LAS VEGAS
Bill Self had seen enough after watching sophomore big man Flory Bidunga misfire on three inside shots and also fail to prevent a pair of inside buckets in the early moments of Kansas’ Players Era opener against Notre Dame on Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
So the 23rd-year KU coach pulled Bidunga from the contest before the first TV timeout — the Irish holding a two-point lead.
Message received.
The 6-foot-10 pound power forward from the Democratic Republic of Congo returned to the floor a minute and a half later. Inspired, he scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished five assists and blocked five shots while playing 34 minutes in the Jayhawks’ 71-61 victory over the Irish.
“Well, I wasn’t very happy with him. I thought his first three or four possessions were bad energy,” Self said in the interview room after the game.
“I don’t know that I did anything to challenge him, but hopefully he gave himself a do-better talk and he was pretty effective when he got back in there,” Self added.
Bidunga — he hit 8 of 15 shots and went 2-of-3 from the line — had one of the most spectacular sequences of the season shortly after returning to the floor.
Flory Bidunga #40 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts to a foul against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half of their game during the Players Era Championship basketball tournament at Grand Garden Arena on November 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Candice Ward Getty Images
First, he blocked a jump shot of guard Markus Burton, then dribbled all the way down the court, scored and was fouled by Burton, a foul deemed a flagrant one.
Bidunga hit two free throws, then after KU was awarded possession after the foul shots, converted another basket, scoring six straight to give KU a 19-15 advantage.
Bidunga understood why Self pulled him from the contest.
“I need to be ready,” he said. “I feel like I started pretty cold. I was cold. I wasn’t ready. But, you know, (he) got me out, challenged me and then I got right back to it.”
Bidunga and freshmen forward Bryson Tiller ruled inside. Tiller had 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting with nine rebounds and a block in 35 minutes.
Bryson Tiller #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks dunks the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of their game during the Players Era Championship basketball tournament at Grand Garden Arena on November 24, 2025 in Las Vegas. Candice Ward Getty Images
Senior Tre White, who took a shot to the nose in the first half and wore a bandage the rest of the game, scored inside and out en route to 16 points and nine rebounds. He hit 5 of 12 shots and was 2-of-3 from 3.
“They dominated the paint. They took advantage of their advantage in the paint. That was the story,” Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said.
KU senior guard Melvin Council Jr., who hit back to back 3s when Notre Dame (4-2) had cut a game-high deficit of 13 points to five with 15:11 left, said he challenged KU’s bigs before the game.
“Before the game, I was telling the starting five — I’m not going to tell you what I told Flory and B.T (Tiller) — but yeah, I just want them to be dominant every game,” Council said. “D.P. (Darryn Peterson) is out right now, so Flory is our next option.”
Council, who has emerged as one of the team leaders along with White, called the play of the bigs “lovely.”
Self was happy to see Council (12 points, five rebounds, four assists in 38 minutes) hit some 3s.
“You guys may not know this,” Self said with a smile, “but he (Council) hadn’t shot it great from beyond the arc until today (he was 2-of-6 from 3 vs. the Irish). So yes, those were both big.
“I thought for Melvin to play 38 minutes, and he did a good job on Burton (24 points, 9-of-18 shooting, 0-3 from 3). But there were so many switches and then (Burton) could go around us. Melvin’s doing well considering he doesn’t have a sidekick back there to take the pressure off him.”
That sidekick would be Peterson, who has missed four straight games and is out for two more games in this tournament as he recovers from a hamstring strain.
Council said he’s kept his confidence all season despite the bad shooting percentage on 3s.
“I’m getting more comfortable with the shot and shot selection,” Council said. “Coach (Tony) Bland (assistant) is keeping me uplifted.”
Another big 3 came from sophomore guard Jamari McDowell. His 3 with 2:30 left gave KU a 67-57 lead. He also had a highlight-film block of a Burton shot with KU up 62-54 with 4:20 to play.
McDowell finished with five points, two rebounds, an assist and the block in 18 minutes. He filled in for not only Peterson but Jayden Dawson, who played just four minutes. According to Self, Dawson hurt his hand dunking in warmups and is doubtful the rest of the tourney.
“That was very big of him,” Tiller said of McDowell. “He stepped up in a time where we needed him a lot. So I’m definitely caught up for that.”
Self said: “I actually think that Jamari has labored so far and to see him come in and play that way for us when he hasn’t really got significant minutes … I think he played 52 seconds against Duke. We need it. I love to see it. He’s a good shooter, and the ball hadn’t gone down. He had one go all the way down and come out as well. But I was happy for Mari.
“I was happy for Elmarko (Jackson, three points on 1-of-2 shooting, 14 minutes). You know, it’s not that they did unbelievable things, but they did things to help our team win. And I think that they’ll both be, obviously, very important the next two days.”
KU (4-2) will meet Syracuse at 2:30 p.m. Central on Tuesday. A victory could push KU into the title game or third-place game Wednesday depending on tiebreakers involving 2-0 teams.
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Gary Bedore
The Kansas City Star
Gary Bedore covers KU basketball for The Kansas City Star. He has written about the Jayhawks since 1978 — during the Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self eras. He has won the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year award and KPA writing awards.
