Kansas guard Tre White (3) fades back for a shot against Fort Hays State forward Dan Mukuna (0) during the first half of an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Playing without star guard Darryn Peterson, and deploying a variety of unconventional lineups to conclude its brief exhibition schedule, the Kansas men’s basketball team prepared for the season ahead by beating Division II foe Fort Hays State 71-35 on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

Fifth-year senior guard Melvin Council Jr. took the lead on both ends of the floor for the Jayhawks, who held the Tigers to 26.2% shooting on the night and 1-for-18 on 3s. Council scored 16 on 5-for-6 shooting and Tre White added 12 points with a pair of 3s.

Freshman forward Bryson Tiller impressed for the second straight exhibition with 10 points and seven rebounds, and center Paul Mbiya had nine and nine in his first significant playing time.

Peterson didn’t get the chance to make his unofficial Allen Fieldhouse debut in game action. Peterson was not in uniform for the matchup after missing some of the second half on Friday at Louisville due to cramps.

“Ever since the second half at Louisville, he just hadn’t felt well,” KU coach Bill Self said in a video posted on social media pregame. “He’s not really cramping, but he’s got a little bug or something.”

Elmarko Jackson started in his place and made the first field goal of the night on a pull-up jumper. The Tigers missed two open 3s and committed two early turnovers. Kohl Rosario hit a left-wing 3-pointer of his own early, and the Jayhawks led 9-2 at the first media timeout after some sloppy basketball on both ends.

Jayden Dawson made a floater on the baseline to give KU its first double-digit lead and Bryson Tiller flushed a wide-open dunk in the paint to force a timeout by Fort Hays State.

The game got ugly for the Jayhawks after that, as they went scoreless for four minutes and allowed six straight points, capped off by a live-ball turnover by White that led to a fast-break layup for Lucas Hammeke.

KU very deliberately restored its advantage. The Jayhawks played stifling defense and kept the Tigers off the board between the under-8 and under-4 media timeouts, but didn’t get much done on offense in the interim. With Flory Bidunga struggling — he went 1-for-6 from the field and 0-for-4 from the free-throw line in the first half — the burden fell on the Jayhawks’ non-Peterson guards, and Jackson made it 23-12 by rattling in a baseline jumper.

Mbiya added a putback dunk for his first points in the crimson and blue, and after FHSU’s Juju Ramirez, a Lawrence native, connected from deep, Jamari McDowell and White responded with 3s of their own.

Hammeke’s spinning shot at the buzzer rattled out, Mbiya grabbed the rebound and KU took a 33-16 lead into the break, holding the Tigers to 21.2% shooting from the field and 9.1% from beyond the arc.

Fort Hays State scored the first six points of the second half in two minutes and four seconds with Kyle Grill, Muhamad Kante and Ramirez, a dramatic shift from their first-half struggles, and Self called timeout to sub in an entirely new lineup.

Mbiya provided KU’s first basket of the second half when his attempt inside banked into the hoop as he was fouled, and he finished a three-point play to make it 36-22. Council followed that up with a steal and transition dunk with just under 16 minutes to go.

Spurred by the two-way intensity of Council, the Jayhawks put together a much more productive stretch of play and extended their lead above 20 points for the first time on another 3-pointer by White, then maintained a similar margin as the midway point of the second half approached.

Tiller reached double figures by dropping in a jumper from the free-throw line with 5:40 to go that made it 59-33.

Fort Hays State did not score for the final four minutes and 48 seconds.

The Jayhawks will open their season on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse against Green Bay. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.