No. 17 Kansas at UCF: Preview, game notes, and more

What: (#17) KANSAS AT (RV) UCF

Where: Orlando, Fla. • Addition Financial Arena (10,000)

When: Saturday, January 3, 2026 • 1 p.m. (CT)

Television: Peacock, NBCSN

Play-by-Play: Rich Hollenberg

Analyst: Brendan Haywood

Producer: Billy Matthews

Director: Neil Gallow

Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network

Webcast: KUAthletics.com/Radio

Play-by-Play: Brian Hanni

Analyst: Greg Gurley

Producer/Engineer: Steve Kincaid

TIPOFF

— No. 17 Kansas (10-3) opens Big 12 play at UCF (11-1) on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tip from Addition Financial Arena will be at 1 p.m. (Central), and the game will be televised on Peacock and NBCSN.

— Kansas is coming off a 90-61 win against Davidson on Dec. 22, its fourth-straight victory. UCF has won 10 straight games after its 85- 80 win versus Florida Atlantic on Dec. 23.

— Kansas leads the all-time series with UCF, 3-1, and the Jayhawks have won the last three meetings. The series is tied at 1-1 in games played in Orlando. In the last meeting, KU won 98-94 in overtime on March 12, 2025, in the second round of the 2025 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Missouri.

— Kansas leads the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage defense at 25.2 percent, which is fourth nationally. KU also leads the Big 12, eighth nationally, in blocked shots per game at 6.2 and in field goal percentage defense (36.6%), which is sixth nationally.

— Sophomore Flory Bidunga is second in the Big 12 with 29 blocked shots, which is 32nd nationally, and his 2.2 blocks per game are second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally.

— Senior Melvin Council Jr. is fourth in the Big 12, 21st nationally, in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.7. Council has 14 assists and two turnovers in his last three games. He also has five steals in that span.

— Kansas head coach Bill Self is 619-159 in his 23rd season at KU. Last season, Self became Kansas’ all-time winningest coach, surpassing Phog Allen, who was 590-129 in 36 seasons on the KU sidelines. Self is in his 33rd season overall with an 826-264 record. He is one of only four active coaches with 800 or more career wins, joining Rick Barnes, John Calipari, and Kelvin Sampson.

ABOUT KANSAS

No. 17 Kansas (10-3) is coming off a 90-61 win against Davidson on Dec. 22. Through 13 games, KU is averaging 75.8 points per game and has a plus-12.5 scoring margin. Kansas pulls down 40.2 rebounds per contest with a plus5.2 rebound margin. KU averages 15.8 assists, 5.4 steals, and 6.2 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in three-point field goa percentage defense at 25.2%, which is fourth nationally.

KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (6.2), which is eighth nationally, and in field goal percentage defense (36.6%), which is sixth nationally.

Freshman guard Darryn Peterson leads Kansas with a 19.3 ppg. He has made 11 threes in four games played this season. Sophomore center Flory Bidunga has four double-doubles in his last six games. He scores 14.7 points per contest and leads KU with 9.2 rebounds per outing. Bidunga is second in the Big 12 with 29 blocked shots, which is 23rd nationally, and his 2.2 blocks per game are second in the league and 24th nationally.

Bidunga’s 62.3 field goal percentage is third in the Big 12 and 25th nationally. Senior guard Tre White is averaging 14.5 points per game, and his 7.0 rebounds per game are second on the team. White is averaging 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in his last four contests.

Senior Melvin Council Jr. was named the Big 12 and national player of the week after his career-high 36 points at NC State (12/3), which included nine threes made, which are the second most in KU history. Council averages 12.9 points per game and leads KU with 67 assists. His 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio is fourth in the Big 12 and 21st nationally. Council has 14 assists and two turnovers in his last three games.

Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller (9.0 ppg) has scored 11 points in each of his last two contests. Tiller pulls down 5.8 rebounds per game and he has 51 boards in his last eight outings. Tiller has started the last 10 games for Kansas.

Freshman Kohl Rasario (5.5 ppg, 13 threes) has started six games this season. Redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (4.3 ppg) has started five games and has made 14 threes. Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (3.8 ppg, one start) has made six threes this season.

ABOUT UCF

Located in Orlando, Florida, UCF is 11-1 on the season and has won its last 10 games after its 85-80 win against Florida Atlantic on Dec. 23. The Knights are coached by Johnny Dawkins who is 179-121 in his 10th season at UCF and 335-236 in his 18th season overall.

UCF averages 88.3 points with a plus-13.4 scoring margin. The Knights pull down 40.8 rebounds per game with a plus-10.3 rebound margin, which is third in the Big 12 and 20th nationally. UCF makes 8.9 threes per game, and its 39.8 three-point field goal percentage is third in the Big 12 and 12th nationally. UCF also averages 17.3 assists, 5.9 steals, and 3.0 blocked shots per contest.

Junior forward Jordan Burks leads UCF in scoring at 13.8 points per game. His 21 threes are second on the team and he pulls down 4.7 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Riley Kugel scores 13.7 points per game and he is tied for the team lead with 22 threes made.

Fifth-year guard Themus Fulks (13.3 ppg) leads the Big 12 with 7.2 assists per game. Senior forward Jamichael Stillwell (12.6 ppg) leads UCF with 8.8 rebounds per game and 17 steals. Sophomore center John Bol (6.5 ppg) joins the aforementioned in the starting lineup and he is second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game. Bol leads UCF with nine blocked shots. Junior guard Carmelo Pacheco (6.5 ppg) is tied with Kugel for the team lead with 22 threes.

Other UCF regulars include sixth-year forward Devan Cambridge (5.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg), junior guard Chris Johnson (5.3 ppg, 11 threes), redshirt-junior center Jeremy Foumena (4.6 ppg), senior guard George Beale Jr. (3.6 ppg), and redshirt-sophomore guard Kris Parker (3.6 ppg, eight threes).

THE KANSAS-UCF SERIES

Kansas leads the overall series with UCF, 3-1, with all four meetings since UCF joined the Big 12 in 2023 24. The series is 1-1 at Addition Financial Arena.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD…

Make Kansas 11-3 or better for the fifth-consecutive season and the 20th time in Bill Self’s 23 seasons at KU … Make 1-0 in league play for the 34th time in the last 35 seasons dating back to the 1991-92 season … Make the Kansas-UCF series 4-1 in favor of Kansas and give KU four-straight wins in the series … Make Kansas 2-1 in true road games this season and 5-2 in games not played in Allen Fieldhouse .. Make Bill Self 620-159 while at Kansas, 827-264 all-time and 4-1 all-time against UCF, all while at Kansas … Make Kansas 2,425-912 all time

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…

Make Kansas 10-4 for the first time since the 2020-21 season when the Jayhawks were 10-4 … Make Kansas 0-1 in consecutive league openers for the first time since the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons … End a Kansas three-game winning streak versus UCF and make the series 3-2 in favor of KU … Make Kansas 1-2 in true road games this season and 4-3 in games not played in Allen Fieldhouse … Make
Bill Self 619-160 while at KU, 826-265 all-time and 3-2 all-time versus UCF, all while at KU … Make KU 2,424-913 all-time.