Every March, it feels as if a new tale is added to the annals of collegiate basketball. Within the last 10 years, we have seen the first two No. 16 seeds take down No. 1 seeds, we have seen iconic Final Fours that have included teams like the Loyola sprinting to the game's pinnacle, but few moments can pass the legacy of Kemba Walker, aka “Cardiac Kemba.”
15 years ago, Walker ran through the Big East Tournament, averaging 26 points per game, on a fantastic 47.4% field goal rate, as the UConn Huskies marched themselves to an NCAA National Championship, on the back of a Big East Conference Tournament win, where Walker and the Huskies took down the Louisville Cardinals in a thrilling 69-66 matchup.
Walker would finish the season, not only with a Big East and national title, but as a First Team All-American as well, before moving on to the NBA.
CBS Sports thinks Darryn Peterson may just have the formula to do the same
Isaac Trotter recently compiled an article detailing the seven players who have the ability to take on the legacy of Walker, and the KU guard was rightfully included.
“Peterson has been one of the top off-movement snipers this year, but Bill Self has started to give Peterson a few more on-ball reps,” quoted Trotter.
“He's entirely capable of shredding anybody and everybody he's lined up against.”
While injuries have limited Peterson’s ability to always get on the court, the freshman has now compiled five straight games of 29+ minutes, and while his form has seen respective ups and downs, a majority of the missed shots Peterson has taken have been well-positioned and just fell on the wrong end of the basket.
Across the season, Peterson has averaged 19.9 points while hitting 45.7% of his attempts.
Even at the lower end of shooting volume, Peterson still put up eight shots in Kansas’ 90-82 win over No. 13 BYU, meaning the Prolific Prep alum will be given ample opportunity to leave his fingerprint on any matchup.
The time for Peterson to write himself into KU folklore is now
The Jayhawks will have to face either the No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs or the No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys in Thursday’s quarterfinal of the Big 12 Tournament. Peterson played in both the regular-season matchups, notching 32 in a comeback 104-100 victory over TCU, before adding 23 in Kansas’81-69 win over the Cowboys, over a month later.
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