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Social Media Reacts to Kansas’ Nail-Biting Tournament Win Over Cal Baptist

The Jayhawks let it get too close for comfort down the stretch.
Joshua Schulman|
Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Tre White (3) and guard Darryn Peterson (22) react in the first half against the California Baptist Lancers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Tre White (3) and guard Darryn Peterson (22) react in the first half against the California Baptist Lancers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Kansas Jayhawks

If you turned off the Kansas vs. Cal Baptist game in the second half before it got close, we wouldn't have blamed you. The Jayhawks led by 20 points with eight minutes to go and appeared to have secured an easy win.

But in the final minutes, Lancers star Dominique Daniels Jr. went berserk, knocking down several 3-pointers and cutting his team's deficit to as few as six points with a minute to go. Unfortunately for CBU, it was unable to pull off the program's first NCAA Tournament win, but it was still an exciting game nonetheless.

Darryn Peterson Was Phenomenal Tonight

The catalyst of Kansas' offense tonight was star freshman Darryn Peterson, who finished with 28 points in his opening March Madness appearance. He shot 11-for-24 from the field, connected on four 3-pointers, and hit some crucial baskets late to fend off the comeback attempt. It was quite an impressive outing for someone who had missed his first six shot attempts of the game.

However, one of the reasons the score was so close down the stretch was because Peterson stopped taking shots in crunch time. It even appeared as though his teammates were waving him off in some situations so they could get shots up themselves, something that caught the attention of several disgruntled fans on social media.

Cal Baptist Started off the Night Slowly

Had the Lancers not begun the game so poorly, they may have pulled off the upset. But when you score 18 points in the first half and don't make it competitive until the final few minutes, your team doesn't stand much of a chance against a blue-blood program like Kansas.

Many people on social media rightfully thought this was going to be a 40-point blowout after halftime. The Lancers trailed by 20 at the break and weren't putting up much of a fight, as star player Daniels had shot 1-for-10 from the field.

But Then... Cal Baptist Erupted

Just when it appeared that the Lancers were down and out, they gave the crowd something to cheer for. Cal Baptist fans across the arena erupted after Daniels hit a few momentum threes that gave them a sliver of hope.

Even if CBU was the losing team tonight, it deserves some credit for how it battled back. Social media gave Rick Croy's group its props online.

Either Way, Survive and Advance!

We can talk about all the what-ifs in this scenario, but Kansas was ultimately the winning team tonight. Now, the St. John's matchup everyone has been waiting for will take place on Sunday.

For the second time ever, legendary head coaches Bill Self and Rick Pitino will face off on the sidelines. The Jayhawks survived and advanced, and now have an opportunity to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.

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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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