Kansas Basketball’s Darryn Peterson Is the Star Everyone Expected

Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson showed everyone why he is one of the best players in college basketball during KU's comeback win over Texas Tech.

Feb 2, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) dribbles the ball against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Jazz Henderson (2) in the second half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The Kansas Jayhawks pulled off one of their most impressive wins of the season on Monday night in Lubbock, Texas.

Trailing as many as nine with about six minutes left in the second half, KU was able to rally to a 64-61 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders behind a pair of clutch plays made by freshman star Darryn Peterson.

The likely No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining to make the score 61-61. Less than 40 seconds later, he hits another to give the Jayhawks the 64-61 lead which they never relinquished.

Peterson only attempted four shots in the second half and hadn’t made any prior to his six points late. In fact, he finished the game shooting just 5-of-14 from the field. But he came through when his team needed him most and ended up leading the Jayhawks in scoring with 19 points – which tied a game high by Texas Tech’s LeJuan Watts.

“He's got something that I guess you're born with and can't teach,” Self said during his postgame press conference. “He's got just an unbelievable ability to raise up when it counts the most, to raise his level when it counts the most. And that's what he did tonight.”

It was yet another impressive moment in a seemingly never-ending series of impressive moments from Peterson this season. He’s shown time and time again he can make any shot on the floor and take over a game when he needs to, and that’s exactly what he did tonight.  

But it’s not just that he makes spectacular plays, it’s that he shows he has the resolve to make those plays even when he’s struggling, and the odds are stacked against him.

Peterson is not fully healthy, playing in front of a hostile opposing crowd who chanted expletives at him earlier in the game, and he hadn’t made a shot the entire second half. And yet, it didn’t matter.

He rose to the occasion, took the shot KU needed him to take, and delivered to give his team the win.

Those are the types of plays that separate Peterson from the pack. Those are the types of shots that previous highly touted KU freshmen who came before him were unable to hit.

And those are the types of moments that Jayhawk fans will look back on one day when his time at Kansas is done.