After sitting out Kansas men’s basketball’s exhibition games against Duke and Louisville as he rounded into shape, newcomer Trey Kaufman-Renn was available for duty Monday in the Kansas Jayhawks’ season opener versus Fordham at Allen Fieldhouse.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Purdue transfer, cleared by the courts to play courtesy of a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the NCAA, came off the bench to score nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. He grabbed five rebounds with two assists and a blocked shot in 23 minutes as KU downed the Rams 95-65.

Kaufman-Renn hit one 3 the first half and did start the second half.

Tre White scored 22 points while and Tyran Stokes and Leroy Blyden added 15 points apiece for the Jayhawks, who won on opening night for the sixth straight season and stretched their streak of home-opening victories to 54 games (dating to 1973-74).

Melvin Council Jr. filled the stat sheet with 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds with four turnovers.

Akira Jacobs led Fordham with 20 points. Fordham was 13 of 33 from 3; KU 9 of25.

Kaufman-Renn entered for the first time at the 16:18 mark with KU ahead 10-8. He scored on a hook shot in the lane for his first points as a Jayhawk at 16:06. He drilled a wide open 3 from the top of the key with 6:11 left before half to give KU a 33-19 lead. He had five points and four rebounds in 13 first-half minutes.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

Who were the KU basketball starters?

Bill Self started Tre White, Melvin Council Jr., Christian Reeves, Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney.

In the second half, he went with Trey Kaufman-Renn, White, Council, Kinney and Stokes.

Leroy Blyden effective in run

KU used a 16-1 run to open a 14-point lead (30-16) with 7:36 left in the first half. Leroy Blyden Jr, had six points in the surge, including a 3 from the corner off a nice extra pass by Council.

Forgettable end to first half

KU led by 16 points with 1:01 left in the first half. Keanu Dawes, who was fouled intentionally, missed two free throws. Stokes made one of two free throws, then fouled Akira Jacobs on a 3-point basket. He hit the free throw.

KU’s Kinney turned it over on its final possession and KU led 43-31 at half. Fordham trailed by just six points (52-46) early in the second.

Kohl Rosario remains out of action

KU sophomore guard Kohl Rosario did not suit up for the game. He suffered a concussion at practice on Friday, Oct. 23, and missed the Duke exhibition on the 25th. He took an elbow to the mouth which also required oral surgery and 14 stitches.

He sat on the bench watching the team warm up with teammate Grant Mordini, out for the season with a patellar tendon injury.

Hype for Kaufman-Renn’s debut

Trey Kaufman-Renn’s mom obviously was looking forward to his KU debut.

“Heard from a really good source … Trey has been cleared to play tonight,” mom Lara wrote on social media site X an hour before tip.

Extra practice

KU freshman Stokes was on the court an hour and a half before tip firing up 3-point shots with a manager rebounding.

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