Kansas Jayhawks Basketball

Kansas forward KJ Adams suffered an Achilles injury in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Arkansas on Thursday and may potentially "lose a year," per head coach Bill Self to reporters after the Jayhawks' 79-72 loss to the Razorbacks.

Adams, a 6'7" senior forward, averaged 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks entering the NCAA tournament.

He added 13 points and four rebounds in 32 minutes against Arkansas before leaving with the injury.

With 3:14 remaining in the second half and Kansas down 67-64, Adams went up for a defensive rebound and began dribbling up court. However, Adams then went down and grabbed at his lower left leg.

Arkansas corralled a loose ball and went for a three that was off the mark. Kansas got the defensive rebound and called timeout, leading to Adams being helped off the floor and into the locker room.

Obviously, this is a horrible way for Adams to end his collegiate career and a potentially significant setback toward the beginning of a professional one. Hopefully he's able to return to 100 percent health ASAP as he recovers from the ailment.

As far as the Kansas program is concerned, it's a brutal loss that hasn't advanced past the second round in each of the past three years after winning the national championship in 2022.

Kansas was notably No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press poll each of the last two years before losing in the second round to Gonzaga (89-68) in 2024 before the Arkansas defeat this year.

There will be plenty of turnover in 2025-26, with Adams, Dajuan Harris, Zeke Mayo, Hunter Dickinson and Shakeel Moore's careers now done.

Self spoke about the need for a re-evaluation postgame.

Now the Jayhawks go into next year with plenty of questions as they go back to the drawing board in hopes of breaking out of their tournament slump.

It has been a disappointing season to this point for the Kansas men's basketball team, but that doesn't mean head coach Bill Self is ready to walk away.

"That's not true at all," he told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 on Wednesday when discussing potential speculation that he might retire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Self also simply told Adam Zagoria of NJ.com "no" when asked if he is planning on retiring.

The update comes after Goodman asked fellow analyst John Fanta during a podcast (h/t Zagoria) whether it would be shocking to see the Kansas coach walk away after this season. Fanta said, "I think this might be it for him."

High-profile retirements have been nothing new in men's college basketball of late with Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina's Roy Williams, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Villanova's Jay Wright, Virginia's Tony Bennett and Miami's Jim Larranaga recently calling it quits.

They will be joined by Florida State's Leonard Hamilton and Indiana's Mike Woodson after this season.

However, Self made it clear he has no such plans to join many of the coaches he competed against for years.

This has been a rather forgettable season for the Jayhawks. After all, they started the campaign No. 1 in the country but dropped out of the latest Associated Press Top 25 entirely. Of course, they can change that with a run in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, but they are not competing for the top seeds like once expected.

As for Self, he agreed to a new deal with Kansas that made him the highest-paid coach in men's college basketball in November 2023. 

He has been largely dominant over the course of his 22 seasons with a resume that includes two national championships, four Final Fours, 17 Big 12 regular-season titles and nine Big 12 tournament titles.

That type of track record suggests he will turn things around soon despite this season's disappointment, and it seems like he is staying put to do just that despite previous retirement speculation.

No. 1 Kansas suffered its second consecutive loss, falling to Missouri by the final score of 76-67 on Sunday.

While Missouri improved to 8-1 with the win, the Tigers weren't ranked entering the contest. As for the Jayhawks, they now sit at 7-2 after winning each of their first seven games of the regular season.

Hunter Dickinson led the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds for Kansas, but it wasn't enough to save head coach Bill Self's team from another defeat.

The Jayhawks were held below 70 points in both of their losses after surpassing that threshold in each of their seven victories to open the year.

Kansas struggled with ball security throughout its defeat on Sunday, committing 22 turnovers compared to 13 assists at Mizzou Arena.

Missouri led by 24 points early in the second half, although the Jayhawks immediately responded with a 15-0 run that kept them within striking distance. Kansas cut the deficit to a mere two points with just over two minutes left in regulation, but the Tigers pulled away once again.

Four of the Jayhawks' starters finished with double-digit scoring totals, but an inconsistent performance from their reserves made the comeback attempt difficult. Kansas' bench combined to score six total points on 2-10 shooting.

The Jayhawks became the first No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll to lose back-to-back games against unranked opponents since Florida in Dec. 2003 (h/t ESPN's Jeff Borzello).

Self's team will attempt to get back on track with an upcoming three-game homestand, starting with a battle against NC State on Saturday.

Tip-off is at 3 p.m. ET.

College basketball's top teams have fallen.

No. 1 Kansas lost to unranked Creighton 76-63 on the road Wednesday, marking the Jayhawks' first loss of the season. Later in the night, No. 2 Auburn lost to Cooper Flagg and No. 9 Duke on the road 84-78.

Creighton shut down Kansas star Hunter Dickinson, who had just six points on the night. The Bluejays used a huge night from Pop Isaacs, who had 27, to pick up the win.

Taking down the No. 1 team in the country is starting to become a trend for Creighton. Last February, the Bluejays defeated UConn, which was ranked No. 1 at the time. Head coach Greg McDermott joked about his team's record against No. 1 teams after the game.

"What can you say? This is the building No. 1 teams go to die evidently," he said.

McDermott also praised his squad for pulling off the massive upset despite several players dealing with injuries and illnesses.

"It was going to take special effort on our part on both ends of the floor," he said. "Guys are beat up, guys are sick and we found a way. I'm really proud of my team."

Things hadn't gone well for Creighton to start the season following last year's Sweet 16 run. The Bluejays already had three losses on their schedule and looked far from a championship-contending team.

McDermott believes Wednesday's seismic win can help change the trajectory of Creighton's season.

"I think with every team, you're selling a dream. You're selling a plan," he said. "Until you're able to validate that plan with a victory like this, I'm not sure the buy-in is what it's going to be now. Now they know what they're capable of and we've got to hold ourselves to that standard.

Kansas already has a handful of big wins under its belt, taking down North Carolina and Duke early this season, but Bill Self and the Jayhawks will spend the rest of the week trying to figure out what went wrong before Sunday's rivalry matchup against Missouri.

Kansas secured a major addition to its frontcourt for the 2025-26 season with 5-star power forward Bryson Tiller committing to the school on Saturday.

In a live commitment announcement on the 247Sports YouTube channel, Tiller revealed his choice of Kansas over Auburn Indiana and Georgia Tech:

Tiller is fifth at his position and 21st overall in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2025.

Eric Bossi of 247Sports scouted the 6'9" standout in December 2023 and projected him to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft while calling him "one of the most polished frontcourt players in the class of 2025."

"Capable of operating on the block or facing out to the three-point line, Tiller is a versatile scorer," Bossi wrote. "He's got broad shoulders, long arms and good functional athleticism in tight spots that he uses to score over and through defenders at the rim. He makes jump hooks, is a good passer out of the post and doesn't get sped up."

After starting his high school career at Pace Academy in Atlanta, Tiller signed with Overtime Elite in July 2022. He maintained his college eligibility by declining the $100,000 salary he could have received.

During the 2023-24 season, the Georgia native averaged 12.2 points on 46.1 percent shooting along with 9.4 rebounds. During the playoffs, he put up 15.6 points and 8.1 boards as the City Reapers successfully defended their Overtime Elite title.

Tiller's shooting remains a work in progress as he hit 20 percent of his three-pointers last year. He only attempted 1.2 threes per game, though, which can make it difficult to build a regular rhythm.

With more reps and better coaching, his jumper could progress to a point where opposing defenses at least have to respect his scoring ability away from the basket.

Tiller is the second commit for head coach Bill Self in 2025. The first was another 5-star talent, shooting guard Darryn Peterson

In July, Tiller spoke to Bossi about a recent visit he had made to Lawrence, Kansas.

"They have a great coaching staff, a great culture obviously," he said. "We went again on an unofficial just to see the skill development and all of that stuff, the little details. We just wanted to gather more information. Obviously going back we wanted to learn a lot more about development, off-season development and how I would be able to fit into their system and evolve as a player while I'm there if i go there."

Despite the Jayhawks' three second-round NCAA tournament exits in four years, Self's sales pitch was probably pretty straightforward. The program is a model of consistency in the regular season and regularly moves its best players on to the NBA.

With Georgia Tech among his finalists, the allure of staying home and suiting up for the Yellow Jackets was likely strong. Kansas has a lot to offer Tiller instead.

Darryn Peterson, the No. 3 recruit and No. 1 guard in the men's high school basketball class of 2025, announced that he will be attending Kansas.

Peterson, who made the announcement live on CBS Sports HQ and the 247Sports YouTube channel Friday, chose the Jayhawks over finalists Kansas State, Ohio State and USC.

The 6'5", 195-pound Peterson, who attends Prolific Prep in Napa, California, has received rave reviews for his play.

"Overall, there's just not another guard in the country right now who can match Peterson's combination of size, length, strength, real functional versatility, and effortless ability to get to his spots that can make the game look easy at times," Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports wrote in part in his July 14 scouting report.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic wrote:

Travis Branham of 247Sports also stated that "Peterson would rank as the No. 1 overall recruit" in "just about" any other class or prospects. The class of 2025 is loaded at the top, though, with AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer sitting one-two.

This is a huge win for Kansas and head coach Bill Self, who gets the program's first top-five recruit since 2016 (Josh Jackson). Peterson cited Self and the program culture as the main reasons why he chose Kansas.

"This was a very hard decision," Peterson told ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi. "Ultimately, it was the coaching of Bill Self and the culture of their program. My heart and gut were with Kansas.

"I will have the opportunity to play right away as a freshman, prepare for the draft and be dialed into winning. I won't look back or ahead. I will be dialed in when I am there."

Peterson is a fantastic scorer who's played on big stages already. Per ESPN, he posted 16.8 points and 3.7 assists per game (six starts) for USA Basketball en route to a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in 2023. Peterson also shined this offseason on the Adidas 3SSB circuit with Phenom United, averaging 23.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.

An anonymous coaches poll conducted by Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports pegs Kansas as the top men's college basketball team for the 2024-25 season.

The question (Who will be the best team this season?) is part of CBS Sports' 2024 Candid Coaches series, which includes answers from more than 100 Division I coaches.

Kansas received 35.6 percent of the votes, followed by Alabama (27.9 percent), Houston (13.5 percent), Duke (9.6 percent) and UConn (7.7 percent). Arizona, Baylor, Gonzaga and North Carolina also received votes.

Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll last season, but the Jayhawks sputtered down the stretch and lost 89-68 to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

But there's no denying KU's talent this upcoming season. On the transfer front, Kansas added Wisconsin guard AJ Storr (16.8 PPG) and Alabama guard Rylen Griffen, who scored 11.2 PPG en route to helping guide the Crimson Tide to the Final Four.

The Jayhawks also return three key players from last year, including big man Hunter Dickinson (17.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG), forward K.J. Adams (12.6 PPG on 60.1 percent shooting) and point guard Dajuan Harris Jr., whose 6.5 assists per game ranked second in the Big 12.

One coach said the following to CBS Sports on Kansas:

"They had a down year for them -- and I think Bill Self's press conference at the end of the year said it all. He will be more motivated and locked in than ever before. They have a strong group of returners, with Hunter Dickinson being a potential player of (the) year. AJ Storr could prove to be a huge pickup for them, with Griffen from Alabama being a major sleeper too."

On paper, Kansas is clearly a legitimate national championship contender and a host of coaches agree.

The Jayhawks will begin their quest for their fifth national championship on Oct. 29 against Washburn.

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson will miss the entire 2024-25 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon during a scrimmage at the Bill Self Basketball Camp.

Self released a statement saying he was "crushed" by the news:

Jackson's injury cut the camp scrimmage short, as the game ended after he was taken off the floor.

"I saw the fall, but I didn't really see what happened because I was on the bench," center Hunter Dickinson said. "But it was good to see him being able to walk it off on his own … Hoping for the best, not sure, but we got a really good training staff that'll get him back as soon as he can."

Jackson averaged 4.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during his freshman season. A 4-star prospect coming out of high school, Jackson was expected to see more extended playing time in his second season under Self.

Dajuan Harris Jr. will have even more responsibility in his senior season with Jackson out of the lineup. Transfer guard Zeke Mayo will also be thrust into the spotlight.

Kansas enters the 2024-25 season on the shortlist of national championship contenders, but Jackson's injury will leave their depth a little shaky.

After committing to transfer to Kansas last month, it turns out that former Florida guard Riley Kugel won't be suiting up for the Jayhawks after all.

Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Kugel is no longer expected to play at Kansas. The news comes just a couple of days after Bill Self told NCAA basketball analyst Andy Katz that Kugel's future with the Jayhawks was "up in the air."

Kugel was expected to be a part of a talented transfer class for Kansas that included guard Zeke Mayo of South Dakota State and wings AJ Storr of Wisconsin and Rylan Griffen of Alabama. However, Self indicated during his talk with Katz that something had changed.

"I don't know that we've addressed every one of them, but for the most part I think we've done a pretty good job, with Zeke Mayo and Rylan Griffen, obviously, and AJ Storr," Self said before adding, "We also got a commitment from a young man from Florida, Kugel, Riley Kugel, that it's up in the air whether or not Riley will come, but certainly those other three we feel really good about."

As a sophomore at Florida, Kugel averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while making 11 starts in 33 appearances. His efficiency left much to be desired, as he shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from beyond the arc. He earned a selection to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2022-23 after averaging 9.9 points for the Gators while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range.

Norlander noted that Kugel is "being recruited again by high-majors," so it seems like there are multiple teams interested in adding him following his de-commitment from Kansas.