No. 8 Kansas vs. Cincinnati: Preview, game notes, and more

What: No. 8 Kansas vs. Cincinnati

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

When: Saturday, February 21, 2026 • 12 p.m. (CT)

Television: CBS

Play-by-Play: Ian Eagle

Analyst: Bill Raftery

Producer: Ken Mack

Director: Andy Goldberg

Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network

Webcast: KUAthletics.com/Radio

Play-by-Play: Brian Hanni

Analyst: Greg Gurley

TIPOFF

— No. 8 Kansas (20-6, 10-3) opens a two-game home stand playing host to Cincinnati (14-12, 6-7) on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on CBS.

— Kansas is one game behind league leaders Houston and Arizona after its 81-69 win at Oklahoma State on Feb. 15. Cincinnati won its third-straight game, the Big 12’s longest winning streak, with a 69-65 victory against Utah on Feb. 15.

— The Kansas-Cincinnati series is tied at 5-5, and the Jayhawks have won four of the last five meetings. This series began in 1949.

— With its win at Oklahoma State, KU improved to 138-24 (85.2%) following a loss in the Bill Self era (2003-04 to present), including 6-0 this season.

— Kansas is No. 13 in the NET, which is fourth in the Big 12. KU’s seven Quad 1 (Q1) wins are tied with Houston and Texas Tech for the second most in the league, Arizona with 10, and tied for sixth most nationally. KU’s strength of schedule is No. 1, which only trails (1) Auburn and (2) Alabama.

— Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.4%, which is fifth nationally, three-point field goal percentage defense at 29.7%, which is 17th nationally, and blocked shots at 6.2, which is third nationally.

— Sophomore Flory Bidunga leads the Big 12 and is third nationally, with 74 blocked shots, and his 2.85 blocked shots per game also rank first in the Big 12 and are third nationally. Bidunga also leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 65.8%, which is sixth nationally. At 14.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 2.85 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.

— Kansas head coach Bill Self is 629-162 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 836-267 record. He is one of only four active coaches in NCAA D1 with 800 or more career wins, joining Rick Barnes, John Calipari, and Kelvin Sampson.

ABOUT KANSAS

No. 8 Kansas (20-6, 10-3) is one game behind league leaders Houston and Arizona after its 81-69 win at Oklahoma State on Feb. 15. KU is averaging 77.3 points per game and has a plus-9.2 scoring margin. KU pulls down 38.9 rebounds per contest with a plus-3.0 rebound margin. KU averages 14.9 assists, 5.4 steals, and 6.2 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.4%, which is fifth nationally, and three-point field goal percentage defense at 29.7%, which is 17th nationally. KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (6.2), which is third 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 20.0 scoring average after his 23 points at Oklahoma State (2/18). He has seven games of 20 or more points and has made a team-high 44 threes in 15 games played this season.

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 14.5 points per contest and leads KU with 9.2 rebounds per outing. Bidunga has three double-doubles in his last four games and 10 double-doubles for the season. The Feb. 9 Big 12 Player of the Week, Bidunga leads the Big 12 with 74 blocked shots, which is third nationally, averaging 2.85 blocks per game, which is third nationally, and with a 65.8 field goal percentage, which is sixth nationally. At 14.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 2.85 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 guard Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 14.9 points per game in league games and 13.8 points per contest overall. He leads KU with 134 assists and with 24 steals. Council is third in the Big 12, 28th nationally, with a 2.98 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Senior guard Tre White has five double-doubles on the season and is next in scoring at 13.8 points per contest, two behind Council. White is second on the team with 39 threes made and leads KU with 101 free throws made. White’s 86.3 free-throw percentage ranks second in the Big 12 and 69th nationally. Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller is coming off his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with a career-high seven assists at Oklahoma State (2/18). Tiller averages 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Tiller is second on the team with 37 blocked shots and has started the last 23 games for KU.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (5.2 ppg, 21 steals) scored 14 points at Oklahoma State (2/18). Redshirtsophomore guard Jamari McDowell (3.8 ppg, 24 threes) has started seven games. Freshman Kohl Rosario (3.5) has made 14 threes this season, while senior guard Jayden Dawson (2.1 ppg) has made nine.

ABOUT CINCINNATI

Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, at three straight wins, Cincinnati brings the Big 12’s longest winning streak to Allen Fieldhouse after its 69-65 victory against Utah on Feb. 15. The Bearcats are coached by Wes Miller, who is 96-71 in his fifth season at Cincinnati and 281-206 in his 15th season overall.

Cincinnati is 1-6 in true road games this season. The Bearcats average 72.3 points per game with a plus-5.3 scoring margin. Cincinnati pulls down 37.1 rebounds per contest with a plus-2.3 rebound margin. Cincinnati also averages 8.4 threes made, 16.5 assists, 6.5 steals, and 4.3 blocked shots per game.

Senior forward Baba Miller leads Cincinnati in scoring at 13.7 points per game, and his 10.4 rebounds per contest are second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally. Miller is second on the team with 33 blocked shots and leads Cincinnati with 81 free throws made and 122 free throws attempted. Junior guard Jizzle
James (11.4 ppg), sophomore center Moustapha Thiam (11.2 ppg), and graduate guard Day Day Thomas (11.1 ppg) are next in scoring. Jizzle has made 28 threes, while Thiam leads the team with 39 blocked shots and has a 6.2 rebounds per game average.

Thomas has made a team-high 55 threes and also leads Cincinnati with 97 assists. Freshman guard Shon Abaev (8.0 ppg) has missed the last six games with an injury. Other Cincinnati regulars include graduate guard Jalen Celestine (7.1 ppg, 20 steals), junior guard Sencire Harris (6.7 ppg, team-high 29 steals), graduate guard Kerr, Kriisa (5.8 ppg), and freshman guard Keyshuan Tillery (3.3 ppg).

THE KANSAS-CINCINNATI SERIES

Dating back to 1949, this 10-game series is tied at 5-5, and the Jayhawks have won three of the last four meetings. Kansas is 2-0 against Cincinnati in Allen Fieldhouse. As members of the Big 12, KU is 2-1 against Cincinnati. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 3-1 all-time against Cincinnati, 2-1 while at KU.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD…

Make Kansas 21-5 overall … Make Kansas 11-2 in Big 12 play and give KU 11 league wins for the 30th time in the last 32 seasons … Make the KU-Cincinnati series 6-5 in favor of Kansas … Make Kansas 12-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 881-122 all-time in the venue, including 344-22 under Bill Self … Make Bill Self 630-162 while at Kansas, 837-267 all-time, and 4-1 all-time versus Cincinnati, 3-1 while at Kansas … Make Kansas 2,435-915 all time.

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…

Make Kansas 20-7 overall and Kansas 10-4 in Big 12 play … Make the Kansas-Cincinnati series 6-5 in favor of the Bearcats … Make Kansas 11-2 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 880-123 all-time in the venue, including 343-23 under Bill Self … Make Bill Self 629-163 while at KU, 836-268 all-time and 3-2 all-time versus Cincinnati, 2-2 while at Kansas … Make KU 2,434-916 all time.