It’s rare to see the Kansas Jayhawks unranked in the Coach Bill Self era. However, after losing to North Carolina in the opening week of the season, Kansas (3-1) is at risk of being unranked if it falls on Tuesday in the Champions Classic matchup with the Duke Blue Devils (4-0).
In a battle of two blue bloods, the Jayhawks will be viewed as the underdog coming into the matchup. But what do they need to do to win on Tuesday night? Here are some of the keys to the battle.
1. Winning without Darryn Peterson, while taking on Cameron Boozer
Bill Self on Darryn Peterson:
— Mike Vernon (@M_Vernon) November 15, 2025
“We’re not obviously gonna have him, you know… at least for the immediate future. I just don’t know… how long that’ll be.”
Video via @KUsports pic.twitter.com/4C97Dw58mh
The major storyline in this matchup was the battle between top-tier freshmen and current projected top-3 NBA Draft picks, Peterson and Boozer. However, it’s looking likely that Peterson (21.5 ppg and 3.0 apg) won’t suit up for this game. That’s huge for a Jayhawks backcourt that’s had some ups and downs, needing transfers Melvin Council (7.0 ppg and 5.8 apg) and Jayden Dawson (5.3 ppg) to have a bigger impact on offense.
And of course, they’re going to have to find a way to slow down Boozer, who leads Duke with 22.5 ppg and 10.3 rpg through four games. Look for Illinois transfer Tre White to get some minutes against him, along with fellow freshman forward Bryson Tiller.
2. Prevent Isaiah Evans from going off
Yes, Cameron Boozer is the star for Duke who needs the primary attention. But their postseason ceiling could depend on their second-best scorer, Evans. The sophomore wing is putting up 13 ppg, shooting 39% from the field and under 35% from deep. While Evans can be streaky, he can put up points in bunches, and if Kansas lets him get going, it’ll be a long night.
On the other hand, if the Jayhawks can contain him, the rest of the backcourt has been inconsistent as offensive threats. So if Peterson is indeed out, it’s the best chance for Kansas to keep it a low-scoring game and have a chance at the win.
3. Big game from Flory Bidunga
Assuming that Peterson is out, that’ll put even more pressure on sophomore forward Bidunga to lead them on offense. He’s putting up 17 ppg and 7.8 rpg in an early breakout campaign, including 25 points and 10 rebounds against Princeton.
Bindunga will face one of the best defensive frontcourts in the nation with Duke, which has not only Boozer but also centers Maliq Brown and Patrick Ngongba. Against UNC, Bidunga went for eight points and seven rebounds in the defeat. That won’t be enough to beat Duke if those numbers against better competition don’t improve.