From the moment Flory Bidunga announced his transfer destination, it became clear that the former Jayhawk was going to return to Kansas more immediately than anyone would have expected.
The Congolese forward, who was the Big 12 defensive player of the year last season at KU, picked Louisville as part of a headline-grabbing offseason for the Cardinals — which now means that before he has even played an official game for his team, he will be back at Allen Fieldhouse.
Louisville is traveling to KU for an exhibition game on Wednesday for the second half of a home-and-home deal between the two teams; the Jayhawks won 90-82 at the KFC Yum! Center last season behind 26 points from Darryn Peterson. Tipoff for this year’s contest is set for 6 p.m., and it will be televised on ESPNU.
“I’m excited,” Bidunga told reporters in Louisville on Monday. “Played there for two years. It will be great to play against some teammates who are still there and compete with my new team.”
Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said that KU is a “special place” to Bidunga.
“He did great things there and he was beloved there and he’s got teammates that are there,” Kelsey said. “I think naturally there’s going to be a sentimental part of it of going back, and he’s a competitor too.”
Bidunga was the consensus top-ranked player in the portal this past offseason after he averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a sophomore at KU. While Bidunga did tell The Associated Press recently at ACC media days that he left KU in part because he “didn’t want to waste a year,” he has generally been quite complimentary of his experience during two years in Lawrence.
“I had great seniors,” Bidunga said on Monday of his freshman season. “Shoutout Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams, Zeke Mayo, all that. I really just followed them. They’re like great models to me — they really took care of me as a kid coming from high school to go to college to a new experience. Again, coaching staff, Coach (Jeremy) Case, Bill Self, all that, they really took care of me. I really felt love there when I was there freshman year. I would say they’re really a big part of what I’ve become now.”
Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals, picked No. 11 in the preseason to KU’s 17, will need Bidunga to play to his potential, but they also have talent up and down the roster. The first big acquisition alongside Bidunga was Jackson Shelstad, an Oregon transfer guard who averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists last season, and thanks to an eligibility lawsuit the Cardinals have been able to pair him with Seth Trimble, a longtime North Carolina Tar Heel who had 17 points against KU at the Smith Center last season.
The rest of the transfer-laden lineup includes the likes of wing Karter Knox, formerly of Arkansas, and Alvaro Folgueiras, a stretch forward who didn’t always excel last year at Iowa but hit the game-winning 3-pointer for the Hawkeyes to knock out Florida in the NCAA Tournament.
Also in the fold is Obinna Ekezie Jr., a 7-foot-2 center from Nigeria who reclassified up from 2027 to join the Cardinals and is now healthy after a shoulder injury.
Louisville played a largely uncompetitive summer exhibition in the Bahamas in which Dayton transfer guard De’Shayne Montgomery scored 20 points and Bidunga tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
The Cardinals then had a closed scrimmage with Ohio State over the weekend, which means they have gotten somewhat more high-level experience to this point than the Jayhawks, who beat Division II foe Pittsburg State 80-62 on Friday as part of Late Night in the Phog.
KU coach Bill Self has stated that down the line, he wants to attempt to play 10 players instead of the 13 who figured into that exhibition. Narrowing down to 10 just got a bit more difficult with the addition of former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who started practicing with the team on Monday.
Friday’s starters — Taylen Kinney, Leroy Blyden Jr., Stokes, Keanu Dawes and Christian Reeves — seem set for notable roles. So do late-game additions and returning contributors Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, as well as, eventually, Kaufman-Renn. But wings Luke Barnett, Dennis Parker Jr., Trent Perry and Kohl Rosario; forward Davion Adkins; and center Paul Mbiya will have to prove their worth, and certainly circumstances could change as the season progresses.
Bidunga’s return will garner plenty of coverage. But it’s also worth noting that KU features a pair of freshmen from Kentucky — Kinney from Newport (near Cincinnati) and Stokes from Louisville — whom Kelsey recruited.
Kelsey told reporters that Stokes, who scored 14 points against Pitt State, presents “every challenge you could possibly imagine.”
“He’s going to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft for a reason,” Kelsey said. “He’s a problem. Unbelievably talented, and they got a bunch of unbelievably talented guys. They’re stinking good, coached by a Hall of Famer.”
Kansas head coach Bill Self talks with Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) after the Jayhawks’ 68-60 win over California Baptist during the second half on Friday, March 20, 2026 at Viejas Arena in San Diego. Photo by Nick Krug
