KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A rarely seen aggressiveness from Kansas guard Darryn Peterson was on display Thursday night as the Jayhawks opened postseason play.
As the Jayhawks struggled through a game in which Kansas head coach Bill Self said aptly “I don’t think we played our best by any stretch,” it was a Peterson parade to the free throw line that in part saved KU from an upset.
“The thing we did best, obviously, was get fouled and shoot free throws,” Self said. “So that was great to see.
Without his shot falling from the perimeter for much of the night, Peterson attacked the basket time and time again. In the bonus with more than 11 minutes remaining in the second half, Peterson was able to get some offensive rhythm at the free throw line, where he produced 13 of his game-high 24 points in what turned out to be a 78-73 Kansas victory.
“Missed three,” Peterson said following the win, harping on the trio of misses on a night he made more than a dozen from the foul line. “I feel like I’m a pretty hard guard. That’s why they gotta foul me sometimes. And (I) gotta make them.”
Eventually, Peterson’s rhythm at the line helped him get into the groove required to finish off the Horned Frogs with a turnaround jumper near the free throw line to give KU a 72-65 lead with 41 seconds left.
As for why he was able to attack the rim so frequently, the Kansas star attributed his health and basketball knowledge as the two biggest reasons.
The Kansas Jayhawks compete against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri on March 12, 2026.
(Denny Medley\Big 12 Conference)(Denny Medley\Big 12 Conference | Denny Medley\Big 12 Conference)
“Probably both feeling better and watching film,” Peterson said following just the second double-figure free throw attempt performance of the year — the last coming in January against TCU when Peterson attempted 15 free throws against the Horned Frogs. “I see I was taking 3s instead of getting downhill, and getting downhill helps the team. I’m trying to do that more.”
Senior forward Tre White said Peterson’s drives are important to the Jayhawks’ ability to create offense.
“Every time he’ll create two or three sets of eyes looking at him,” White said. “It gives our team easy backdoors, easy catch-and-shoots, just more action on the backside and get us into the bonus earlier. Whenever he’s downhill like that it’s nothing but good things that can happen.”
Peterson said his teammates and coaches were imploring him to be aggressive the whole game. That kept the star guard attacking on a night he set his college career high in minutes played with 37.
“Super excited,” Peterson said about his minutes high. “Throughout the year, my body was holding me back. But to finally feel free out there feels great.”
“I didn’t even think of taking him out tonight,” said Self after Peterson played all 20 second-half minutes. “A month ago you may try to limit his minutes to the point where he could still feel good down the finish line. I can’t speak for Darryn, but I would think that over the last two or three weeks, (his) body’s felt a lot better.”
The Kansas Jayhawks compete against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri on March 12, 2026.
(Denny Medley\Big 12 Conference)(Denny Medley\Big 12 Conference | Denny Medley\Big 12 Conference)
As postseason play progresses, Peterson’s propensity to attack will be critical, according to Self.
“The best players have got to be aggressive all the time,” the legendary Kansas coach said. “And he’s the best player. The same with (Kansas sophomore center Flory Bidunga). We’ll be a lot better when these two are aggressive all the time, and they know that.
“Sometimes aggressiveness leads to missing shots, but at least you put yourself in position to make plays.”
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