Tonight marks the start of a new No. 19 Kansas basketball season. For months, fans have been longing to see Bill Self’s newest rendition of what he hopes will be his third NCAA National Championship.
This Jayhawk team in particular sees nine new players join the squad either via the portal or as freshmen.
Leading the pack was always going to be the freshman Darryn Peterson. Peterson made an instant impact with 26 points in an unofficial exhibition 90-82 win over the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals.
Peterson then missed the following exhibition against Division II side Fort Hays State with what was later revealed as a stomach bug; however, Peterson has also been struggling with cramps, which saw him miss out on most of the second half against the Cardinals.
While off the court, fans want to see Peterson healthier, the talent on the court has been undeniable.
There has been a lot of speculation on whether Peterson or No. 8 BYU’s AJ Dybantsa will be the top pick ahead of next year's NBA Draft.
Hailing from Utah Prep, Dybantsa is currently ranked as the No. 2 player from the class of 2025.
BYU held two exhibitions like the Jayhawks. The first was a narrow 90-89 loss to Big Ten side Nebraska. Dybantsa tallied a monster 30 points and seven rebounds with three assists and three steals.
The 6-foot-9 forward notched a 10-19 rate from the field, with a further eight from the free-throw line.
In Dybantsa’s second exhibition, a 78-76 win over No. 25 North Carolina, Dybantsa scored 18 points, with eight rebounds, three steals, three turnovers, and one assist on 6-13 shooting, which saw six points from the stripe.
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports took the liberty of compiling the top-30 players’ draft order, and Peterson’s No. 1 slot backs up what Kansas fans have been able to see in his short time with the team.
“He finished as the top-ranked prospect in last year's recruiting class and begins this draft cycle in the same place. Peterson is a big, playmaking guard who continues to improve each year. His overlap of positional size, length, strength and shot creation is unmatched in this class. In fact, he may be the best domestic guard we've seen in several draft cycles. If the shot-making we've seen early on at Kansas proves sustainable, he could be even better than expected. Current pick: Brooklyn Nets.”
Peterson wasn’t the only player mentioned. Forward Flory Bidunga was gifted a nomination in Finkelstein’s “best of the rest” category.
Bidunga’s freshman season saw moments of potential, including a three-game stretch with at least 10 points scored. Overall, for the year, Bidunga averaged 5.9 points, 1.6 blocks, and 5.4 rebounds on a 69.8% field goal rate.
The first chance to see two of Finkelstein’s rated prospects is tonight at 7 p.m. CT against the Green Bay Phoenix out of the Horizon League. Streaming can be found on ESPN+.
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