Peterson scored 18 points in the first half as Kansas led 53-33 at halftime. Peterson was 6 of 7 from the field and provided the highlight of the game with this huge dunk over BYU’s Mihai Boskovic and Keba Keita.
But in a sight familiar to Kansas fans this season, Peterson’s experience was relatively brief. He did not return to the game for reasons unknown to the ESPN broadcast team after leaving with 16:46 left.Advertisement
With Peterson on the bench, BYU cut Kansas’ lead to four with 1:27 left. But Kansas quickly regained the lead to six and the Cougars couldn’t get any closer.
Kansas was much more than Peterson in the first half. The Jayhawks entered the game shooting just under 36% from the 3-point line. They were 9 of 12 in the first half. It doesn’t take much explaining to explain how a team shooting 75% from behind the arc usually spells disaster for the opposing team.
Peterson went 3-for-4 from deep in the first half, while Bryson Tiller and Tre White went a combined 5-for-5. No Jayhawk missed more than one 3-pointer before halftime.
When Peterson took over, Dybantsa took a while to get going. He didn’t score his first points until he hit a 3-pointer with 7:22 left in the first half. Dybantsa finished the game with 17 points.
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Is Peterson the favorite to be the first pick?
Peterson and Dybantsa entered the season as two of the best freshmen in the country and likely top-three picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Peterson looked like a No. 1 pick on Saturday, as he has at various points this season.
But Saturday’s game was only the 11th of the season.
Peterson has dealt with countless leg issues so far this season. He missed a month early in the season with hamstring problems and then played just twice in December. Before Saturday, Peterson missed Kansas’ win over Kansas State a week ago due to an ankle injury.