2026 NBA Draft: How the Top Three Fared Saturday

The 2026 NBA Draft class is off to a blazing hot start, and that’s continued through a few games in conference play.

All of Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and BYU wing AJ Dybantsa and projected to be drafted in the top-three this year, and that isn’t expected to change in the coming months.

All three played Saturday in one of the more loaded days of college basketball we’ve seen in some time. Here’s how they fared:

Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Fresh off his career-high, Peterson saw one of his lesser performances scoring just 23 points on 17 shots across 31 minutes.

Peterson saw a blistering first half that featured plenty of typical stuff: 3-point shooting, rebounding and defensive versatility. But his second half featured lots of missed shots, and the Jayhawks ended up suffering an 11-point loss to West Virginia.

Peterson won’t be massively docked for simply missing shots, and Kansas hasn’t yet figured out how to maximize him in tandem with winning. But a bounce-back performance will be needed against No. 3 Iowa State Tuesday.

Cameron Boozer, Duke

Boozer has been among the more consistent presences in the entire nation at just 18-years-old, and that continued in Duke’s big win over No. 24 SMU Saturday.

Boozer didn’t shoot the ball as much as usual, but hit five of his nine shots, nailed a few triples, and got to the line. He added seven rebounds, four assists to four turnovers, and had two steals.

He’s been a focal point for nearly every defense he’s played so far, and even managing the stat-line he did was impressive given SMU’s status this season.

AJ Dybantsa, BYU

Dybantsa saw eerily similar output to Boozer, shooting less than he usually does, but still seeing success.

He scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting, failing to hit a three, but shooting 11 free throws and making eight. He continued his do-it-all ways, adding six rebounds, four assists to three turnovers and one steal and block apiece.

Dybantsa saw a great first half before seeing more attention in the second half. He wasn’t loud down the stretch, but was still vital to BYU taking down a rival in Utah by just five points.

There's still been little separation near the top, with pundits and NBA decision-makers alike valuing different things in each of Peterson, Dybantsa and Boozer. For now, Peterson comes in as the No. 1 pick for most, though Dybantsa has turned heads in recent weeks, and several are sure to value Boozer's youth and winning impact.