATING THE BOARDS? pic.twitter.com/H1DzXiSN3k
— CBB Analytics (@CBBAnalytics) December 19, 2025

As the graphic shows, KU currently holds a defensive rebounding percentage of around 72%. However, it is one of the only power-conference teams with an offensive rebounding percentage under 30%.

The Jayhawks’ 116 offensive rebounds back up those numbers through 12 games, which ranks 281st nationally.

Although KU technically ranks in the top 10 nationally in defensive rebounds, it is worth noting that the offense plays at an extremely slow pace and the defense forces a high number of missed shots. Creating second-chance opportunities is crucial for an offense that has struggled to score consistently amid Darryn Peterson's absence.

Rebounding Becoming an Issue for Kansas

Kansas' rebounding struggles were evident in its most recent game against Towson. The Tigers, a lower-tier mid-major program, hauled in 22 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Jayhawks 45 to 43 overall.

Discrepancies like that should never occur against a team of Towson's caliber. If KU is not going to shoot efficiently, it must crash the glass more consistently to create additional offensive chances.

"I think a lot of [rebounding] is to me, is it competitiveness? I think part of it is," Self said after the game on Tuesday. "But I think the majority of it is, we're a half step behind, we don't anticipate, we don't play big. I mean, balls hit guys in the hands, and they don't secure it."

Dec 16, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) is unable to make a basket against Towson Tigers forward Tyler Coleman (3) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

What makes matters worse is that the Jayhawks already sacrifice spacing and create defensive mismatches by playing a dual big-man lineup. In nine of KU's 12 games, redshirt freshman Bryson Tiller has started alongside center Flory Bidunga.

Tiller stands at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, while Bidunga is listed at 6-foot-9, 220 pounds. Both players operate primarily in the paint and should not be producing such poor offensive rebounding numbers.

If this group continues to struggle on the glass, the idea of playing two big men together essentially becomes futile. Bidunga clearly is not the strongest player yet, and Tiller has often shown a lack of awareness when it comes to boxing out.

These issues could improve with more games played, but it is becoming increasingly clear that rebounding may remain a lingering problem for the Jayhawks moving forward.

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