Three Bright Spots for Darryn Peterson-less Kansas Jayhawks in Loss to Duke

Although Kansas suffered a heartbreaking loss to Duke in the Champions Classic, the Jayhawks had several bright spots shine despite Darryn Peterson's absence.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Tuesday night's outcome of the Champions Classic between Kansas and Duke is about what Jayhawk fans expected.

Despite multiple opportunities to cut the deficit and even tie up the game in the second half, the Jayhawks squandered chance after chance to give the Blue Devils a real scare.

But looking at it from a positive perspective, almost no one gave KU a shot to win without Darryn Peterson, and it could have pulled off the upset if a few more plays had gone their way. Regardless of what the 78-66 final score says, there are multiple positives that can be drawn from the loss.

3. Melvin Council Jr.'s Composure

While Council's offensive struggles persisted, he played a team-high 38 minutes and made a lot of nice plays on the court. He recorded a pair of blocks and led the team with six assists.

Council even knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season with a little over five minutes remaining to cut Duke's lead to three. (Kansas would go on to not score a point for more than four minutes, but that's beside the point).

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) is guarded by Kansas Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Council is not a guy you want orchestrating your entire offense, but given how much he played tonight, he deserves props for holding things together without Peterson.

In a typical game, he won't be asked to take on as much offensive responsibility and will be able to settle into his role more comfortably.

2. Flory Bidunga's Offense

Bidunga's first half was hindered by foul trouble and he finished with just 14 points, but Duke had no answer for him in the paint when he got true 1-on-1 opportunities.

He came up with several strong moves in the post and threw down a couple of dunks that ignited the crowd.

Nov 15, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) celebrates during the second half against the Princeton Tigers at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Although Bidunga didn't produce the performance Kansas needed to pull off the upset, he still showed off some crafty footwork and more encouraging signs for the Jayhawk fanbase.

He will need to continue improving his interior game and especially his passing out of double-teams, something Duke threw at him repeatedly.

1. Tre White's Assertiveness

Perhaps the most encouraging sign of the night was how assertive White played with the ball in his hands.

He was the only player who kept Kansas afloat in the first half, scoring 15 of his 22 points in the opening 20 minutes and finishing with nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. White even knocked down a couple of and-1 shots, getting to the line seven times.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) is guarded by Kansas Jayhawks guard Tre White (3) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It was easily the best offensive performance we have seen from him as a Jayhawk, and he looked determined to create opportunities when the offense had nothing else going.

If not for White, KU could have lost by much more. He deserves major credit for keeping the game competitive, and these reps could prove to be invaluable once Peterson returns to the court.