Darryn Peterson Defies Texas Tech’s Chants With Pair of Game-Winning Threes

Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson was hearing the outside noise going into Monday's matchup against Texas Tech. After he missed nearly the entire second half two days prior vs. BYU, the projected No. 1 draft pick began hearing chants from the Red Raiders' student section in the first half.

Lubbock's finest started vocalizing a not-so-nice word toward his direction while he was shooting free throws, a gesture that was undoubtedly related to his recent late-game disappearances. Instead of letting it get to him, Peterson showed exactly why he is a cold-blooded killer.

Despite going scoreless for the first 18 and a half minutes of the second half, the 6-foot-5 phenom knocked down two of the biggest shots of his KU tenure within a matter of 36 seconds. He tied the contest at 61 apiece with 1:20 remaining, then hit the ultimate game-winner with 44 seconds to go.

DARRYN PETERSON IS THE BEST SCORER IN THE COUNTRY. pic.twitter.com/9k4eaD8E3J
— Aint No Seats Podcast (@AintNoSeatsPod) February 3, 2026

The degree of difficulty on both of those shots was mind-boggling. On the first, he pump faked and was leaning heavily to the corner, then stopped on a dime and pulled up with no hesitation the next time up the court.

Aside from his three game-tying free throws last month against TCU, this was easily the biggest moment Peterson had as a Jayhawk. It will be one of the most re-watched highlights of his freshman season heading into the draft, and the TTU faithful certainly won't be name-calling him much more.

Jan 31, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) reacts after scoring during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Ohio native finished with 19 points, two rebounds, two steals, and one assist on 5-for-14 shooting. More importantly, he appeared in a season-high 35 minutes, overcoming his recurring cramping issue to eclipse his previous best mark of 32 minutes.

Although Peterson was largely ineffective for most of the game, Kansas does not win tonight without his contributions. Even when he was not scoring the ball efficiently, the Red Raiders continued to send pressure at him and left other players open with double teams.

If anything, Jayhawk fans may want to thank Texas Tech for directing those vulgar chants his way. They may have ignited a fire inside him to finally finish out a game and prove them wrong.

KU now has all the momentum in the world halfway through Big 12 play. It will carry a 7-2 conference record ahead of this weekend's showdown with Utah.

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