When the No. 14-ranked Kansas Jayhawks hosted the Kansas State Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday, freshman guard Darryn Peterson was not among the starters.
Peterson, however, made his presence felt in front of a packed crowd of Jayhawks fans.
Kansas Sensation Darryn Peterson Lights Up Scoreboard vs. Kansas State
Peterson played 29 minutes off the bench for Kansas head coach Bill Self and maximized his time on the court. The Jayhawks led 46-33 at halftime and went on to secure a 104-85 victory over the Wildcats.
Peterson finished with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists. His performance helped Kansas improve to 22-9 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 Conference play. See his highlights below.
Darryn Peterson off the bench against Kansas State:
27 PTS | 10-15 FG | 5 REB | 4 AST | 29 MINS pic.twitter.com/G4682Wefcf
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 7, 2026
Peterson put on a highlight-reel performance against Kansas State, finding open spots in the Wildcats’ defense to record layups. When Peterson wasn’t driving toward the hoop, he found space on the floor for jumpers. It was a stellar performance from Peterson, who has been linked to potentially being a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Against the Wildcats, Peterson connected on 66.7% of his shots from the floor, including 50.0% from 3-point range and 85.7% from the free-throw line. Those are the types of percentages that make NBA scouts look on in awe of Peterson’s talent.
Peterson has received plenty of criticism for missing games during the season. He has dealt with injuries and flu-like symptoms, even taking himself out of games at times. That has led many college basketball analysts and media members to question Peterson’s commitment to Kansas and his basketball career.
Squad tapped in 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BuWx7LcLgX
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 7, 2026
While all of that is going on, Peterson is putting up strong numbers this season for Kansas. In the 2025-26 college basketball season, he is averaging 19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, while shooting 44.5% from the floor. Peterson is also shooting 38.5% from behind the 3-point arc.
Heading into the Big 12 Conference Tournament, Kansas is 3.5 games behind the Arizona Wildcats in the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks are tied for fourth place with the Iowa State Cyclones. Ahead of both Iowa State and Kansas, but trailing Arizona, are the Houston Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Kansas fans hope Peterson can repeat his Saturday performance and help the Jayhawks contend for the Big 12 Conference Tournament title. Of course, Self and Kansas also have NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament aspirations.
