KANSAS

Social Media Reacts to Darryn Peterson's Masterful Kansas Debut

College basketball fans could not believe just how good Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson was in his debut with the Jayhawks.
Joshua Schulman|
Kansas men's basketball's Darryn Peterson (22) drives to the basket during Late Night in the Phog, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse .
Kansas men's basketball's Darryn Peterson (22) drives to the basket during Late Night in the Phog, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse . | Jesse Bruner/Special to The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas basketball fans have been hearing about the Darryn Peterson hype all offseason, but they finally saw it come to fruition on Friday night. 

The No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks took on No. 11 Louisville in an open exhibition matchup, with KU coming out on top by a score of 90-82. 

While the outcome of the game doesn’t count toward either team’s record and is merely a tune-up before the season, there were still plenty of encouraging signs on KU’s end — most of them coming from Peterson.

The former Prolific Prep standout was absolutely incredible in his unofficial debut, posting a stat line of 26 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 9-for-15 shooting. 

He kicked off the campaign with a 24-point first half, knocking down six 3-pointers in the process. In a masterful effort, Peterson did everything on the court from coming up with steals on defense to leading the offense with poise and confidence.

Scouts have called him one of the most polished guard prospects in recent memory, and it’s easy to see why. Although the Louisville defense tightened up in the second half, Peterson stayed composed all night, set up his teammates for open looks, and used his savviness around the rim to draw fouls like he was a veteran. 

There’s no other way to say it — he looked like someone who could put up 20 points a night in the NBA as of today. Louisville had no answer for him in the first half, and that could be the case for most opponents this season.

Peterson has already been named the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year and could find himself in All-American conversations if he continues to perform at this level. The sky is the limit for “Bucket Jones,” especially if his supporting cast can help him out to take some of the weight off his shoulders.

Considering that he was the No. 1 overall prospect in his class and the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft according to many, it is no surprise that fans around the country were tuned in to watch his first collegiate action.

And as expected, social media was buzzing as soon as he got hot. Fans from everywhere in college basketball were praising his debut, especially after his scorching hot first half. Here are some of the best X reactions we gathered here at Kansas On SI following KU’s win.

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Joshua Schulman
JOSHUA SCHULMAN

A longtime Kansas basketball and football fan, Josh is at The College of New Jersey majoring in Communications and minoring in Journalism. Josh has over 1,000 published articles on KU athletics on FanSided's Through the Phog, with additional work at Pro Football Network and Last Word on Sports. In his free time, Josh often broadcasts TCNJ football games on WTSR 91.3FM.

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