Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Oklahoma State on February 18, 2026 , Win , 81, to, 69
Final
Men's Basketball
81
at Oklahoma State
69
Bidunga a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Finalist
3/27/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA – Kansas sophomore forward Flory Bidunga has been named a 2026 Naismith Men's College Defensive Player of the Year Finalist, the Atlanta Tipoff announced today.
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Bidunga is one of four players to be named to the list and is joined by Rueben Chinyelu of Florida, Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's and Joseph Tugler of Houston.
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The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year started in 2018 and Bidunga is vying to become the second player from Kansas to win the honor, joining Marcus Garrett who won the award in 2020. Â
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The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, Bidunga scores 13.3 points per contest and leads KU with 9.0 rebounds per outing. A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist, Bidunga leads the Big 12 with 91 blocked shots, which is fourth nationally; 2.60 blocks per game, which are fifth nationally; and in field goal percentage at 64.0 percent, which is 10th nationally.
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An Academic All-America nominee from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bidunga recorded 13 double-doubles for the season, which is second in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally. Bidunga pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 16 games this season. At 13.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 2.6 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.
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Only a sophomore, Bidunga has 145 career blocked shots and in 52 games he reached 100 blocks faster than any player in Kansas history. His 145 blocks rank 13th on the KU career list. Bidunga's 91 blocked shots this season are tied for sixth on the Kansas single-season list with Greg Ostertag (1994-95) and his 64.5 field goal percentage is fourth on the KU and Big 12 season lists.
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Bidunga moved to the United States his sophomore year in high school and played prep basketball at Kokomo High School in Indiana, where he was a 2024 McDonald's All-American.Â
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Bidunga is one of four players to be named to the list and is joined by Rueben Chinyelu of Florida, Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's and Joseph Tugler of Houston.
Â
The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year started in 2018 and Bidunga is vying to become the second player from Kansas to win the honor, joining Marcus Garrett who won the award in 2020. Â
Â
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, Bidunga scores 13.3 points per contest and leads KU with 9.0 rebounds per outing. A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist, Bidunga leads the Big 12 with 91 blocked shots, which is fourth nationally; 2.60 blocks per game, which are fifth nationally; and in field goal percentage at 64.0 percent, which is 10th nationally.
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An Academic All-America nominee from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bidunga recorded 13 double-doubles for the season, which is second in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally. Bidunga pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 16 games this season. At 13.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 2.6 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.
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Only a sophomore, Bidunga has 145 career blocked shots and in 52 games he reached 100 blocks faster than any player in Kansas history. His 145 blocks rank 13th on the KU career list. Bidunga's 91 blocked shots this season are tied for sixth on the Kansas single-season list with Greg Ostertag (1994-95) and his 64.5 field goal percentage is fourth on the KU and Big 12 season lists.
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Bidunga moved to the United States his sophomore year in high school and played prep basketball at Kokomo High School in Indiana, where he was a 2024 McDonald's All-American.Â
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Players Mentioned
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