Darryn Peterson is public enemy No. 1 in Lubbock, Texas, right now, after he was the biggest reason the Red Raiders lost to Kansas on Monday night. With 1:20 left on the clock, Peterson hit a contested 3-pointer to tie the game, and then, with about 45 seconds left on the clock, he hit what ended up being the game-winning 3-pointer for the Jayhawks.
Before he even hit those shots, though, Peterson was continually harassed by the crowd with some NSFW chants that certainly can't be repeated. Anytime he was at the line, or there was a pause and attention was on Peterson, the crowd was letting him hear it.
Kansas head coach Bill Self spoke on the radio show "Hawk Talk" on Tuesday and referenced those chants at Peterson. Honestly, Self thanked the crowd because, clearly, though chants lit a fire under Peterson, he certainly doesn't condone what they were chanting.
Bill Self on "Hawk Talk" tonight referencing last night's crowd:
— Henry Greenstein (@HenryGreenstein) February 4, 2026
"There was obviously a little chant that was going on. And — thank you. That's all.
I honestly don't think that had anything to do whether the ball goes in the hole or not. I don't believe that. But thank you."
"There was obviously a little chant that was going on, and — thank you. That's all," Self said. "I honestly don't think that had anything to do whether the ball goes in the hole or not. I don't believe that, but thank you."
Peterson finished the game with 19 points, six of them coming at the most crucial moments of the game with clutch 3-pointers. By his standards, Peterson had a slow game against Texas Tech as he also only had two steals, two rebounds, and one assist. However, he did play a season-high 35 minutes, which is something fans hope to see more of.
What the crowd was chanting at Peterson was uncalled for, but a lot of times, that never ends up working out in the crowd's favor because it always fires the player up. A lot of times, hate can be a motivating factor for players in opposing arenas, and it definitely was for Peterson.