How Darryn Peterson Compares To Jerry West Award Candidates

One day after Darryn Peterson's clutch 3-pointer lifted Kansas to a 64-61 win at No. 13 Texas Tech, the Jayhawks' star freshman earned a prestigious honor.

Peterson was one of 10 players named to the Jerry West Award midseason watch list, an award given to college basketball's best shooting guard. Recent winners of the award include Tennessee's Chaz Lanier, North Carolina's R.J. Davis, Houston's Marcus Sasser, Wisconsin's Johnny Davis and Oregon's Chris Duarte.

The watch list will be cut to five finalists in mid-March, and the winner will be announced ahead of the Final Four, with an exact timeline to be announced.

Here's the full list of candidates, plus the case for and against each player.

Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Stats: 21.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.6 bpg, 1.5 tov, 49.4 FG%, 43.2 3pt FG% (35-for-81), 80.6 FT%

The case for Peterson: If he's going to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, how can he not be the best player at his position in college?

The case against Peterson: Injuries have limited him to just 12 games, fewer than everyone else on this list.

Brayden Burries, Arizona

Stats: 15.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.3 bpg, 1.4 tov, 50.2 FG%, 37.1 3pt FG% (36-for-97),79.7 FT%

The case for Burries: He's on the No. 1 team in the country and undefeated at 22-0.

The case against Burries: He's eighth among players on this list in 3-pointers made.

Cameron Carr, Baylor

Stats: 19.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.4 bpg, 2.3 tov, 52.1 FG%, 40.0 3pt FG% (44-for-110), 76.7 FT%

The case for Carr: He has the highest field goal percentage of anyone on this list.

The case against Carr: Baylor has the worst record of any team on this list at 12-9 and 2-7 in Big 12 play.

Richie Saunders, BYU

Stats: 19.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.3 bpg, 1.7 tov, 50.2 FG% 39.6 3pt FG% (59-for-149), 82.0 FT%

The case for Saunders: He's made more 3-pointers than anyone on this list. Only Peterson is averaging more points per game, and he's played in nearly half as many games as Saunders.

The case against Saunders: BYU has lost four of its five ranked matchups.

Isaiah Evans, Duke

Stats: 14.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.9 bpg, 1.1 tov, 41.5 FG%, 33.6 3pt FG% (50-for-149), 88.9 FT%

The case for Evans: His scoring has increased since ACC play began, including three 20-plus point games, so perhaps he could make a late run at it.

The case against Evans: He's averaging the fewest points per game of any player on this list.

Emmanuel Sharp, Houston

Emanuel Sharp Houston Basketball — Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) drives against Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Stats: 16.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.1 bpg, 0.9 tov, 42.6 FG%, 36.9 3pt FG% (55-for-149), 87.0 FT%

The case for Sharp: The two-time Big 12 champion and 2025 national runner-up is on pace for a career-high scoring average.

The case against Sharp: None of his numbers are overwhelming compared to the high-end competitors on this list.

Keaton Wagler, Illinois

Stats: 18.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.2 bpg, 1.5 tov, 47.9 FG%, 43.8 3pt FG% (56-for-128), 81.6 FT%

The case for Wagler: He has the highest 3-point percentage of any player on this list.

The case against Wagler: It's not a knock on Wagler, but he should have been nominated for the Bob Cousy Award instead. He has played more point guard than shooting guard for the Illini.

Solo Ball, UConn

Stats: 14.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.3 bpg, 1.3 tov, 41.2 FG%, 29.0 3pt FG% (40-for-138), 84.6 FT%

The case for Ball: He's the leading scorer on the No. 3 team in the country, who's only loss is to No. 1 Arizona by four.

The case against Ball: He has the lowest 3-point percentage of any player on this list.

Duke Miles, Vanderbilt

Stats: 16.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 1.8 tov, 45.1 FG%, 34.1 3pt FG% (29-for-85), 88.7 FT%

The case for Miles: He's the best defender on this list, averaging 2.8 steals per game.

The case against Miles: His offensive production falls short of the top names on this list.

John Blackwell, Wisconsin

Stats: 18.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.0 bpg, 1.6 tov, 40.8 FG%, 37.5 3pt FG% (54-for-144), 85.0 FT%

The case for Blackwell: Building on his hot streak –– 20.5 points per game during Wisconsin's ongoing 7-1 stretch –– could make Blackwell hard to ignore.

The case against Blackwell: He has the lowest field goal percentage of any player on this list.

Jack Ankony's pick

If the award was given out today, I'd go with Wagler. Illinois is arguably the nation's hottest team with 11 straight wins by 16.5 points, including road wins over No. 4 Purdue and No. 5 Nebraska. Wagler has been Illinois' best player during that stretch, averaging 21.2 points on 47.3% 3-point shooting.

But if Peterson stays healthy the rest of the regular season and finishes with his current averages –– or even improves –– he'll be hard to vote against. I'd put Saunders third behind Wagler and Peterson right now, followed by Carr, whose numbers are as good as anyone on this list. But it'll be tough for him to win the award if Baylor finishes well below .500 in Big 12 play.

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