No. 14 Kansas at Arizona State: Preview, game notes, and more
What: No. 14 Kansas at Arizona State
Where: Tempe, Ariz. • Desert Financial Arena (14,000)
When: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 • 8 p.m. (CT)
Television: FS1
Play-by-Play: Keivn Kugler
Analyst: Nick Bahe
Producer: Caden Feifer
Director: Bryan Biederman
Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network
Webcast: KUAthletics.com/Radio
Play-by-Play: Brian Hanni
Analyst: Greg Gurley
Producer/Engineer: Steve Kincaid
Kansas is looking for a different result at Arizona State
KU’s last three losses on Saturday have looked like this: 18-point loss at Iowa State, 16-point loss at home to Cincinnati, and 23-point loss at Arizona.
In the first half of Saturday’s loss to Arizona, the Jayhawks were hit with a 19-0 run, with the Wildcats pretty much taking control of the first 20 minutes of the highly anticipated Big 12 matchup.
Kansas, in the second half, pulled to within two points, but Arizona responded with a 16-0 run. Self’s squad would get no closer the reminder of the game.
Peterson (24), Council (13), and Tre White (13) scored in double figures on Saturday, but no other player scored more than four points. Aside from the trio listed above, along with the four combined points scored by Bidunga and Tiller, Elmarko Jackson (4) and Jayden Dawson (3) scored seven points off the bench for Kansas.
There’s simply no other way to say this — Arizona absolutely dominated Kansas on the glass to the tune of 48-26. On the glass, the Wildcats were led by Brayden Burries (12), Motiejus Krivas (10), Koa Peat (7), Ivan Kharchenkov (6), and Tobe Awaka (6).
Just one Kansas player, Peterson, grabbed at least five rebounds.
“I thought, you know, they physically dominate inside, obviously, as evident to anybody watching,” said Self. “And then our shot selection was so poor, and we didn’t share the ball during that period of time, and we had the wrong guys taking guarded shots where you’ve got to play to your strengths, and we didn’t do that whatsoever. I think it was 48 to 26, to be exact.”
TIPOFF
No. 14 Kansas (21-8, 11-5) concludes a two-game road trip at Arizona State
(15-14, 6-10) on Tuesday, March 3. Tip from Desert Financial Arena is set
for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on FS1 with Kevin Kugler and
former KU guard Nick Bahe on the call.
Kansas is coming off an 84-61 loss at No. 2 Arizona on Feb. 28. Arizona
State snapped a two-game losing streak with a 73-60 win against Utah
on Feb. 28. The Sun Devils are 9-5 at home this season.
Kansas enters the week tied with Iowa State for fourth in the Big 12
standings. KU is one game behind second-place Texas Tech and Houston.
The Kansas-Arizona State series is tied at 6-6. KU won the last meeting,
74-55, last season on Jan. 8, 2025, in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas is 139-24 (85.3%) following a loss in the Bill Self era (2003-04 to
present), including 7-0 this season.
Kansas’ strength of schedule is first in the NCAA D1. In the Bill Self era,
Kansas has ranked first at season’s end six times – 2005, 2014, 2015, 2019,
2020 and 2023.
Kansas is No. 15 in the NET, which is fifth in the Big 12. KU’s seven Quad
1 wins are tied for second most in the league, Arizona is first with 13, and
tied for 11th nationally.
Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.7%, which
is sixth nationally, three-point field goal percentage defense at 29.7%,
which is 13th nationally, and blocked shots at 6.0, which is fifth nationally.
Sophomore Flory Bidunga leads the Big 12 and is third nationally, with
78 blocked shots, and his 2.69 blocked shots per game also rank first in
the Big 12 and are third nationally. Bidunga leads the Big 12 in field goal
percentage at 64.8%, which is ninth nationally. At 13.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and
2.69 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more
than 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocked shots per game.
ABOUT KANSAS
No. 14 Kansas (21-8, 11-5) is coming off an 84-61 loss at No. 2
Arizona State on Feb. 28. Heading into the final week of Big 12
play, KU is tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings with Iowa State
and is one game behind second (Texas Tech and Houston). KU
is averaging 76.1 points per game and has a plus-7.4 scoring
margin. KU pulls down 38.1 rebounds per contest.
KU averages 14.4 assists, 5.3 steals, and 6.0 blocked shots per
contest. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense
at 38.7%, which is sixth nationally, and three-point field goal
percentage defense at 29.7%, which is 13th nationally. KU also
leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (6.0), which is fifth nationally.
Freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who is on the Wooden
Award Late Midseason Watch List (1 of 20), the Naismith
Trophy Late-Season list (1 of 30) and the Jerry West Shooting
Guard of the Year Midseason Top 10 list, leads Kansas with a
19.7 scoring average. After his 24 points at Arizona (2/28), he
has eight games of 20 or more points and has made a team high 50 threes in 18 games played this season.
Senior guard Tre White posted a season-high 23 points against
No. 5 Houston (2/23) and is averaging 18.0 ppg in his last two
games. White has five double-doubles on the season and is
scoring at 14.0 points per contest. White is second on the team
with 45 threes made and leads KU with 116 free throws made.
White’s 86.6 free-throw percentage ranks second in the Big 12.
Sophomore center Flory Bidunga is also on the Naismith
Trophy Late-Season List and was recently named to the
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and the
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year top 10. He scores
13.8 points per contest and leads KU with 9.0 rebounds per
outing. Bidunga has a team-best 11 double-doubles for the
season, which is second in the Big 12. Bidunga leads the Big
12 with 78 blocked shots, which is third nationally, averaging
2.69 blocks per game, which is third nationally, and with a
64.8 field goal percentage, which is ninth nationally. At 13.8
ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 2.7 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in the NCAA
Division I to average more than 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and
2.5 blocked shots per game.
Senior guard Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 13.9 points per
game in league games and 13.5 points per contest overall.
He leads Kansas with 146 assists and 29 steals. Council
is fourth in the Big 12, 32nd nationally, with a 2.92 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller has two double-doubles in his last four games, including 11 points and 10 rebounds against No. 5 Houston (2/23). He had 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with a career-high seven assists at Oklahoma State (2/18). Tiller averages 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. Tiller is second on the team with 42 blocked shots and has started 26 games this season for KU.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (4.8 ppg, 21
steals), redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (3.7 ppg,
27 threes), freshman Kohl Rosario (3.1), and senior guard
Jayden Dawson (2.2 ppg) round out the KU regulars.
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE
Located in Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State ended a two-game
losing streak with a 73-60 win against Utah on Feb. 28. The
Sun Devils are coached by Bobby Hurley, who is 183-165 in his
11th season at Arizona State and 225-185 in his 13th season
overall.
Arizona State is 9-5 at home this season, including 5-3 in the Big 12
play. Overall, ASU averages 77.9 points and 33.1 rebounds per
game. The Sun Devils make 7.6 threes per contest and average
14.1 assists, 7.0 steals, and 4.7 blocked shots per outing.
Senior guard Moe Odum leads Arizona State in scoring at 17.1
points per game. Odum also leads the team with 82 threes
made, 140 assists and 40 steals. Freshman center Massamba
Diop is next in scoring at 13.8 points per game, and he leads the
team with a 5.9 rebound average and 62 blocked shots. Senior
guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson (13.6 ppg) has 38 steals and
has made 23 threes. Redshirt-sophomore forward Santiago
Trouet (8.0 ppg) has 20 blocked shots and pulls down 5.7
rebounds per game. Junior guard Bryce Ford (7.3 ppg) has
made 30 threes, while junior forward Andrija Grbović (6.8
ppg) is second on the team with 38 threes. Sophomore guard
Noah Meeusen (5.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and graduate forward Allen
Mukeba (5.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 24 blocked shots) round out the
ASU regulars.
THE KANSAS-ARIZONA STATE SERIES
The Kansas-Arizona State series dates back to 1961 and is tied at 6-6. Kansas is 0-4 against ASU in meetings in Tempe, with the last being an 80-76 Sun Devil win on Dec. 18, 2018. Kansas won the first meeting as conference foes, 74-55, on Jan. 8, 2025, in Allen Fieldhouse. KU head coach Bill Self is 1-2 all-time versus Arizona State, with all three meetings while at KU.
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 22-8 overall, giving KU 22 or more wins for the
31st time in the last 33 seasons … Make Kansas 12-5 in Big 12
play and give KU 12 league wins for the 20th time in Bill Self’s
23 seasons at KU … Make Kansas 8-0 following a loss this
season and 140-24 after a loss in the Bill Self era … Make the
KU-Arizona State series 7-6 in favor of Kansas … Make Kansas
10-6 in games not played in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 6-5
in true road games … Make Bill Self 631-164 while at Kansas,
838-269 all-time, and 2-2 all-time versus Arizona State, all
while at Kansas … Make Kansas 2,436-917 all time.
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 21-9 overall and Kansas 11-6 in Big 12 play …
Make the Kansas-Arizona State series 7-6 in favor of ASU
… Make Kansas 7-1 following a loss this season and 139-25
following a loss in the Bill Self era … Make Kansas 9-7 in games
not played in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 5-6 in true road
games … Make Bill Self 630-165 while at KU, 837-270 all-time
and 1-3 all-time versus Arizona State, all while at Kansas …
Make KU 2,435-918 all-time.
