BYU standout AJ Dybantsa could not stop his No. 10-seeded Cougars from crashing out of the Big 12 Tournament after a 73-66 loss to the No. 2-seeded Houston Cougars on Thursday evening. Dybantsa, who finished the contest with 26 points, made history when he surpassed Kevin Durant for the most points scored (93) in a single Big 12 Tournament.
Insider Weighs In on AJ Dybantsa vs. Darryn Peterson No. 1 Battle
Dybantsa has always been pitted against Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson as the prime candidates to become the 2026 NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick, and as the season has progressed, the debate has only intensified.
During Friday’s segment of the “Field of 68” podcast, analyst Jeff Goodman revealed the perception among NBA executives of the Dybantsa versus Peterson battle to be the No. 1 pick on draft night later this year.
“This is not the Darryn Peterson that you saw in AU ball, this is not the same player,” Goodman said. “I’ve seen Darryn play a couple of times, I’ve seen AJ play a couple of times, there’s tons of NBA guys here. G.M’s, executives, scouts. First, this isn’t the Peterson from the AU circuit, even though he’s played 6-7 games with no injury issues.”
“Almost every NBA guy I’ve talked to this week has now said they’ll take AJ Dybantsa over Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 pick” – @GoodmanHoops 👀
After Dark is LIVE ⬇️https://t.co/zaNMjFME29https://t.co/UmiXMKnvGy
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 14, 2026
“I’ve talked to the NBA guys, and almost every single one of them has said to me they would take AJ Dybantsa over Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 pick. And if you watch, it’s not even close, and you’re watching the two of them, and you haven’t had that past kind of vision of what Darryn was before and hopefully he’ll get back to that.”
Peterson has been beset by injuries throughout his freshman season, leading to widespread discourse over his durability in the NBA and whether he merits being the No. 1 pick on draft night.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo Sticks With Darryn Peterson as No. 1 Draft Pick
In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo weighed in on the battle between Peterson and Dybantsa to be the No. 1 pick. He predicted that the Sacramento Kings would select the Kansas star over the BYU standout on draft night.
“The battle for No. 1 is close enough between Peterson and AJ Dybantsa to the point where league sources broadly view this as a matter of which team ultimately makes the pick. Cameron Boozer’s dominant season has also kept him in the debate.
“It’s hard to see Peterson falling out of the top three. He remains the most gifted offensive player in the draft. NBA teams have varying levels of concern.”
Dybantsa is averaging 25.3 points on 51.3% shooting from the floor and 34% shooting from beyond the arc, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists for the Cougars this season. Peterson is averaging 19.8 points on 44.2% shooting from the floor and 38.4% shooting from deep, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists for the Jayhawks.
