No. 14 Kansas vs. No. 13 BYU: Preview, game notes, and more

What: No. 14 Kansas vs. No. 13 BYU

Where: Lawrence, Kan. • Allen Fieldhouse (15,300)

When: Saturday, January 31, 2026 • 3:30 p.m. (CT)

Television: ESPN

Play-by-Play: Dan Shulman

Analyst: Jay Bilas

Producer: Joe Taylor

Director: Mike Roig

Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network

Webcast: KUAthletics.com/Radio

Play-by-Play: Brian Hanni

Analyst: Greg Gurley

Saturday’s game is KU vs. BYU and not Peterson vs. Dybantsa

Saturday’s game between No. 14 Kansas and No. 13 BYU will feature what could potentially be the first two picks taken in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Peterson, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard from Canton, Ohio, is currently averaging 21.5 points per game.

AJ Dybansta, the 6-foot-9, 210-pound guard from Brockton, Massachusetts, is averaging 23.6 points per game.

However, Saturday’s showdown isn’t Peterson vs. Dybansta, but Kansas vs. BYU.

“Yeah, sure we will,” said Self when asked if he would talk to his team about Saturday being about Kansas and BYU, not Peterson vs. Dybansta. We made that point many times in the past, but we sure we’ll do that. And that’s not, I mean, I’m sure they would say the same thing about us, too. 

“It’s the objective of the day is to try to win the game,” he added. “So, and that’s the only thing I’m thinking about. And that’s all the players should be thinking about as well.”

TIPOFF

— No. 14 Kansas (15-5, 5-2) will play host to No. 13 BYU (17-3, 5-2) on
Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse will be at 3:30 p.m. Central ,and the game will be televised on ESPN.

— Earlier in the day, Allen Fieldhouse will host ESPN College GameDay from 10-11 a.m. Admission to College GameDay is free, and the doors open for KU students at 8:30 a.m. and for the general public at 8:45 a.m.

— Against BYU, Kansas will be celebrating its 1,000th men’s basketball game played in Allen Fieldhouse. KU is 877-122 all-time in the venue, including 340-22 under head coach Bill Self.

— The Jan. 31 contest is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers contest. KU coaches will wear lapel pins for the event that raises awareness for the American Cancer Society and cancer research.

— Kansas won its fourth-straight game with an 86-62 win at Kansas State on Jan. 24 in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. BYU is coming off an 86-83 loss to No. 1 Arizona on Jan. 26.

— Kansas leads the all-time series with BYU, 4-3, but the Cougars have won the last two meetings, with both being when BYU joined the Big 12.

— Kansas is No. 15 in the NET, which is fifth in the Big 12. KU’s strength of schedule is No. 6, which is first in the Big 12.

— In the Bill Self era (since 2003-04), Kansas is 32-7 as an AP Top 15 team facing off against an AP Top 15 opponent in Allen Fieldhouse.

— Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 37.9%, which is fifth nationally, three-point field goal percentage defense at 29.1%, which is 14th nationally, and blocked shots at 6.2, which is second nationally, only trailing Georgia at 7.2.

— Sophomore Flory Bidunga leads the Big 12, eighth nationally, with 54 blocked shots, and his 2.7 blocked shots per game are also first in the Big 12 and fifth nationally. Bidunga also leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 66.7%, which is sixth nationally. At 14.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and
2.7 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 14.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.

ABOUT KANSAS

No. 14 Kansas (15-5, 5-2) won its fourth-straight game after its 86-62 win at Kansas State on Jan. 24 in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. KU is averaging 78.3 points per game and has a plus-11.0 scoring margin. KU pulls down 39.5 rebounds per contest with a plus-4.1 rebound margin.

KU averages 15.3 assists, 5.5 steals, and 6.2 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 37.9%, which is fifth nationally, and three-point field goal percentage defense at 29.1%, which is 14th nationally. KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (6.2), which is second nationally to Georgia at 7.2.

Freshman guard Darryn Peterson, the Jan. 19 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, leads Kansas with a 21.6 scoring average. He has six games of 20 or more points and has made 29 threes in 10 games played this season.

Senior guard Tre White posted his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds at Colorado (1/20). He has two double-doubles in his last four games. White is second on the team averaging 14.9 points per game and his 7.3 rebounds per game are also second on the team.

Sophomore center Flory Bidunga is 58-for-75 (77.3%) from the field in his last nine games. He scores 14.4 points per contest and leads KU with 9.0 rebounds per outing. Bidunga has seven double-doubles this season, including two of his last three games. He leads the Big 12 with 54 blocked shots, which is seventh nationally, with 2.7 blocks per game, which is fifth nationally, and with a 66.7 field goal percentage, which is sixth nationally. At 14.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 2.7 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 14.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocked shots per game.

Senior Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 15.0 points per game in league games and 13.7 ppg overall. He leads KU with 103 assists and has 17 steals.

Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller (8.4 ppg) is second on the team with 27 blocked shots. Tiller pulls down 5.8 rebounds per game and has started the last 17 games for Kansas.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (5.1 ppg, one start) is tied with Council for the team lead with 17 steals. Jackson scored a career-high 19 points at Kansas State (1/24). Redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (3.9 ppg, 20 threes) has started six games. Senior guard Jayden Dawson (2.4 ppg) has made seven threes this season.

ABOUT BYU

Located in Provo, Utah, No. 13 BYUis 17-3, 5-2 in Big 12 play after its 86-83 loss to No. 1 Arizona on Jan. 26. The Cougars are coached by Kevin Young, who is 43-13 in his second season at BYU. BYU averages 86.7 points per game and has a plus 15.8 scoring margin. The Cougars pull down 40.1 rebounds per contest with a plus-6.6 rebound margin. BYU makes 9.0 threes per game and also averages 15.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.9 blocked shots per game.

Freshman forward AJ Dybantsa leads the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game. He has made 131 free throws and is second on the team with a 6.7 rebounds per game average. Senior guard Richie Saunders is next in scoring at 18.8 points per game and he has made a team-high 53 threes. Saunders pulls down 5.5 rebounds per game and leads BYU with 39 steals.

Sophomore guard Robert Wright III (17.5 ppg) leads BYU with 104 assists, and he is second on the team with 36 threes made and 26 steals. Junior guard Kennard Davis Jr. (7.2 ppg) and senior forward Keba Keita (6.9 ppg) round out the BYU starters. Davis has made 28 threes and has 22 steals, while Keita leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game and 34 blocked shots.

Other BYU regulars include senior forward Mihailo Boskovic (3.7 ppg), freshman guard Aleksej Kostic (2.8 ppg), sophomore center Abdullah Ahmed (2.4 ppg), redshirt freshman forward Khadim Mboup (2.4 ppg), and junior guard Tyler Mrus (2.2 ppg).

THE KANSAS-BYU SERIES

Dating back to 1959, Kansas leads the all-time series with BYU, 4-3. The series is tied, 1-1, in Allen Fieldhouse meetings. BYU has won the last two meetings with both coming in Big 12 play as BYU joined the league in 2024-25.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD…

Make Kansas 16-5 or better for the 19th time in Bill Self’s 23 seasons at KU … Make 6-2 or better in league play every year since the 1988-89 season … Make the Kansas-BYU series 5-3 in favor of Kansas, ending a BYU two-game series win streak… Make Kansas 9-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 878-122 all-time in the venue, including 341-22 under Bill Self … Make Bill Self 625-161 while at Kansas, 832-266 all-time, and 4-3 versus BYU, 2-2 while at Kansas … Make Kansas 2,430-914 all-time.

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…

Make Kansas 15-6 for the second-straight season and KU would be 15-6 or better for the fifth-straight season … Make Kansas 5-3 in league play … Give BYU three-straight series wins against Kansas and make the all-time series tied at 4-4… Make Kansas 8-2 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 877-123 all-time in the venue, including 340-23 under Bill Self … Make Bill Self 624-162 while at KU, 831-267 all-time and 4-5 all-time versus BYU, 1-3 while at KU … Make KU 2,429-915 all time.

1,000 GAME IN ALLEN FIELDHOUSE

Kansas will be celebrating its 1,000th men’s basketball game played in Allen Fieldhouse. KU is 877-122 all-time in the venue, including 340-22 under head coach Bill Self. Here are the milestone men’s games in Allen Fieldhouse.

Game 1: March 1, 1955: W vs. Kansas State, 77-67

Game 100: March 1, 1965: W vs. Colorado, 68-62

Game 200: February 10, 1973: L vs. Nebraska, 59-46

Game 300: December 1, 1980: W vs. Pepperdine, 81-67

Game 400: January 20, 1987: W vs. Missouri, 71-70

Game 500: December 20, 1993: W vs. Furman, 101-60

Game 600: November 30, 2000: W vs. Illinois State, 80-61

Game 700: February 17, 2007: W vs. Nebraska, 92-46

Game 800: January 26, 2013: W vs. Oklahoma, 67-54

Game 900: December 7, 2019: W vs. No. 20 Colorado, 72-58

Game 1,000: January 31, 2025: vs. BYU