The top prizes in last year's recruiting class were Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa. The former plays for the Kansas basketball team, and the latter went to BYU. Saturday, those two schools meet in Allen Fieldhouse.
Peterson injured his ankle against Colorado last week and sat out the KU victory over Kansas State. He will have had 10 days for his ankle to heal before this clash against BYU and Dybantsa.
Darryn Peterson vs. AJ Dybantsa could be one of the better featured matchups this season
This game, featuring the two premier freshmen scorers, is so tantalizing that ESPN is going to host Gameday in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. Seldom do two freshmen this talented get to play against each other.
Both are scoring machines. Dybantsa averages 23.6 points per game while Peterson tallies 21.6 points per outing. The most significant difference has been in health. Peterson has played in just 10 games and averages five minutes less than the BYU star.
While each is an incredible scorer, they go about it in different ways. Dybantsa has hit only 21 three-pointers, knocking down only 31.8 percent of his attempts. He scores most of his points from inside the arc and from the free throw line, where he leads the Big 12 with 131 made free throws out of 172 attempts.
In only 10 games, Peterson has 29 threes at 42.0 percent. He is also good from the charity stripe, shooting 82.0 percent, but he averages five attempts a game compared to Dybantsa averaging 8.6 free throws per game.
The best thing about these two is that both are more than just scorers. Peterson averages 4.6 rebounds, and Dybansta pulls down 6.7. The Kansas star dishes out 1.9 assists while the BYU freshman averages 3.6.
It is difficult to judge just how good Peterson might be because of his limited opportunities. He's missed half the games due to various ailments, and he often sits out the end of games he does play. It's been challenging to completely gel with his teammates when he's missed so much time, though the Jayhawks have been figuring that out.
Peterson already missed one other key game against another top first-year star. He missed the early-season game with Cam Boozer and Duke. It would be a shame if his ankle prevented him from playing in the game against Dybantsa and BYU.
Of course, the game is more than just its stars. KU is 15-5 overall and ranked 14th. BYU is 17-3 and ranked 13th. Both are 5-2 in the Big 12. The Cougars have two players apart from Dybantsa, who average more than 17 points. Richie Saunders drops in 18.8 points per game, and Robert Wright scores 17.5 an outing to give BYU a terrific trio of scorers. Nobody else averages more than 7.5 points.
Kansas is more balanced. Tre White, Flory Bidunga, and Melvin Council Jr. all average between 13 and 15 points, while Bryson Tiller averages 8.2 points per game. The Jayhawks have several players who can lead the team in scoring for any given game, while BYU really has just three.
This game will be a good one, and it will be a blast to see Peterson and Dybansta going against one another. Hopefully, Peterson will be fully recovered from his injury and will be 100 percent. Anything else will be a letdown for college basketball fans.
Make sure to bookmark Through the Phog and follow us on X and Facebook with the username @Throughthephog