Three Instant Observations From Kansas’ Sunflower Showdown Victory

Kansas came into Saturday's matchup against K-State having lost four of its past six contests. However, the Jayhawks got back into the win column over their in-state rival in a much-needed outing.

On the program's Senior Day, KU came out victorious by a final score of 104-85 to close out the regular season. The win gave the team a 12-6 record in conference play, and it will find out its fate in the Big 12 Tournament depending on the outcome of Texas Tech's game later tonight.

It was one of the most stress-free, feel-good games of the year for the Jayhawks as the postseason approaches. Here are three of our observations from the victory today.

Mar 7, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks fans cheer before the start of a game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

3. Tre White Is in a Groove From 3-Point Range

In his final game in Allen Fieldhouse, senior wing Tre White continued his hot hand from beyond the arc. He exited with a 23-point, 11-rebound effort in one of his most complete performances of the year.

White picked up right where he left off, following up his hot streak where he had shot 9-for-16 from long range over the past three games. He went 5-for-9 from deep and was the only player on the team to connect on more than one trey.

After being mired in a midseason slump for a while, White has broken out of his woes and is now playing great basketball. Carrying that shooting stroke into postseason play could be huge for the Jayhawks.

2. Sloppy Offensive Possessions Led to Giveaways

Kansas was far from perfect in the early goings, and its defense was subpar, evidenced by allowing 85 points to a bottom-three team in the conference. Part of the reason why the Wildcats posted such a high total is that the Jayhawks were quite careless with the ball.

Although the team only ended up with 12 turnovers, it had 11 through the first 28 minutes of the contest. The Jayhawks were unable to build a big lead at the beginning of the day due to some giveaways that resulted in KSU points.

Mar 7, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) shoots against Kansas State Wildcats guard Abdi Bashir Jr. (1) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Nobody is going to look at this number after a solid win like today, but it is absolutely worth noting that the Jayhawks need to limit their turnovers going into March Madness.

1. The Bounce Back Game Kansas Needed

The victory featured some notable individual performances that will undoubtedly boost the morale in the locker room. However, the biggest takeaway from today is that Kansas needed a bounce back and got it in a big way.

Just a few days after Coach Self was ejected in Tempe in one of the worst road losses in recent memory, KU needed to respond with energy in the first half today. Even if it wasn't all that pretty, it did exactly that and rallied behind the seniors for a big win.

The regular season is complete, and it was a very up-and-down one. Now, the Jayhawks will set their sights on their ultimate goal in the coming weeks.