Flory Bidunga, Darryn Peterson lead KU Jayhawks to Big 12 Tournament win vs. TCU

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Mar 13, 2026

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Kansas coach Bill Self barked orders from the sideline inside T-Mobile Center, the tide was starting to turn.

Slowly, KU’s defense began to force the TCU Horned Frogs into bad shots and costly mistakes. A game that was a total dogfight to begin the Jayhawks’ postseason turned into a quintessential Bill Self win.

The end result was a chorus of “Rock Chalk” chants from the many KU fans present in Kansas City late Thursday night.

No. 3 seed KU defeated No. 6 seed TCU 78-73 in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. The Jayhawks (23-9) advanced to face No. 2-seeded Houston in the semifinals Friday.

Freshman phenom Darryn Peterson led KU with 24 points (5-for-17 shooting), adding eight rebounds.

While he scored only 13 points, center Flory Bidunga may have provided KU’s most pivotal performance. He added 10 rebounds and three blocks.

The Jayhawks started this game on a 9-0 run, but TCU quickly caught up and took control, particularly with KU’s Bidunga in foul trouble. The game was largely back and forth after halftime, until the Jayhawks seized momentum late.

KU led by nine in the final 30 seconds. TCU cut that margin to three with three seconds left, but KU’s Elmarko Jackson clinched the game by hitting four free throws in the final 10 seconds. He went 10-for-10 at the line overall.

Up next for KU: The Big 12 Tournament continues as the Jayhawks face the Houston Cougars in the semifinals at around 8:30 p.m. Friday night.

Until then, here are three takeaways from Thursday’s game…

Flory Bidunga’s minutes prove pivotal

Every time sophomore big man Flory Bidunga exited the game, the Jayhawks looked like a completely different team.

Bidunga struggled with foul trouble for much of the game, finishing with four fouls. And he came close to committing a fifth on a play that was ruled a TCU travel in the second half.

That’s why he played only 27 minutes, fourth-most of any starter. When he left the game, it seemed like Bill Self was almost holding his breath.

KU’s offense and defense struggled without him. And one glaring statistic told the story.

The Jayhawks outscored the Horned Frogs by 31 points when Bidunga was in the game, according to the Big 12’s stats feed, which means they were outscored by 26 when he sat.

He was instrumental to KU’s defense. Not only did he finish with three blocks, but he helped limit TCU to only 28 paint points and 6-for-17 shooting on layups.

The lengthy Bidunga also covered massive amounts of ground on multiple possessions.

The Horned Frogs shot only 39.1% from the field for the game.

The Jayhawks’ offense came out flat

Heading into Thursday, KU’s offense ranked No. 53 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (119.3), meaning it hadn’t been a major strength of a KU team hoping to land a top-4 NCAA Tournament seed.

This is now the third straight season in which the KU offense hasn’t ranked top-50 in offense, which is a concerning sign: The Jayhawks didn’t make it out of the first weekend of either of the last two NCAA Tournaments.

The hope for this team was that Peterson could carry KU’s offense to new heights, particularly in the postseason. That may happen, but it wasn’t the case Thursday.

Kansas only recorded eight assists as a team, with just three in the second half.

In fairness, the Jayhawks’ offense and overall explosiveness may have been hindered by the Big 12’s glass court, with players and coaches from many teams complaining about the footing throughout the event. The Big 12 is reportedly scrapping the court for Friday’s semifinals.

But overall, KU shot just 37.9% from the field, including 23.5% on 3-pointers.

The one bright spot? KU did an excellent job of getting to the free-throw line. Kansas shot 30-for-37 (81.1%) on free throws.

KU basketball’s bench can do more

The Jayhawks entered Thursday ranked No. 341 nationally in bench points per game — with just 13.

And that total was inflated by KU’s senior day, with Peterson and Bidunga playing off the bench to make room for seniors in the starting five.

That lack of production remains a problem.

In the first half, KU scored only 3 bench points to TCU’s 11. On a night when regulars Peterson and Tre White started ice-cold, Kansas needed its bench to step up.

Elmarko Jackson made a 3 in the first half — the unit’s only points in that time — and he added 10 free throws, but he was the only player to score off the KU bench. TCU reserves scored 21 points.

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