In 2022, Bill Self and Kansas won the final 11 games of the season and waltzed through March Madness to secure the program’s fourth men’s basketball championship. Things have gone awry in the postseason for the Jayhawks since.
They are 2-3 in NCAA Tournament games entering a highly-anticipated 2025-26 campaign, which includes a disappointing first-round loss — its first since the 2005-06 season — and a failure to reach the second weekend for the third consecutive year.
Those shortcomings in large spots have led to a heightened urgency from Self and his staff to upgrade the roster across the board, and the result, at least on paper, is an improved team that is built to contend again within the Big 12 and beyond — led by a top-10 incoming recruiting class and headlined by No. 1 overall recruit Darryn Peterson.
For the last two seasons, the Kansas Jayhawks have been just … there. Not a team vying for a national championship, not even one of the 15 best teams in the sport. Just another team that drifted into the background — and was a letdown. For most schools, this would be understandable. Not in Lawrence. Enter Darryn Peterson and a crew of freshmen and transfer portal talent to revive the standard at Phog Allen. How will the Jayhawks fare this season? Norlander brings on C.J. Moore of The Athletic to get a deeper look at KU, including the latest on Bill Self’s health.
Projected starting lineup
Elmarko Jackson | 6-3 | 195 | R-Soph.
A summer injury last year caused Jackson — seen as a potential starter after making gains coming off a strong freshman season — to miss the entirety of the 2024-25 season. He’s cleared to play following that injury and is in line to be a starter on this year’s remade roster. The former McDonald’s All-American made 17 starts in 34 appearances in 2023-24 and can add size, scoring and playmaking to the table.
Darryn Peterson | 6-5 | 195 | Fr.
At Kansas, Self…
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