Kansas guard Tre White (3) elevates for a jam off a free from Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) during the first half against Kansas State, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

The Kansas men’s basketball team gave its fans a pleasant going-away gift in its final home game of the season.

Led by a resurgent offense that operated much more efficiently than in either game in Arizona, the Jayhawks pulled away in the second half for a 104-85 victory over rival Kansas State on Saturday afternoon.

Tre White posted a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double with five 3s in his final game at Allen Fieldhouse, while fellow senior Melvin Council Jr. racked up 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

“We didn’t guard and we got to be better at that, obviously a lot, but we needed to have a win and we needed to have it probably in the fashion in which it came today,” KU coach Bill Self said, “so it was a good afternoon for us.”

Freshman Darryn Peterson, a projected high pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, led all scorers with 27 points in one of his best full games of the season — Self called it the best he’s moved in a long time — and Flory Bidunga added 13 on 6-for-6 shooting.

“The only one we got to get going as of today would be Bryson (Tiller),” Self said.

P.J. Haggerty and Nate Johnson scored 21 points each, and Khamari McGriff added 17 for K-State, which trailed by as many as 30 in the second half.

“I feel like every game we can learn from some things,” White said. “We had a couple stretches in that game where we could definitely learn and tweak a little bit, but get back with a win, let the seniors have some big moments, and I feel like (we are) definitely back on track with that.”

KU managed to outscore K-State 5-4 during the period of three minutes and 33 seconds to open the game in which it had exclusively seniors on the floor, including walk-ons Justin Cross and Wilder Evers. The Jayhawks also drew two early fouls on KSU starter Taj Manning.

“I actually thought they did fantastic,” Self said. “And to be honest with you, I was a little nervous. That was kind of a makeshift lineup out there, but I thought they did great.”

“Personally, I enjoyed seeing Cross out there,” Peterson added. “That was the one guy I wanted to see get a bucket. He came up short tonight, but we was on him all day about getting a bucket. And I just love all the guys, so it was great to see them all out there together.”

White made a pair of early 3-pointers.

“My teammates, like I said earlier, they’re always telling me to shoot it when I’m open,” White said. “So tonight I had my point guard get into the paint, get some easy looks for me, and I got going early.”

The Wildcats committed seven team fouls in the first 5:24, but had a bit more success at the other end of the floor and managed to tie the game at 9-9 before a second-chance 3-pointer by Council. K-State had to call timeout after a sloppy attempt at a full-court pass turned into a transition opportunity for Peterson, who tossed the ball to White for an alley-oop dunk to make it 16-11.

Manning came back from the bench and scored twice in a row for the Wildcats. The Jayhawks responded with nine straight points, including a 3-pointer by Peterson. K-State’s McGriff also committed his second foul during the scoring drought of nearly four minutes, which ended with a transition 3 by Andrej Kostić.

Council and Haggerty went back and forth on several possessions. Then Kohl Rosario provided KU a spark off the bench, putting back a missed layup by White with a dunk and stripping McGriff at the other end. The result of the second play was a lob from Council to Bidunga, who dunked through a foul.

Rosario knocked down a corner 3 that gave KU its biggest lead at 44-31, but also fouled to put KSU into the bonus and give Johnson a couple of free throws.

Peterson garnered two of his own when David Castillo reached in, Bidunga blocked Johnson in the final seconds and the Jayhawks took a 13-point lead into the break.

The biggest statistical disparity of the first half was KU’s advantage on the glass of 33-16 against the Big 12’s worst rebounding team. Council, Peterson and White all made it to double-figure scoring before the break, as did Haggerty.

KU went up 18 early in the second half before K-State responded with six straight, including a one-handed throwdown by Johnson, only for Bidunga to ram home a lob in response.

Haggerty’s three-point play cut KSU’s deficit to 11 points. White sank his fourth 3 of the game, but C.J. Jones responded on the next possession.

Peterson returned from the bench and scored five in a row. With K-State down 70-52 and 11:03 to go, Jones fouled Peterson and then committed a technical foul, his fifth and last of the game. Peterson made the two technical free throws but then missed the front end of the ensuing one-and-one.

Regardless, the Jayhawks extended their lead against the flagging Wildcats to 25. Senior Jayden Dawson made a 3-pointer in his final game on James Naismith Court, after he had missed a pair of early attempts, and Elmarko Jackson added another to make it 88-60.

Self said later, in introducing Dawson for his senior speech, that he believes Dawson, the Loyola-Chicago transfer who has played sparingly this year, will win the Jayhawks a game down the stretch.

“I told him that this last week,” Self added postgame. “I think I see something that’s happening better. He hasn’t shot the ball in practice close to like he’s capable of, but I feel like the last week, he’s kind of starting to, maybe just the last two days he’s starting to, because he’s a good shooter.”

Freshman Paul Mbiya entered and threw down a pair of dunks, then assisted on another by Peterson, much to the delight of the student section, which began chanting Mbiya’s name.

Evers made the 3-pointer to get KU to 100 points on the day, as well as a layup to get the Jayhawks their most points ever against K-State at 104.

The Jayhawks (22-9, 12-6 Big 12) will begin Big 12 tournament play, after a double bye, on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center, with a game time and opponent yet to be announced at time of publication.

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