ESPN Ranks Two Kansas Jayhawks Among Nation's Top 100 Players

The Kansas basketball team went about its offseason in a different way than in past years.

Bill Self built the Jayhawks' roster around his star player and added pieces that complement him nicely.

In a recent ESPN article by Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf, two players from KU were listed among the top 100 players in college basketball. One landed inside the top five, while the other was ranked outside the top 50.

Two Kansas Jayhawks Listed Among Top 100 CBB Players

The first player named on the list was rising sophomore Flory Bidunga at No. 51. After sitting behind Hunter Dickinson for one season, he is ready to make the jump to KU's starting center role.

Flory Bidunga: No. 51

"Bidunga withdrawing his name from the transfer portal and returning to Kansas was critical for coach Bill Self," Borzello wrote. "The former five-star recruit is poised for a breakout sophomore season, and should anchor the Jayhawks' frontcourt. He averaged 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks last season, with his rebounding and block rates among the best in the Big 12. And in his six starts, he averaged 8.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 73.1% from the field."

The shot-blocking phenom is not much of a threat offensively outside of his thunderous dunks, but his defensive presence alone makes him one of the sport's biggest breakout candidates this season.

Darryn Peterson: No. 4

Later on in the list, Peterson was named at No. 4 overall. He only trailed JT Toppin (No. 3), AJ Dybantsa (No. 2), and Braden Smith (No. 1).

"Bill Self has coached some of the top players in college basketball during his decorated career, including Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins," Medcalf noted. "But over the summer, Self said Peterson -- the projected No. 1 pick in ESPN's latest 2026 NBA mock draft -- is the best freshman he has ever coached at this stage of a season. The 6-6 guard has few weaknesses. Self rarely allows freshmen to lead his teams, but Peterson will do just that, which speaks to the trust his head coach has in him."

A top-5 ranking suggests that ESPN believes Peterson will end up a First Team All-American as a freshman, though it is surprising that he is behind Dybantsa considering "Bucket Jones" took home the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year award.

Regardless, if Peterson can be the fourth-best player in the country, KU has a good shot at having a bounce-back season and competing for the Big 12 crown.