Unless you were present at Late Night in the Phog, today’s scrimmage against Louisville will be the first time Kansas basketball fans witness the 2025-2026 team in action.

The Jayhawk faithful have been waiting all year to finally see how the new squad Bill Self constructed in the offseason plays together.

The only returning contributor from the previous campaign is Flory Bidunga, who is expected to be the starting center and one of the best defenders in the conference. However, the remainder of the players on the roster are newcomers or redshirts, meaning there are a lot of names to put faces to.

Of KU’s 10 newcomers on the roster, the performance of these three will be worth watching tonight — and no, we’re not going to go with the obvious option, Darryn Peterson.

3. Melvin Council Jr.

The transfer from St. Bonaventure has been praised all offseason for his defensive intensity and ‘dog’ mentality, but we haven’t seen that translate to the hardwood yet.

Unlike his previous stops, Council will no longer be the primary ball-handler and will have to adjust to a more limited offensive role.

MORE: Darryn Peterson Hints at His Kansas Backcourt Mate for 2025-26 Season

He is not known for his outside shooting, so this will be a good test to see how he fits in off the ball, and more importantly, if his defense was truly worth all the hype.

2. Paul Mbiya

The aforementioned Bidunga is the big man everyone can’t wait to watch as he makes his sophomore leap, but a name flying under the radar is Mbiya.

He is another elite defensive presence, standing at 7-foot and 245 pounds with an otherworldly 7-foot-8 wingspan.

Mbiya played professionally in France last year and still has parts of his offensive game to refine, but he shows as much promise defensively as any player to come through under Coach Self’s tenure.

Whether he taps into that potential remains to be seen, but expect a few thunderous blocks if any Cardinal players try to test him inside tonight.

1. Kohl Rosario

More than any other player this offseason, the coaching staff has sung its praise for Rosario.

The incoming freshman went from being a Class of 2026 4-star recruit to KU’s starting wing on opening night.

He has progressed faster than anyone could have expected, and judging from the noise around him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were a one-and-done headed to the NBA next year. But before those conversations can begin, scouts need to see him at the collegiate level first.

His strengths are 3-point shooting, athleticism, and defensive toughness, three skills that should make him a fan favorite fairly quickly.

The Kansas basketball team is gearing up for its scrimmage this Friday against Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center.

Both programs are ranked in the top 25 nationally and have a chance to be one of the best schools in their respective conferences.

While there will likely be many doomers on both sides if either team loses this game, the biggest thing to remember is that these matchups are meant to show where the team stands early on. These teams are working with new rosters and players who are still adjusting to their systems.

Kansas fans will get their first real look at how Bill Self plans to use his pieces and what style of play the Jayhawks will rely on this season. How KU pushes the tempo in transition and its athletic potential are some of the factors that could begin to take shape during this scrimmage.

MORE: Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses of 2025-26 Kansas Basketball Roster

On KU’s side, it returns just one contributor from last season in Flory Bidunga, and even he is transitioning into a full-time starting role after starting only six games as a freshman. Everyone else is an incoming freshman, transfer, or redshirt, making it one of Self’s least experienced rosters in recent memory.

This group has had several months across the spring and summer to build chemistry, but that doesn’t mean the results will be immediate. The Jayhawks previously struggled in their past two charity exhibitions against Illinois and Arkansas in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

While those teams turned out to be disappointing and the performances may have foreshadowed their inconsistencies later in the year, this team doesn’t have the same experience as it did in past years.

As good as Darryn Peterson is expected to be, he won’t be the best version of himself from Day 1. It will undoubtedly take some time for him and the rest of the group to click.

For context, BYU and AJ Dybantsa just lost to a lowly-rated Nebraska squad in a scrimmage and still projects as a contender in the Big 12. The same should apply here, regardless of the outcome.

Considering this game is away from home and against a higher-ranked opponent, Louisville is the more likely team to come out on top — the reality is that a loss should be expected here.

If KU falls, it isn’t the end of the world. Fans should focus more on what looks good and what doesn’t.

It should still be fun to see Peterson, Mikel Brown Jr., and the rest of the newcomers in action, and Coach Self will likely test different lineups throughout the night.