Three Takeaways From Kansas Basketball’s Blowout Win Over Towson

Kansas was forced to play its nonconference matchup against Towson without star freshman Darryn Peterson, but the Jayhawks took care of business as they had previously done during his absence, pulling away for a 73-49 victory.

It was a nice and easy tune-up game following an exhilarating, yet nail-biting, road win at NC State. While this game won't mean much in the long run, there are still some meaningful takeaways to note.

3. Flory Bidunga Plays Better Without Darryn Peterson

The Jayhawks haven't played enough games with Peterson on the floor to definitively say this is true, but the early numbers suggest it might be. In the four games Bidunga has played alongside Peterson, he is averaging 12.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 58.3% shooting, compared to 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds on 62.7% shooting in games without him.

Bidunga looks more aggressive offensively when Peterson is off the court and is far more assertive with the ball in his hands around the rim. His 18 points yesterday were tied for the third-most he has scored on the season, and he did it on near-perfect shooting.

He still has time to build chemistry with Peterson, but with conference play approaching, the two don't yet appear fully in sync because the freshman has played so few games.

2. Poor Rebounding Effort

Regardless of lineup or circumstances, Kansas should not be getting out-rebounded by a mid-major program like Towson. However, that's exactly what happened, as the Tigers finished with two more rebounds overall (45 to 43) and six more in the first half.

When a team is starting two big men to maintain size like Bidunga and Bryson Tiller, this should not occur unless facing a significantly stronger opponent. Towson positioned itself well, and Jayhawk players were frequently outhustled, allowing an unacceptable 22 offensive boards.

While some of that can be attributed to exerting less effort in a tune-up game, it emphasizes that KU still has notable issues on the glass.

1. Melvin Council Jr.'s Shooting Wasn't a Fluke

Coming off a career-high 36-point performance with nine made threes against NC State, there were questions about whether Council's shooting outburst was sustainable. He followed it up by knocking down three of six attempts from deep against Towson.

After hitting just five threes in the season's first 10 games, Council has now made 12 over the past two contests. He looks far more confident in his jumper, and opposing teams are no longer comfortable leaving him wide open.

His recent play suggests this surge was not just a one-game anomaly. Council's 3-point shooting could actually be a strength of the offense moving forward.

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