Myron MedcalfFeb 10, 2026, 03:39 PM

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Joined ESPN.com in 2011
Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — After No. 9 Kansas handed No. 1 Arizona its first loss of the season 82-78 on Monday night despite playing without Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick who missed the game because of an illness, Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd demanded respect for the Jayhawks.

“Guys, Kansas is a hell of a team,” said Lloyd, whose team hadn’t lost since March 27, 2025, in the Sweet 16 against Duke. “Let’s not make this about Darryn Peterson. He didn’t play because he was sick. They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home. They did a hell of a job, and their coach did a hell of a job. That should be the story.”

Flory Bidunga (23), Bryson Tiller (18) and Melvin Council Jr. (23) combined to score 64 points in Peterson’s absence to beat Arizona, which entered Monday ranked top five in offense and defense.

Kansas became the first team in the past 30 seasons to beat an AP No. 1 opponent despite not having a 20-point-per-game scorer.

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Dozens of scouts and NBA executives had flown to Lawrence to see Peterson, who missed the game because of “flu-like symptoms.” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Peterson did not practice Sunday but went through pregame warmups Monday. Self said he knew Peterson wasn’t himself but figured “adrenaline would kick in” and Peterson would play.

“I went into the training room, he’s in there trying, and I said, ‘Can you?’ and he said, ‘Coach, I don’t think I can,'” Self said. “And to be honest with you, I would probably rather him not play if he couldn’t contribute, just because we’d spend 20 minutes trying to get him shots or whatever, and if he doesn’t feel it, then I would much rather do it the way that it happened. So, he tried, but he just couldn’t get there.”

Kansas had been in that position multiple times this season. Peterson has missed 11 games because of cramping or injuries, and he has played fewer than 25 minutes in five other games because of the same issues.

The Jayhawks had to rally without Peterson when they won three games (Notre Dame, Syracuse, Tennessee) at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Feast Week. But they had also lost previous matchups against top contenders Duke and UConn with Peterson sidelined.

The Jayhawks found out he wouldn’t be available Monday when they returned to the court after warmups.

“We still have a job to do. We still have to compete,” said Bidunga, who became the third player in 35 seasons to finish with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a win over an AP No. 1 team. “We’ve played some games without [Peterson]. And that made us strong. Even though he wasn’t there — I mean, we wish he was there for the game — but unfortunately, he wasn’t. But we still have a job to do, and we did pretty good.”

On Saturday, Arizona defeated Oklahoma State by 37 points, the Wildcats’ fifth win by 25 points or more against a top-60 KenPom team this season. Kansas weathered an 11-point deficit early in the second half Monday and outscored Arizona 38-23 in the last 17 minutes.

Tiller, who scored 14 of his team’s first 22 points, had a dunk late in the game as Arizona tried to rally. Bidunga blocked Brayden Burries‘ shot on a critical drive with 17 seconds left to preserve a three-point lead. Council hit a clutch floater to extend his team’s lead to six points with less than a minute to play, and then he made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to help seal the win.

Flory Bidunga became just the third player in 35 seasons to finish with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a win over an AP No. 1 team, according to ESPN Research. Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images

Self said Monday’s win proved that his team isn’t better without Peterson, but it is more assertive.

“The one thing about [Peterson] that’s been positive is we have played without him, and we’ve actually been more aggressive individually a lot of times when he was not in the game,” Self said. “Now, we’re not as good, but we’re more aggressive individually. … I don’t know that we would have played that aggressively if [Peterson] had been in the game because he’s getting a lot of those touches and a lot of those shots.”

With Kansas winning its first game against an AP No. 1 team at Allen Fieldhouse, Self improved to 83-15 at the Phog against ranked opponents, surpassing Jerry Tarkanian for the second-best home winning percentage against ranked teams in NCAA history and trailing only John Wooden.

Throughout the game, the sellout crowd at Allen Fieldhouse was relentless. At one point, the noise in the building reached over 118 decibels — comparable to a jet engine — according to the in-house decibel meter.

Self said even though the Jayhawks were short-handed, the crowd gave them the boost they needed to win and “took ownership” of keeping his team’s energy levels high.

“It’s hard to get tired when that crowd is like that,” Self said. “And so, there are a lot of great crowds out there, and everybody would think I’m biased by saying that we’re the best because I shouldn’t say that because I don’t know exactly what everybody else has, but I can guarantee you there is no place better than this place.”

ESPN Research contributed to this report.