Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson to Face Off in Top College Basketball Matchup

Tonight, two of college basketball’s top prospects will face off in No. 19 Kansas vs. No. 25 North Carolina, one of the more highly-anticipated games in some time.

The biggest highlight will be guard Darryn Peterson, who’s already started his campaign to become one of the more heralded top picks in some time. At 6-foot-5, he’ll headline the Jayhawks this year with three-level scoring, plenty of defense and projectable NBA skills.

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina’s five-star forward, has already helped his 2026 NBA Draft case through an exhibition and his own team’s opener, and could offer a tough challenge for Peterson.

Both players were downright stellar in their team’s openers, with Wilson having seen one of the better true freshman debuts overall, save for Arizona’s Koa Peat.

Against Central Arkansas, Wilson scored 22 points on a blazing 8-for-10 shooting, mostly rocking the rim with dunks, but hitting a 3-pointer as well. At 6-foot-9, Wilson will mostly garner draft eyes for his versatile defense, though his offense through play with the Tar Heels has looked the part due to his size and athleticism.

Peterson, while not quite as efficient, saw a great opener too. Against Green Bay, he scored 21 points on 64% shooting overall and 43% shooting from beyond the arc. Even more, he added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

Now, the two will face off in Friday night’s bout.

Peterson is one of, if not the highest-profile player in the country as the projected No. 1 pick by many. But Wilson could very well have more of the attention Friday night.

With top-tier athleticism and a pure jumper, Peterson is more of a known commodity at this point, having been heavily under the spotlight. Wilson’s offensive game is currently less predictable and less projectable, so scouts and NBA decision-makers will be honed in to see how he fares.

Additionally, Wilson is known as a talented defender, but how he fares when seldomly switched onto Peterson could raise or lower his stock in some eyes.

There's likely little Peterson could do in his lone season with Kansas to land below the top tier of prospects, alongside BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer. Wilson presently seems locked somewhere around the top-10 with the ability to move up, though his overall stock is much more fluid at this point.

Kansas and North Carolina will face off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.