It was bad enough when Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks missed out on five-star shooting guard Dame Sarr, who committed to the Duke Blue Devils this recruiting cycle.
Now, with the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft wrapped up, salt is getting rubbed in the Sarr-shaped wound. In On3's way-too-early 2026 NBA Mock Draft, Sarr (and a handful of other Blue Devils) were listed within the first round.
Sarr was projected to go as the No. 17 overall pick, the third-highest Duke player on the projection. Kansas only has one future star on the list, Darryn Peterson, who is projected to go second overall.
While the high ranking for Peterson eases the pain slightly, the disappointment of missing out on Sarr, who will almost certainly be a first-rounder, will never go away completely.
Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft
This year, zero former Jayhawks heard their names called during the first round of the draft, which wasn't exactly surprising. It has been two years since Kansas had a first rounder, Gradey Dick going to the Toronoto Raptors 13th overall in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils had three stars get selected. Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach were all taken during the first round of this year's draft. On3 gives Duke an even higher headcount for the draft next year.
Kansas Jayhawks projected for the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft
- Darryn Peterson, second overall
Duke Blue Devils projected for the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft
- Cameron Boozer, fourth overall
- Nikolas Khamenia, 12th overall
- Dame Sarr, 17th overall
- Cayden Boozer, 23rd overall
Both the Jayhawks and the Blue Devils have more chances for former stars to get drafted on night two, when the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft tips off at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, June 26. Fans can tune into ABC or ESPN to watch all of the picks unfold.