Where Kansas Basketball Ranks in KenPom Through 10 Games

The first one-third of the Kansas basketball regular season has been unusual, to say the least. Bill Self's Jayhawks unexpectedly had to play seven games without their top player, star freshman Darryn Peterson, forcing other players to step up.

Kansas already wasn't ranked very high in preseason polls, and questions lingered about whether Peterson's supporting cast was strong enough. However, the Jayhawks have silenced many of those concerns through the campaign's first 10 games, even with an unspectacular 7-3 record.

Now that the team has gained more experience, advanced metrics are becoming more meaningful to analyze. At the moment, the Jayhawks actually rank higher on KenPom than they did to open the season.

Kansas Basketball KenPom ranking (Dec. 12)

National Ranking: 17th overall (+23.81 net rating)
Offensive Efficiency: 116.8 (53rd in the country)
Defensive Efficiency: 93.0 (8th in the country)

The Jayhawks were No. 21 in KenPom's first rankings of the year and have since leaped four spots. That is quite encouraging considering they have rarely been at full strength and have needed to find alternative ways to win.

As their elite defensive efficiency suggests, KU is one of the best guarding teams in the nation. The Jayhawks' strong defense is anchored by point-of-attack defenders Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, along with an imposing interior force in Flory Bidunga, who averages a Big 12-best 2.5 blocks per game.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) dribbles the ball against Missouri Tigers forward Luke Northweather (45) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Some of the team's best defensive outings have come against Texas A&M-CC (46 points allowed) and Missouri (60 points allowed). Even in the home loss to UConn last week, they only surrendered 61 points, and the defense nearly willed an awful offensive performance to victory.

The offense still needs to come around at some point, but that offensive rating ranking will undoubtedly climb as Peterson begins to play more games. KU is coming off an 80-point outing against Mizzou in his first game back.

Peterson's presence on the floor allows other players to settle into their natural roles and creates more open looks on the floor. His teammates will have to continue to be aggressive on the defensive end as well.

Ultimately, these metrics indicate that once Coach Self fully figures out this offense and its strengths, the sky is the limit for the 2025-26 Jayhawks.

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